wondered how it went.”
“It was nice to finally meet someone who isn’t in your fan club.”
“Ouch. That bad?” Sean grimaced.
“That man hates your guts.”
All right, so maybe she exaggerated, just a little. She hoped Sean had exaggerated too when he called Chris Parkins, her next interview, a bit of a “character.”
Parkins turned out to be a pediatrician. Not a bad sign. Andrea followed Sean into a comfy-looking office. Doctors were typically nice, respectable people. In her experience, they made great sources for stories.
She took the lead and walked into a spacious, modern lobby.
Everyone there seemed to know Sean—but what was new? He leaned against the reception desk as if he owned the place. The woman sitting there was young, black and very pretty. “Hey, Susie Q, looking real good today. Meg around?”
“You just missed her, Sean. She got a call from the school about Jason acting up and had to go meet with his principal.”
“What? You’re kidding. I wonder why she didn’t call and tell me.” He pulled out his cell phone and frowned. He sighed. “That kid is gonna be the death of us both.”
“Dr. Parkins is expecting you. I’ll buzz him for you,” the woman said.
There was that name again—Meg. His wife? And who the hell was Jason? His son?
Andrea felt disappointment tighten her chest. It didn’t matter, she told herself. She glanced at Sean. He looked preoccupied as he fidgeted with his fingers—fingers that were bare. No wedding ring, but what did that prove? Lots of guys didn’t wear them.
Get a grip, Lockhart. Why don’t you just ask him whether he’s married or not if you’re so interested?
She told her conscience to take a nosedive off a bridge. She wasn’t interested. But if she asked Sean anything remotely personal, he would think she was . Much easier to say nothing at all.
“Is there a problem?”
He shook his head. “No problem. Just a family thing. It can wait.”
A rotund man in a white coat burst out of the double doors leading to the examining rooms and did a ballerina twirl in front of some young patients waiting in the lobby.
The two little girls giggled and yelled, “Hi, Dr. Parkins!”
“My little angels, I’ll be with you in a minute. Watch some cartoons. Read some magazines. Give your mothers a hard time.” He blew them kisses.
The doctor saw Sean and Andrea standing at the front desk and rubbed his hands together. He danced over toward them.
“Sean, my boy, it is so good to see you! And what do we have here?” He gasped. “Who is this deliciously beautiful young woman at your side? Are you a model, sweetheart, and even if you aren’t, will you marry me?”
He looked a little bit like the eighties’ actor Dom DeLuise—only with more hair and glasses.
Marry him? Ah, no.
“Dr. Parkins, I presume?” Andrea held out her hand in greeting. He lifted it dramatically and kissed the back of it with a smacking kiss. She smiled at his theatrics. “Uh, I’m afraid I’m not a model—not even close. And isn’t that already a wedding ring on your finger, doctor?”
“I know. I know. You’re crushed. I can see it in your face. So cruel of me to lead you on.” He sighed dramatically and then winked at Sean. “Enough of this gibber-jabber. Come on back to the office, children. I promised Meg I would squeeze you in for fifteen minutes tops.”
When the door to his office shut behind them, he dropped into his desk chair and sighed. “Okay, let’s talk about werewolves, shall we, boys and girls?”
“Uh, Doc. Miss Lockhart prefers the term animal to werewolf, if you don’t mind.”
Andrea sent Sean a mean look. He just grinned.
The doctor leaned back in his desk chair and pretended to mull over the idea. “Animal. Hmmm. Yes, I like it. Politically correct too.”
Enough playtime. Time to get to the point. “Doctor, I understand you had a sighting of this…animal last year. Would you mind telling me about it?”
He leaned
“It was nice to finally meet someone who isn’t in your fan club.”
“Ouch. That bad?” Sean grimaced.
“That man hates your guts.”
All right, so maybe she exaggerated, just a little. She hoped Sean had exaggerated too when he called Chris Parkins, her next interview, a bit of a “character.”
Parkins turned out to be a pediatrician. Not a bad sign. Andrea followed Sean into a comfy-looking office. Doctors were typically nice, respectable people. In her experience, they made great sources for stories.
She took the lead and walked into a spacious, modern lobby.
Everyone there seemed to know Sean—but what was new? He leaned against the reception desk as if he owned the place. The woman sitting there was young, black and very pretty. “Hey, Susie Q, looking real good today. Meg around?”
“You just missed her, Sean. She got a call from the school about Jason acting up and had to go meet with his principal.”
“What? You’re kidding. I wonder why she didn’t call and tell me.” He pulled out his cell phone and frowned. He sighed. “That kid is gonna be the death of us both.”
“Dr. Parkins is expecting you. I’ll buzz him for you,” the woman said.
There was that name again—Meg. His wife? And who the hell was Jason? His son?
Andrea felt disappointment tighten her chest. It didn’t matter, she told herself. She glanced at Sean. He looked preoccupied as he fidgeted with his fingers—fingers that were bare. No wedding ring, but what did that prove? Lots of guys didn’t wear them.
Get a grip, Lockhart. Why don’t you just ask him whether he’s married or not if you’re so interested?
She told her conscience to take a nosedive off a bridge. She wasn’t interested. But if she asked Sean anything remotely personal, he would think she was . Much easier to say nothing at all.
“Is there a problem?”
He shook his head. “No problem. Just a family thing. It can wait.”
A rotund man in a white coat burst out of the double doors leading to the examining rooms and did a ballerina twirl in front of some young patients waiting in the lobby.
The two little girls giggled and yelled, “Hi, Dr. Parkins!”
“My little angels, I’ll be with you in a minute. Watch some cartoons. Read some magazines. Give your mothers a hard time.” He blew them kisses.
The doctor saw Sean and Andrea standing at the front desk and rubbed his hands together. He danced over toward them.
“Sean, my boy, it is so good to see you! And what do we have here?” He gasped. “Who is this deliciously beautiful young woman at your side? Are you a model, sweetheart, and even if you aren’t, will you marry me?”
He looked a little bit like the eighties’ actor Dom DeLuise—only with more hair and glasses.
Marry him? Ah, no.
“Dr. Parkins, I presume?” Andrea held out her hand in greeting. He lifted it dramatically and kissed the back of it with a smacking kiss. She smiled at his theatrics. “Uh, I’m afraid I’m not a model—not even close. And isn’t that already a wedding ring on your finger, doctor?”
“I know. I know. You’re crushed. I can see it in your face. So cruel of me to lead you on.” He sighed dramatically and then winked at Sean. “Enough of this gibber-jabber. Come on back to the office, children. I promised Meg I would squeeze you in for fifteen minutes tops.”
When the door to his office shut behind them, he dropped into his desk chair and sighed. “Okay, let’s talk about werewolves, shall we, boys and girls?”
“Uh, Doc. Miss Lockhart prefers the term animal to werewolf, if you don’t mind.”
Andrea sent Sean a mean look. He just grinned.
The doctor leaned back in his desk chair and pretended to mull over the idea. “Animal. Hmmm. Yes, I like it. Politically correct too.”
Enough playtime. Time to get to the point. “Doctor, I understand you had a sighting of this…animal last year. Would you mind telling me about it?”
He leaned
Similar Books
