Page 10 of Maxwell

“Good morning, Dr. Roberson,” Maxwell greeted him back.

“Welcome! How was the drive in?”

Maxwell shrugged. “It’s Atlanta, which means of course I hit traffic, but nothing too bad since I was going in the opposite direction of the drivers headed into the city.”

Bright Futures Pediatrics was located outside of the city limits in Gwinnett County. On a good day, Maxwell could make the drive in about thirty minutes, but the traffic made him take almost forty.

“Let me show you to your office. Jay isn’t here yet, but once she arrives, she’ll get you signed up and in our system.”

Dr. Roberson briefly clapped him on the shoulder and then steered him down the hall. They stopped in front of a door with a nameplate on it—Dr. Maxwell Santana.

Dr. Roberson pushed open the door. “This is your office.”

Maxwell slowly walked in. The distinctive smell of lemon furniture polish and cleaning supplies filled the air.

His office.

The space was small, especially when compared to the massive offices his older brothers ruled their empires out of.

It contained a simple wooden desk, a couple of bookshelves, and a file cabinet. Two windows next to each other were covered in white blinds. Nothing fancy, but the kid inside of him was jumping up and down, unable to believe this was really happening. His dream had come true.

“I hope you like it,” Dr. Roberson said, sounding a little anxious.

Maxwell turned to face him. “I love it.”

The older man’s face brightened. “Glad to hear it. I can’t tell you how good it is to have you here.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m happy to be here.”

“My daughter should arrive soon...” His voice trailed off, and he cocked his head at the sound of jingling keys. “I stand corrected. Sounds like she’s already here. Put down your bag and I’ll introduce you.”

Maxwell placed his backpack on the desk and followed the doctor two doors down to a now open office.

“Morning, Jay. The new doctor is here. Dr. Santana.”

Maxwell stepped into the office with a smile on his face, which faded when he saw the person on the other side of the desk. Jay was Jasmine, the woman whose bed he had sneaked from only days before.

She looked up from rummaging in a large purse and froze, her lips parting slightly, her eyes widening a fraction. She was clearly as surprised to see him as he was to see her.

“As I mentioned, she was on vacation when I interviewed you, but this is the heart and soul of Bright Futures Pediatrics. She runs a tight ship, but if you need anything, this is the person to talk to. She’s my youngest. Her name’s Jasmine, but we call her Jay.”

“Because I was his last hope for a boy, but he ended up with four daughters.”

“Four daughters?” Maxwell repeated. “That makes Dr. Roberson a very lucky man. I’ve read research that suggests a man’s lifespan increases by an average of seventy-four weeks for each daughter he has.”

Jasmine’s eyebrows shifted higher. “And why is that?” she asked.

“They’re not completely sure, but the theory is that having daughters encourages men to take fewer risks, make healthier lifestyle choices, and encourages emotional connections that reduce stress.”

“Interesting. Dad, that means we added about five and half years to your life. You’re welcome.”

“Oh goodness, Dr. Santana, you might have created a monster,” Dr. Roberson muttered good-naturedly.

With an amused smile, Jasmine extended her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

She looked Maxwell right in the eyes, and frustratingly, he couldn’t read her expression, which was a bad sign. She was probably pissed about the way he’d sneaked out of her apartment.

Shit.