Hotshot Doc(37)

“Don’t stay up too late,” I warn.

She laughs. “Of course. In bed by 10:00, you got it. Hey, it was nice to meet you, Cooper!”

“You too, Josie.”

He smiles back at her and I’m not surprised to see genuine affection in his eyes. Josie wins everyone over. She could walk into peace negotiations in the Middle East and have that situation buttoned up in no time.

“Your sister looks like you,” he notes as he leads me down the driveway toward a shiny black BMW purring at the curb.

I hum.

“She’s sweet.”

“Don’t let her guise fool you. She’s sly,” I warn with a shake of my head.

As he opens my door and takes my hand to help me step off the curb, Cooper informs me we’re running a little late.

I’m immediately worried. “How late are we talking?”

“Oh, just a few minutes. Nothing to worry about.”

He’s lying of course. Once I insist upon seeing the invitation, I realize we’re extremely late, only a few minutes shy of the bride making her descent down the aisle. Hell, there’s a chance we’ll walk in right as the preacher asks if anyone objects.

“My flight back from Cincinnati was delayed. Everyone will understand,” he promises after we park. He takes my hand and leads me toward the small church.

I hate being late. I especially hate being late to an event like this, and my worst fears are realized when Cooper opens the door to the chapel and every person in attendance turns in their pews to look back at us. Eyes blink expectantly. A small child asks if we’re the ones getting married. And yes, it really does feel like we’re the bride and groom making our way toward the altar. My cheeks burn. I want to yank my hand out of his, spin around, and walk right back outside, but of course, I can’t. I swallow and glance down to the floor, willing the color to drain from my face. It’s no use. I’m Rudolph.

The situation doesn’t bother Cooper in the least. I peer up to see that he’s smiling wide, waving and patting shoulders as we walk down the aisle at an annoyingly leisurely pace. He’s Prince Harry waving at his people.

I want to sit in the back, in the first pew we pass.

“What about here?” I say quickly, tugging him to the left. Bride’s side, groom’s side, floor, pew—who the hell cares. I just want to sit!

“My family’s up front. It looks like they saved us seats.”

Oh good. Next, he’ll tell me we’re actually going to stand up at the altar during the ceremony. You’ve officiated a wedding before, right?

I can’t make eye contact with anyone we pass because not only am I late, I’m also walking into a small, intimate wedding on the arm of a guy I barely know. Hell, I don’t even know his last name. Everyone is definitely judging me from head to toe, and now I wish I’d ditched my puffy jacket back in the foyer when Cooper offered to hang it up, but I didn’t want to delay us further.

“Cooper, there you are! I was worried you wouldn’t make it,” says a polite, feminine voice. It belongs to the woman standing up and waving us over. She has the same ashy blonde hair and easygoing smile as my date. She’s wearing a dark plum dress with a cashmere scarf tied stylishly around her shoulders. She is, of course, Cooper’s mother.

I wish we were meeting each other under different circumstances, but I aim a smile at her all the same. Her own smile widens in response and a small sense of relief rushes through me just before the world slips out from beneath my feet.

We’re turning into the pew when I freeze.

Cooper runs into me from behind and I nearly topple forward like a domino. He grabs my elbow to right me, but I can’t feel his touch because I’m staring at a figment of my imagination, or maybe it’s just my worst nightmare.

“Dr. Russell?” I ask, voice barely above a whisper.

My boss shoots to his feet, all six-plus feet of him. My mouth hangs agape. My heart sputters to a screeching halt in my chest. He’s nothing but darkness—his hair, his suit, his demeanor—everything except for his blue eyes, which are the exact shade of my dress.

His gaze slices over to Cooper. “Are you kidding me? You brought her?”

He talks to him like they know each other.

Wait.

My gaze snaps back to Cooper.

Do they know each other?!

A heavy organ starts to echo around the chapel, announcing the start of the ceremony. Cooper ushers me forward and tugs me down so the backs of my thighs hit the hard wood of the pew.

His mom leans forward and narrows her eyes on Dr. Russell. “Do you know Cooper’s date?”

At the same time, Cooper’s hand hits my shoulder. “Here, let me get your coat.”

I lean forward and let him tug it off.

Everything is happening so fast.

“Yes, Mom. We work together,” Dr. Russell answers simply, turning back to me.

“How is this—”

My sentence trails off at the exact moment I lay eyes on the man on the other side of Cooper’s mom, the last person in their group. His black hair might be sprinkled with salt and the glasses perched on the end of his nose detract from the similarities, but there’s no doubt I’m staring at Dr. Russell’s father.

Equations swirl in my head. So, if that woman is Cooper’s mom…and that man is Dr. Russell’s dad then…E = mc2?