My Sister's Boyfriend (The Trouble With Twins 1) (15 page)

 "Hey, Doctor Moulton, thanks for the flowers in the reception area. They're beautiful," the volunteer called.

Brent nodded. At almost two hundred dollars, the white roses looked spectacular in the umbrella stand. Only they had been sent as a peace offering to Jennifer, and she'd given them to the receptionist. So much for forgiveness.

He’d gone to her house twice, but she had either chosen not to answer her door or had not been home. He’d pounded on her door until he feared her neighbors would call the police.

Brent didn't know which was worse, his feelings of responsibility, which got in the way, or the guilt that ate at him all night as he lay awake worrying about Jennifer. He should have been honest with her right up front instead of waiting to lay it on her in Chairman Weaver's office.

The look on her face had ripped through his gut as he watched her react to his words. His hopes for the two of them had been dashed right there in the chairman's office. He stopped walking and stood in the hallway of the hospital, stunned at this sudden realization.

What kind of hopes could a man like him have about a woman other than wanting to get her in his bed?

He shook himself mentally and started walking to her office again. Yeah, he'd wanted Jennifer in his bed, but this seemed like more than just unfulfilled sexual fantasies. This seemed more like dashed dreams, and he didn't go the dream route.

Maybe it was just as well then that this fiasco had occurred, because he definitely didn't need to be involved emotionally with Jennifer or any other woman. Yet he still sensed a keen disappointment that hurt like hell.

He rounded the corner of the hall and suddenly stood before her office. He rapped on her door.

"Come in," she called.

He pushed open the door, and she glanced up at him, her blue eyes cool and assessing.

"Hi," he said. "Is now a good time to talk?"

"Of course," she replied. Her voice had a cool edge. She sat behind the desk wearing a white silk blouse that curved along her frame and buttoned up the front except for the top two buttons.

Brent walked in and shut the door behind him.

Her head was bent over some paperwork that she was writing notes on. "Take a seat and I'll be right with you."

He couldn't help but notice the way her blonde hair brushed the top of her shoulder as she leaned forward. His eyes traveled over her and halted at the sight of her blouse gapping just enough to let him see the lace on her bra. An electrical zing went through him, halting near his midsection.

It was just a visceral reaction, nothing more. His body's way of letting him know of the attraction he had for Jennifer. Nothing he couldn't handle.

She laid the pen down, stood, and walked to a bookshelf on a far wall in her office. With her back to him, she bent over to retrieve a book, giving him a glance of her long, sleek legs, her skirt rising to just below her panty line.

Geez, okay, now the visceral reactions were coming in faster than he'd anticipated, and he felt like he was on system overload. He was sitting here waiting to apologize when the caveman inside him wanted to throw her to the floor and press himself deep inside her.

He took a deep breath. He could control his body's reaction.

She pulled the book off the shelf and then returned to her desk. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I just needed to finish my train of thought before we got started."

"No problem," he said, his voice sounding tight and strained as he wondered if she had deliberately kept him waiting. "I just wanted to come by and apologize for yesterday. I should never have gone to Chairman Weaver but spoken with you directly. I was wrong."

She didn't say anything but merely looked at him with a blank expression on her face. God, she was not going to make this easy.

"I was shocked at how easy it was for me to get so many celebrities and staff signed up to participate. I had no idea it would work out so well, or I would have told you sooner."

"Well, it's a done deal, isn't it?" she said, her eyes not smiling or softening in the least. "So there's no point in me wasting my time being upset about it. We have a huge event happening in two weeks, and we need to get this bachelor auction included in the promotion."

"So you're not mad at me?" he questioned.

"Did I say I wasn't mad at you?" she asked.

"No."

"Let's just call a truce and do what's necessary," she responded.

"I had good intentions, Jennifer. Honest. I see too many sick children to let this hospital continue without a decent pediatrics department. I had to do something," he said, watching her blue eyes flicker with emotion.

"I agree completely. But you knew my feelings, and yet you didn't have the courage to come and speak to me directly. Did you think I was so cold that I wouldn't have found a way to make this happen to where we both got what we needed?" she asked. Her voice held a bitter edge to it.

He sighed. When he'd first started this process he'd been determined not to become involved with her, but now in the last few days he'd been tempted to throw away all his preset rules regarding women and pursue her with all his heart.

“You didn’t seem receptive to the idea.”

“My job is to protect the hospital’s image while raising money. This idea is risky. I’m a new employee. I could be fired if it doesn’t go well.”

“It’s going to raise a lot of money. I won’t let you be fired.”

“I hope not.”

Yet the bachelor auction stood between them, an ugly secret, along with his history with her sister. This relationship seemed doomed from the very beginning, yet he still couldn't help but hold out a small amount of hope. And that was odd. Before, he would have just walked away.

There was a moment of strained silence until she asked, "The list of participants does include you, doesn’t it?"

He felt awkward. "No, I thought I'd be so busy helping run the event that I wouldn't have a chance to participate."

"Oh, no. I have plenty of volunteers, so you'll be able to stand in line with all the other bachelors and take your turn up on stage. You are a bachelor, Brent. And you do want to raise money for the new pediatrics wing of the hospital."

Brent swallowed, his throat suddenly getting tight. How could he say no?

"I’m sure Chairman Weaver would want to know you participated.”

The threat hovered in the air. She played hardball, and how could he deny her after everything he'd done to her the day before? "Of course. I'm looking forward to the night."

"It's going to be an interesting evening."

"So we're okay?" he asked, wondering at her sudden change in attitude.

"I'll do everything that I can to help make this auction a success for the children of Smith County. They're our real focus, not the two of us."

A trickle of unease wound its way down his back. She was being nice, yet he felt like Jennifer Riley had just put a target on his back.

Chapter Ten

Jennifer looked around at the crowded reception hall. The last two weeks had flown by with the preparations for the auction consuming every waking moment and even some of her sleep time. So far she'd managed to make sure that she was never alone with Brent, keeping him at a distance. She’d gotten over her anger, but still he was dangerous to her emotions and her psyche.

Yet if tonight was as successful as it appeared, how could she harbor any lingering feelings of resentment? Not only would the hospital raise money for the new pediatric wing, but ultimately the children of Cook County would benefit.

Regardless of how the bachelor auction had gotten started, it appeared the end result would be successful. And how could she criticize a man for helping children? His caring nature was one of the things she admired most about Brent.

If only he could share that same nature with her.

Warmth stole over her as she sensed his presence behind her.

"Over five hundred people have come through the door this evening," the deep voice she'd been avoiding all afternoon said close to her ear.

She whirled around and looked into his warm emerald eyes and wondered once again why this man held such a grip on her heart. No matter how angry she'd been, her heart still leaped at the sight of him.

 An unrestrained smile spread across her face. Nervous excitement pulsed through her as she thought of her plans. "The silent auction is going very well. At this moment some of the items are bringing more than double what we expected."

"And the bachelor auction starts in ten minutes," Brent said excitedly. A serious expression came across his face. "Look, you've been great about the auction. Regardless of your feelings, you got behind it, and no matter what happens tonight, you've been wonderful."

"Thank you, but the night is far from over," she gently reminded him.

"I know, but you've worked hard to make my idea a success, and I wanted to personally thank you."

For a moment Jennifer felt a twinge of guilt. Yes, she had worked hard to make tonight a success, but the night wasn't over, and she had plans of her own. At first, she’d intended to even the score, but as she looked around at the success of the event, she knew he’d been right. Tonight her position as development director of County General would be viewed as a complete success because of Brent.

"Thank you, Dr. Moulton. I think our goals were the same, only we had different ways of achieving them." She paused, realizing how far they'd come in the last few minutes. "You better go. Your turn in the spotlight awaits you."

"Are you going to watch?" he asked.

"I wouldn't miss it," she responded, hoping her voice didn't betray her. "I'll be on the sidelines handing out drool rags."

He shook his head, his smile wide and inviting. "Let's just hope we raise lots of money."

"Yes," she replied and watched him walk away, unable to keep from noticing his tight little tush.

Thirty minutes later, Jennifer sat in stunned disbelief as women haggled over a date with a professional football player. The bid started at five hundred and quickly rose to five thousand, where the contest had narrowed down to a tug of war between two women old enough to be grandmothers.

If this continued, they would raise more money tonight than she'd dreamed possible. She only wished that Brent had come to her with the results of his impromptu arrangements before their meeting with Chairman Weaver. Yes, she'd been relentless in her effort to prove her capabilities as the new development director, but this was her job, and she wanted to do her best. Yet there was a stubborn side of her which would probably never have listened to him if the chairman hadn’t forced her.

"Sold! Cowboys running back, Louis Stapleman goes for six thousand dollars to bidder number twenty-three." The crowd applauded. "Don't know where you two are going, but for that kind of cash, I hope you have a good time."

The crowd of mainly women laughed before focusing on the next auction.

"Our next bachelor is Dr. Brent Moulton, one of the organizers of this event. Tell us a little bit about what you like to do on a date, Dr. Moulton. And what kind of lady you're looking for."

Brent took the microphone from the local disc jockey who had volunteered his services tonight. "Is everybody having a good time?" The crowd cheered. "I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. And a special thanks to the hospital’s new development director, Jennifer Riley, for doing such a great job."

The lighting guy turned the spotlight on Jennifer, and she waved to the crowd. The big geek had singled her out, yet she felt warm that he'd acknowledged her help in such a public way.

"Okay, Dr. Moulton, tell us your dream date," the disc jockey said."

Brent tilted his head and smiled widely. "My dream date would be to go to a nice restaurant and then come back to my house and get wet together." The crowd laughed at his entendre. He glanced over at Jennifer, and she met his gaze. "I have a swimming pool or a hot tub. Either one is a great way to end the evening. It doesn't matter what we do, just as long as I'm with a woman I enjoy."

"Whoa, Dr. Moulton, we're going to be here all night, if I don't take the microphone away from you."

The crowd laughed, and Brent grinned at them sheepishly. "So, who will make the first bid?"

Jennifer stood up and waved her number. "One dollar."

Everyone laughed at the opening bid.

“Five hundred,” Taylor, one of the committee members, called out.

For the next few moments she and Taylor battled over the young doctor, and Jennifer was determined to win.

"Eleven hundred," Taylor said, countering Jennifer’s latest bid.

"Twelve hundred," Jennifer insisted.

Brent looked over at her and smiled. Oh, he had no idea, what kind of water works she and Julia had planned for him.

"Thirteen hundred," the redhead said.

"Fourteen hundred," Jennifer retorted, her voice steady.

Taylor stood up, her bottom lip thrust out in a pout. "You just aren't going to let me win, are you?"

The audience laughed at the spectacle the woman was making of herself while Jennifer raised her brows more determined than ever.

"Fifteen hundred," the woman whined.

"Sixteen hundred," Jennifer answered, knowing with certainty she'd drain her bank balance before she'd let Taylor win this bid.

This time the woman didn't respond, and Jennifer knew she'd won. She'd spent a ridiculous amount of money on a date with Brent Moulton.

For revenge? It had started out that way, but after his apologies and the fact he’d made her look good, how could she carry out the plan she’d discussed with Julia? How could she get even? No, their date would be so much more.

"Sold, for sixteen hundred dollars."

Brent hurried off the stage and came up to her. "Should I be worried that you paid so much to have a date with me?"

She smiled wickedly at him. "Maybe."

"So what do you have planned?" he asked.

She raised her brows. "You'll have to wait and see.”

“Should I expect you in a raincoat again?” he teased.