The Best Medicine (19 page)

Not wanting Lauren to feel attacked, Scott almost spoke up, but instead cleared his throat loudly, hoping Florence and Jim would get the message.

But if the message was inferred, Jim didn’t bother listening to it. “I agree—interesting that you should feel lukewarm about a job that was basically handed to you on a silver platter. What do you mean
most
of the time?”

Scott had had enough. It was one thing for them to be rude to
him
. They had a history. But Lauren hadn’t even been around the other two doctors very often. Just the one Friday she had worked, and the few times they’d needed to fit patients in at that office. They had no reason to go after her. She wasn’t involved in any of the intraoffice drama. Scott knew they were only targeting
her because he had hired her without consulting them. But he didn’t owe them that courtesy. He didn’t owe them
anything
. And Scott would be damned if they were going to insult her and not expect him to stop it.

Just as Scott was about to stand and speak up, Lauren beat him to it. Evidently she wasn’t going to tolerate their rudeness either. “I didn’t think it needed much explanation,” she said calmly as she put her fork down on her plate.

Assertive Lauren was making an appearance, and Scott instantly felt like a kid staying up to watch a movie he shouldn’t be seeing. He settled back in his chair with his imaginary popcorn and waited for the show.

“With the exception of a few days here and there, I’ve loved my job at Jacobs’ Family Practice. Dr. Scott and the nurses are wonderful to work with.

Scott watched her sit back and fold her hands in front of her out of his periphery. She was gearing up for battle. He almost felt bad for Jim and Florence.

“Lauren,” Pam scolded.

“That’s okay, Pam,” Prescott stated. “So I’m assuming you neglected to mention me in your list of people you love working with intentionally.”

Scott felt bad for Pam. After all, she had to continue to work with the two doctors Lauren was probably going to verbally eviscerate in a matter of seconds. But ultimately Scott was the boss, and he had no intention of stopping Lauren from defending herself.

“If we’re speaking candidly, then yes, it was intentional.”

Scott felt his chest vibrate with the chuckle that he tried to suppress.
That’s my girl.

Prescott huffed out a bewildered laugh. “And you think the what—maybe four times we’ve crossed paths—were enough to form a lasting opinion of me?”

“I think four times is
more
than enough. Especially since our current interaction isn’t exactly proving my opinion inaccurate.”

“If I may ask, what
is
your opinion, Miss Hastings?”

Lauren hesitated for a moment. “My opinion is that you’re probably a very knowledgeable doctor who somewhere along the way let resentment cause him to lose sight of himself.”

How Lauren’s observation had been so dead-on, Scott didn’t know. Not that he should’ve been surprised. Lo had always been able to read him like a book, and he knew better than to think this was something unique to
him
. Scott wasn’t sure how Prescott would respond to that, so Scott prepared himself to intervene if necessary.

After a tense minute, Prescott cleared his throat. “I stand corrected. Maybe you did have enough time to form an opinion of me. If you’ll all excuse me.” Jim stood and made his way across the ballroom, eventually leaving Scott’s line of sight.

“Lauren, not every battle needs fighting, “Pam scolded.

“Hey, you raised me,” Lauren retorted, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

“Yeah, well, I blame your father.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Lauren smiled as she leaned over and gave her mom a quick hug.

Thankfully, the rest of the dinner passed without incident, and when there was an announcement made that there would be a fifteen-minute break before dessert so
people could place the last of their bids, Scott excused himself from the table because he wanted to take a last-minute look at a few of the items for auction. He couldn’t go to this event and not bid on something. So he placed a bid on some tickets for a Redskins game and a few other small things before turning to head back toward his table.

Weaving through the chairs and people as others found their seats too, he heard his mother chatting up a small group of people. Knowing he’d regret stopping, he willed himself to keep moving and not even bother trying to hear what she was going on about, but he couldn’t help himself from listening in as he passed.

“It’s so good of Scott to participate in work like this for the less fortunate. So many of them turn to drugs. It’s the lack of a strong family that drives them to it. I’m just so glad I was able to instill better values in my boys.”

Scott felt his entire body tense.
Is she fucking kidding?
Scott wanted to interrupt. He wanted to march up to his mother and tell her in front of those people whose asses she was kissing that she destroyed their strong family. That she hadn’t instilled anything but bad examples. It was why he believed so strongly in this charity, because it was the kind of thing that may have helped Tim, since his mother clearly wasn’t up to that task. But she was up to glad-handing around a party where her presence forced his brother’s absence.

But he couldn’t. Making a scene wasn’t the answer, though he wasn’t sure what was.
Fuck it.
He stalked back to his table and willed himself not to let her ruin his night.

*   *   *

Scott returned to his table just after dessert had been served. Lauren took note of his rigid shoulders and the firm line of his mouth as he approached. He ran a hand across the worry lines in his forehead and then down his smooth face before he sat down, scooting his chair in roughly and turning it toward the stage.

Clearly, something had happened when he’d gotten up from the table. She just wasn’t sure what. For a brief moment, she considered getting up and going over to him, but she logically knew that that wouldn’t be well-received. Not with a room full of important people watching. It would definitely go past the invisible boundaries of their relationship—of that she was sure.

Lauren took slow bites of her chocolate ice cream and every so often stole a glance at Scott, whose expression hadn’t softened since returning to the table. She wasn’t sure exactly how much time had passed as she watched him. Several people got up to speak but Lauren hadn’t been listening.

Until she heard a name she recognized: Dr. Scott Jacobs.
What the fuck?
He hadn’t told her he’d be speaking. Not that he really should have. But he’d said he hated these events, and now he was a part of it.

As Scott stood, buttoned his jacket, and made his way to the stage, she saw it—the cool facade she knew so well. On the outside, he appeared calm, at ease. But she knew the inside held something entirely different. Especially as she watched his hand drift into his pocket once he settled himself at the podium on the small wooden stage. She wondered if anyone else had noticed it. She assumed his mother would have. He glanced from side to side with a
practiced confidence, silently waiting for the applause to die down before speaking. If he didn’t have it already, his deep voice commanded the audience’s attention. “I promise to keep this short,” he began. “I know you all have families to get home to. I’d just like to thank everyone for coming tonight. As many of you know, when this foundation first began five years ago, we only had a handful of people and some small donations to speak of. But gradually, as more people learned of the First Chances organization, donations grew.” And that’s when Lauren saw Scott’s face become more genuine. Whatever had burdened him earlier no longer seemed to hold any weight. His eyes revealed the emotion he seemed to be trying to convey. “And now, because of all of your generosity, we’ve been able to keep hundreds of children from making decisions that ruin not only their own lives, but also the lives of their families.” Scott paused to allow the audience to applaud, and Lauren found herself clapping along with them. “Your money has helped to build rec centers, fund after-school programs and activities, and teach kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.”

Lauren leaned in toward her mom to finally ask the question she’d been wondering about since Scott began speaking. “Why is
Scott
the one discussing the charity?”

Lauren’s mother turned toward her, obviously surprised at Lauren’s question. “Because,” she answered quietly, “he’s the one who founded it.”

*   *   *

Lauren had been too distracted to listen to the rest of Scott’s speech. She’d spent the remainder of it contemplating her latest discovery. Scott hadn’t told her the charity was his. In fact, he hadn’t said much about it at all.
Except not to go because he hated events like it. But she wasn’t sure why he’d tried to dissuade her from attending. It didn’t seem like Scott to shirk credit he’d worked hard to earn. But before she could think too deeply about it, she was interrupted by people standing to applaud again. She noticed a number of people go up to him to shake his hand and talk to him after he left the stage.

Finally Scott made his way back toward their tables as some of the guests moved to the middle of the floor to dance. When he reached Lauren’s table, he slid into an open chair beside her. “Thought that would never end,” he confessed.

Lauren’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and Scott seemed to get the message.

“I know you’d probably assume someone with looks like mine would love a room full of people staring at him, but I actually hate public speaking.”

Scott laughed, but Lauren remained serious.

“Are you kidding me right now? This charity is
yours
and you didn’t tell me? I feel like such a jackass.”

“Hey, if the shoe fits.”

Lauren slapped him on the arm, but couldn’t resist smiling. As much as she enjoyed serious, demanding Scott, she liked playful Scott just as much. “I’m being serious.”

“Okay, I guess I may be slightly to blame for you feeling like a jackass.” Scott gestured with his finger and thumb to show just how small of a role he believed he played. “Although, in my defense, I figured your mom would have told you.”

“She thought I already knew. Which I
should
have.” Lauren widened her eyes at him, putting on a show of pouty disapproval. “And why’d you tell me not to come?
You made up all of that bullshit about how it would be boring and you’d have to kiss people’s asses.”

Scott leaned back in his chair, which put him closer to Lauren, who at some point had shifted in her seat to face him. “First of all, I have never and will never tell you not to come. That’s blasphemous.” He smirked, clearly pleased with his play on her words. “And second, I have kissed my fair share of asses tonight.”

Lauren looked at him skeptically.

“Fine, I may have been a little vague.” He flashed a boyish grin that Lauren wanted to slap and kiss off of his face simultaneously. “I stand by my warning about it being boring though.” Scott glanced at the dance floor, which was becoming increasingly crowded.

He seemed to be contemplating something, his bottom lip pulling under his teeth ever so slightly. When he looked back at her, he looked younger—more open—almost carefree. “Dance with me.”

It wasn’t a question. And everything inside of Lauren told her that she wouldn’t have refused him even if it had been. But she also didn’t want to cause issues for him. So she hesitated.

And as if he could read her mind, Scott stood and extended his hand to her. “I don’t care what they think, Lo.”

Scott’s reply had been simple, but it sent a rush of heat through Lauren’s core. And the way he led her to the dance floor without any concern for the pairs of eyes that fixated on them made her want to skip the dance and leave with him right then. Visions of Scott’s mouth on hers dominated her thoughts, probably because she knew they wouldn’t be able to touch each other the way they’d want to there.

They danced easily—two people moving to the rhythm of the soft music. Somehow, both of them knew where the other was headed. Lauren got lost in Scott’s cool green eyes, which looked darker than they’d seemed to her before. She asked about the charity, and Scott told her how he’d started it with his father’s help. Drawing in closer to him, she rested her head against his chest. “Why this charity?”

Lauren felt Scott’s grip tighten around her waist, and he dropped his chin to her shoulder. “I guess the charity’s my way of fixing something for others that I wasn’t able to fix for someone close to me. It probably sounds stupid, but I’m hoping I can do some good to make up for a time when I didn’t do enough.”

Lauren drew back so she could look up at him. She could see the unease in his face, hear the self-consciousness in his voice. It didn’t suit him. “Oh come on. Like you’ve ever sounded stupid.”

And Scott did what she’d hoped he would: he smiled. “Let’s talk about something else,” Scott said softly as he dropped the formal hold he’d had on her and slid both hands around her waist. “Like what I plan to do to you once I get you back to my apartment.”

Lauren’s face tilted innocently to the side as she prepared to play his game. “And what might that be, Dr. Scott?”

“I think I’ll start by taking down this hair. I want to be able to pull on it later.”

Lauren’s whole body nearly shook with the need to push her hips hard against him. She wondered if Scott was as turned on as she was. She seriously doubted it. “What else?”

Scott thought for a moment before answering. Though
something told her he already knew exactly what he planned to say. “What would you say if I asked you to strip for me? Seeing you in this dress,” he slid his fingers delicately up her spine, “makes me want to see you out of it.”

Lauren bit her lip, reminding her how much she missed Scott’s teeth on her skin. “I’d say that sounds like a plan.”

They held each other for a while longer, moving at their own pace before Scott spoke again. “This is nice. Having your here. Dancing with you like this. Though it’s a lot different from our previous experience.”