Page 28 of Maxwell

“I was in-between jobs because...” Better not go down the road of that memory. Her mistakes were in the past and she’d learned a valuable lesson about getting involved with charming coworkers—a mistake she would not make again. “The reason is irrelevant. I came to work here, which was supposed to be temporary, but...”

“But?” Maxwell prompted.

“I liked the job and my dad asked me to stay on permanently. It worked out.”

“I don’t think Dr. Roberson could be any prouder of the work you do. He bragged about you during my interview.”

She smiled, embarrassed but pleased by the information. “He brags about all his daughters. My sisters are all doctors, by the way.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. My two oldest sisters have a practice together, gynecology and obstetrics. My sister closest to me is a cardiologist. And then there’s me, the office manager.”

“Hey, I get it. I come from a family of overachievers too. They’re all entrepreneurs or extremely successful in their chosen fields.”

“It’s crazy to hear that being a doctor isn’t a high achievement.”

“If you met my family, you’d understand,” Maxwell said with a laugh. “My point is, there’s nothing wrong with going a different route than your siblings.”

“I don’t feel bad, believe me. I had zero interest in becoming a doctor, but it’s nice to know that my father appreciates my work.”

Maxwell tapped his pen on the desk. “You have big plans this weekend?”

“Are you fishing for information?”

“Yes.”

“What are you doing?”

“Gonna be all by my lonesome.”

“Hah. I doubt that.”

Maxwell frowned, though he appeared amused rather than upset. “You have a very low opinion of me.”

“I don’t, I swear. I assumed, that’s all.”

“Like I did. I figured you and Nicholas Tight Pants would have big plans for Valentine’s Day. He already showed out with the flowers.”

“What did you call him?” Jasmine demanded.

“You heard me,” Maxwell said, unrepentant.

“First of all, his pants aren’t that...”

He raised an eyebrow.

“They’re snug,” Jasmine amended. “Anyway, not that it’s any of your business, but he’s out of town on business, so we won’t be spending Valentine’s Day together.”

“Aww. Too bad.”

Jasmine narrowed her eyes at his completely insincere expression of sympathy.

“That’s why he brought the flowers early and took you to lunch,” Maxwell surmised.

“Correct. Am I supposed to believe you’re sitting at home with nothing to do all weekend?”

“Not exactly.”