Bon Bon Beauty (Plus Size Romance 3) Read Free Page B

begin until after the charity cross-country marathon.  He was the paramedic assigned in place of Chase to oversee the welfare of the runners.  The moment the race was finished, he was going to have a long talk with Tiffany.
    With another ten miles left on his drive to MacMillan Park, he decided to use the time to think about how he would break the news to Tiffany.  Before he could fully form his first thought, his cell phone rang.  He put it on speaker and placed it in a hands-free holder on the dashboard.  Safety first. Sadly, he had responded to way too many deadly accidents that were the result of drivers playing with their mobile devices.  Parker was a strong believer in keeping both hands on the wheel.
    “Hi, dad.  What I can do you for?”
    “Don’t be flippant, Parker.  You know damn well what I want you to do.  It’s time for you to stop this nonsense and get down to the business of being a doctor.”
    “I can’t do that. I—”
    “You can, and you will.  The only thing standing between you and a respectable career is a damn exam.  The testing center at the Medical University in Charleston has an opening next Saturday.  I expect your ass to be there bright and early, sitting in a front row seat with your pencils sharpened.”
    “I already have a respectable career. I—”
    “Like hell you do! You have a job that requires six months training—a monkey could do it.  Do you know how disgraceful that is to me and your mother? For God’s sake son, you went to medical school.  By all standards, you’re already a doctor.  Yet, for some stubborn-ass reason, you insist on being a glorified chauffeur.”
    It was all Parker could do not to turn the sirens on and speed to his parents’ condo.  At the moment, he wanted nothing more than to punch his dad in the mouth.
    “Careful, Dr. Sloan.  If it weren’t for us monkeys, many of your patients would never make it to the hospital for you to play God.”
    Parker was surprised by the silence on the other end of the phone.  When his dad spoke again, his voice was a little less condescending. 
    “Look son, paramedics play a pivotal role in the medical community.  But it’s not the role you were born to play.  The sooner you accept that, the sooner we can all move on with our lives.  The Atlases will be joining us for dinner this evening.  I expect you to be there.  It’s time for you to propose to Tiffany.  I want the two of you to set a date.  Your mother and I will throw you an engagement party on Martha’s Vineyard.  One fitting for a doctor and his bride-to-be.”
    Parker ended the call.  Anything else he had to say on the matter was best said in person.
     
    SAFFRON PINNED THE NUMBER 35 to the front of her bright-yellow T-shirt.  The color was in perfect contrast to her light mocha skin.  Her mama had been lily white, but her daddy was as dark as a starless night.  She knew her skin tone was a mix of the two, but it wasn’t until after Starla died that Saffron found a picture of him.  It had been tucked behind a loose board on the back wall of her mama’s bedroom. 
    She still didn’t know her daddy’s name and, according to Wavalee, Starla probably didn’t either.
    None of it really mattered now anyway.  Saffron turned out pretty damn good despite her parents.  The only real scars she carried were emotional ones, and those were in the form of trust issues.  All the time she was growing up, she vowed to never let any man do to her what had been done to her mama.  No matter how lonely she got, she promised herself she wouldn’t fall prey to a fast and furious love affair that could leave her broken.  She didn’t want what happened to Starla to happen to her.  No man was worth that.
    As she took her place at the starting line, she found herself wishing Wavalee was there to cheer her on.  But, bless her heart, she was still fighting a nasty springtime cold which was a whole different animal when it came to older