Page 40 of The Candle Palace (Jamison Valley 6)
“On Bernard.”
That was two blocks in the opposite direction of my place. “Then you should wait here. It’s closer than going all the way to my place only to backtrack.”
She frowned and dropped her hand. “Fine. I’ll call your brother.”
“What? No. Why?” If she had a tow coming, why would she need to call Denny? I didn’t need them both here.
“Sara?”
I glanced over my shoulder and held in a grumble. “Oh, uh . . . hi, Dr. Vernon.”
That came out nice, didn’t it? It had been a struggle to keep the irritation with him out of my daily interactions. If my smiles aimed in his direction were forced, he didn’t seem to notice.
“Hello.” He smiled at Mom and her entire frame straightened.
“Doctor?” She held out her hand, batting her eyelashes as he shook it. “You’re too young to be a doctor.”
Puke. Was she really hitting on him?
He chuckled. “I am a believer that good skin care is not just for women. I owe my youthful looks to a lifetime of serums and the occasional injection.”
He probably had a syringe of Botox in his desk drawer.
Too busy hiding my eye rolls and gags, I didn’t realize both Dr. Vernon and Mom were staring at me and waiting for an introduction.
“Oh, sorry. Dr. Vernon, this is my mom, Abby. Mom, this is Dr. Vernon. He’s the burn specialist here at the hospital.”
“And across Spokane County,” he added, playfully nudging my shoulder.
Right. Because he made so many house calls outside of these walls.
Sara! My inner sass was running rampant and if I wasn’t careful, a snarky comment was going to slip. Then I really would be getting a visit from Amber and a security escort from the building.
“To what do we owe the pleasure?” Dr. Vernon asked Mom.
“Oh, my silly car broke down.” She smoothed down one side of her platinum-blond hair, shimmying her shoulders ever so slightly so the unzipped jacket she was wearing fell open a bit more.
Mom was a beautiful woman and she knew it. Other than the smoking, she took excellent care of herself, and she flaunted her body, hoping for attention.
I’d often wondered if that was why Dad had noticed her in the first place. He had been as down-to-earth a person as I’d ever met. He was humble and kind. He didn’t need flashy cars or designer clothes. But for Dad as a younger man, I could see how having a woman like Mom on his arm would boost any man’s ego.
When they’d met, her hair had been the same color as mine. He loved that color, he’d told me often. He’d always said it set her apart.
It set me apart.
Mom’s green eyes were like mine too. They were always bright, framed with long black lashes that pulled you in. Dr. Vernon wasn’t immune to her allure and he inched her way. Did he even know he was doing it?
Probably not. His gaze lingered on her face, those eyes and her full lips that were always painted a soft shade of peach. To me, it was an innocent color. But Dr. Vernon stared at Mom’s lips like he expected a string of wicked and dirty words to come from her coral pout. He didn’t pass on the cleavage she had on display either.
Her appearance had never failed to lure in a fish.
And she had her hook baited for Dr. Vernon.
“Can you believe Sara has never invited me to visit her here at work, Dr. Vernon?” She stroked his arm, her red nails leaving imaginary claw marks on his white lab coat. “She’s been working here for years and I’m just now meeting her coworkers.”
“A burn unit is not the place for a family reunion, Mom.”
