Sean frowned. “Your father was a doctor. You went to medical school. Your brother went to Embry-Riddle. Surely you grew up with money.”
She shook her head. “Not really. My dad was a family practitioner in a small private practice. A lot of times he’d provide free medical care for patients who couldn’t afford it or didn’t have insurance. There was some insurance money when my parents were killed, but with our living expenses and Will’s tuition, it wouldn’t cover everything. Will worked two jobs while he went to school. I was lucky enough to snag a few scholarships and grants myself, but I still had to take out student loans.” She made a wry face. “I’ll be paying those damn things back until I’m old and gray.”
Now he really felt like an ass. He’d assumed that because her father was a doctor, there was money in her background. And then she’d made that statement the first night they’d met about bringing home the bigger paycheck. Maybe some small part of him wanted to show her the differences in their incomes wouldn’t matter to him, because he had something to fall back on if he needed it.
His parents didn’t spoil their children the way a lot of wealthy families did. In fact, they’d always made Sean and his siblings earn whatever they’d been given, either through good grades in school or by working for it. But if he were to stick out his hand, his father would write him a check as long as the request was within reason. And his mother was always sneaking into his apartment and leaving presents for him—new towels or sheets, a rug or a piece of artwork. It was her way of circumventing his refusal of a complete remodel. Instead, she did it one small piece at a time.
Shit
. He rubbed his jaw. “Christ, I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry I jumped to those conclusions.”
“Well, I did too. I made that stupid remark about making more money than you the first night we met. It was tacky and uncalled for, and I apologize.”
“But you had a valid point. There
are
men out there who would have a problem with the money you make. I’m not one of them, and yes, my family’s net worth has a lot to do with it, but I live on what I make, just so you know that too. I don’t take handouts from them, even though my mom tries her best to class me up. And I know you earn every penny you make. So are we good now?”
“Yes, once I get over the shock of the enormousness of that house,” she said, tilting her head sideways.
“To be fair, my dad inherited this piece of land from my grandfather. He just…built the—fuck, I’ll shut up now. All I’m doing is digging the hole deeper.”
“No, you’re not.” She reached out to cup his cheek.
Sean grabbed her wrist and held it there for a moment before dropping a kiss into her palm. He liked her so much already, he hardly knew how to process it, how to behave, how to even consider what it would be like not to see her every minute of the day once this case was over. It was ridiculous, he knew. Nobody wanted to spend twenty-four hours a day with another person. Nobody.
Even though it was out of necessity right now, he would miss her when the time came to go back to normality. He’d crave her body and her mouth and her scent, just like he was doing right now, with her sitting two feet away from him. He’d crave all her little idiosyncrasies and perceived flaws, though he saw none. Most of all, he’d crave Erin.
“What does your family do?” she asked.
“My dad’s a lawyer. Corporate real estate mostly, but he’s semiretired. My great-grandfather was a shipping magnate back when the Port of Jacksonville first opened in the early 1900s. My grandfather worked for him before taking over when his health declined. Not long after, they sold their company. Grandpa believed in investing in real estate heavily. Almost everything he bought was on the St. Johns River, so you can imagine what kind of values we’re talking about, even back then.”
“Is your grandfather still alive?”
Sean shook his head. “He died from a brain aneurysm when I was twenty-two.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“He was a pretty cool old man. Collected model trains, Remington bronze art statues, and young wives. That’s probably what killed him.”
Erin grinned. “It can happen. The heart gives out before the spirit does, or the libido.”
“At least he went out with a smile on his face.”
“And what about your siblings? What do they do?”
“Caleb and Travis are both lawyers in dad’s practice. Olivia’s currently a professional student. She’s changed majors three times. If she starts asking you questions about medical school, my parents’ heads might explode.”
“If she does, I’ll be sure and highlight all the nasty aspects of the job, like those wonderful hospital smells, copious amounts of body fluids, and sleep deprivation.”
“My parents would love you forever,” Sean said, thinking he was going to be right there with them in that sentiment. He knew it as sure as he knew his own name. He was falling for her, and there wasn’t a damned thing to be done about it except hope for the best. “And if we don’t go in soon, the party will come to us. Ready?”
Erin fussed with her blouse, then peeked at herself in the visor mirror. “As I’ll ever be.”
Sean climbed out of the car and circled around to help her out. When he closed the car door, he pulled her close for a quick kiss. “You’re beautiful inside and out.”
Her cheeks flushed at his compliment. “Thank you.”
“And despite the outward appearances here”—he hitched a thumb toward the house—“my family is very warm and down-to-earth. They won’t expect you to know which fork to use for the salad or frown at you for eating with your elbows on the table.”
“Well, there’s a mercy.”
Chapter Eleven
Sean’s description of his folks as warm and down-to-earth was true, but Erin found that it was also rather inadequate. They were much, much more—funny, boisterous, affectionate, like a Hallmark movie come to life. All of them, including children and significant others, had enveloped her as if she were an old family friend, not some random stranger they’d never laid eyes on before.
His brothers, Caleb and Travis, were a lot like Sean in both looks and disposition, and they in turn were all clones of their father, Tom. Olivia was reed thin and beautiful, but fairer in coloring than the males in her family. She favored her mother, Caroline, and possessed the same bubbly personality and mannerisms. They both talked with their hands a lot and laughed freely. The brothers were very laid-back and, in typical brotherly fashion, enjoyed finding ways to rib one another. Being around such a close-knit bunch was heartwarming, but she couldn’t deny an annoying needle of envy over the close family dynamic.
So far, the afternoon was going without a hitch. The conversation was pleasant without being too nosy, and she hadn’t learned any bizarre childhood secrets about Sean that would come close to tempering her attraction to him. At this point, she was confident nothing would accomplish that task, shy of finding out he’d drowned puppies in the backyard swimming pool during his youth.
When asked about how they had met, Sean made up a convincing yet simple story about bumping into each other in an aisle of the grocery store. By the time he finished embellishing, Erin had gone a little mushy inside, as if the fun fairytale meeting had been real.
The only member of Sean’s family Erin was worried about was his father. It wasn’t that he was rude or even standoffish toward her. There was just something…off about him that she couldn’t pinpoint. The moment Tom Rembert found out she was a doctor, he’d stopped making eye contact with her. That usually only meant one thing, and it wasn’t good. Erin regretted where her mind had gone, because it dampened the experience of getting to know them better.
Now all she could do was notice things as a physician, making her brain withdraw from the conversation to instead work at putting medical puzzles together. She hated that she wasn’t able to turn that part of herself off long enough to simply relax and enjoy a nice evening with a terrific group of people.
After a delicious dinner of homemade lasagna, salad, bread, and birthday cake, everyone poured out onto the lush, expansive back lawn to play games with Sean’s nephew, Max. Erin was too stuffed to move, and since she’d worn a white skirt, she begged off playtime, instead perching on a low stone wall that surrounded the back of the pool. She sipped her wine and laughed as Max climbed “Unca Sean” like a tree.
After a few minutes of Erin sitting alone, Sean’s father walked over and sat down beside her. He was quiet for a while, both of them watching the raucous play in the yard.
“What do you have, Mr. Rembert?” She didn’t turn her head to look at him, thinking it would somehow lessen the directness of her bold question.
He chuckled. “I told you to call me Tom.”
“Okay. Tom.” Erin glanced at him then, but he continued to watch his children with a serene expression. “Is it serious?”
“Two blocked arteries and a partially blocked third. I found out three days ago.” Damned serious. He rubbed his hands down his thighs. “What did I do to give it away?”
“Not much, really. I’m just better at noticing things, given my profession. The perspiration on your upper lip when it was seventy degrees inside. You didn’t eat much at dinner, and the food was phenomenal, supposedly your favorite. Mostly it was your inability to look me in the eye once you found out I was a doctor.”
He did look her in the eye then. “I guess that happens a lot?”
“More than I care to think about. The healthy people are the ones who ask a million annoying questions. Truly sick folks avoid us at all costs. I don’t get that attitude when we can help them get better.”
“You’re also the bearer of bad news.”
Erin shrugged. “It’s an unfortunate part of the job’s responsibilities. I don’t think I have to stress to you the importance of getting the issue resolved as soon as possible.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Why haven’t you then?”
“The usual reasons—stubbornness, denial, work…fear.”
“Tom, it’s a relatively safe procedure, I can assure you. There are hundreds of them performed every day in hospitals the world over, mine included. Who’s your doctor?”
“Martin Stanhope.”
Erin nodded, recognizing the prestigious name instantly. “You couldn’t ask to be in better hands. I assume he’s warned you of the dangers in waiting as well?”
“He wanted to slap me in the hospital the day I found out.”
“And with good reason,” she said. “Your family adores you, and I know you feel the same way about them. I can see it on your face when you look at them. They’d be crushed if something happened to you.”
Tom nodded. “I know that too.”
“Then I think I’ve said all I can say, other than I’ll be glad to help out any way I can, medically speaking.”
He put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. “Thanks. I think Sean got very lucky when he met you.”
Erin smiled, watching as Sean tossed a foam football back and forth with Max. “That’s very kind of you to say, but I feel the opposite. I’m the one who got lucky. He’s a great guy—kind, dedicated, intelligent, easygoing.”
“He gets those traits from his mother,” Tom joked. “She and I were upset when he broke the news to us that he wanted to become a cop. But he’s always made us very proud, no matter what he was doing. Doesn’t mean I don’t still worry about him every day.”
“You wouldn’t be great parents if you didn’t.” Erin winced, hoping the comment didn’t prompt Tom to ask questions about her parents.
Instead, he must’ve noticed Sean casting curious glances their way while trying to disentangle himself from Max, because he said, “I’d be grateful if you didn’t mention my health issues to Sean. I don’t want him to worry, especially with his job. He doesn’t need the added distraction.”
Erin sighed, her own heart suddenly hurting. Even though he wasn’t her patient, she’d taken an oath that said she would respect any health secrets divulged to her. Plus he’d just asked her not to tell Sean, and it wasn’t her place to, no matter how much she cared for him.
She looked up at Tom as he stood. “I promise I won’t say anything, but please promise
me
that Monday morning you’ll schedule surgery. It’s imperative that you not put it off any longer.”
There was a ticking time bomb inside his chest, but saying so would sound awfully melodramatic. He knew, even if he was reluctant to deal with it.
“First thing Monday morning.” There was a rueful twist to his mouth when he smiled at her. “I bet you’re a phenomenal doctor.”
Erin shook off his praise, not feeling worthy at the moment.
Sean trotted over just as his dad turned to leave. They embraced among some good-natured teasing about Tom flirting with Erin, and once again, she felt her heart squeeze painfully. The mutual love and admiration was evident in their eyes when they looked at each other, the father/son bond strong and deep.
Losing her parents had been horrific. She didn’t want to see Sean go through the kind of grief she’d endured. Most everyone had to face that eventuality, but the ideal scenario was after the parents lived a long and fruitful life, not by foolishly postponing an important medical procedure that could, and probably would, save their lives.
A gray pallor had been cast over what had been a relaxing day spent getting to know an amazing group of people, the wonderful dinner she’d just enjoyed turning sour in her stomach. How would she ever mask the strain of the secret she now carried? Tom had somehow managed to do it. He’d revealed information to her as a physician, and Erin had made him a promise. That left her no choice but to keep it from Sean.
* * * *
Something was off with Erin.
Since they’d left his parents’ house, she’d been withdrawn, distant even. When he’d asked her if something was wrong on the ride back to his apartment, she’d given him a stiff smile and an excuse that she was just missing her job and her freedoms. Although he believed that to be true, he knew it wasn’t all that was bothering her. She wouldn’t maintain eye contact with him for long, and he’d questioned enough guilty people to know she was hiding something. She was under too much strain though, without him treating her to an unfair and inappropriate interrogation, so he’d have to let it go until she was ready to talk, if that time ever came.