Marriage of Convenience Read Free Page B

work load exponentially.
    Stacking the papers into various piles, he cleared a space in the center. It at least it looked like he’d made some headway.
    He looked up and around the room, wondering if he should straighten the whole place. The door was directly across the room. To the left was a leather couch with an area rug in front of it. In decorating his office Betty had recommended muted colors to set patients’ nerves at ease. Bright colors, she said, made people tense. He didn’t know if he agreed, but why argue the issue? She was a mother, and perhaps she knew of such things from experience. Throw pillows on the couch coordinated with the rug. In front of his desk were two leather chairs. The entire lower part of the right wall held cabinets storing research, drafts of articles he’d written, formulas he intended to investigate, and the like. The top of the cabinets served as a snack station. Ostensibly it was, again, to ease patients’ nerves, but hidden away in one of the containers was Malcolm’s favorite treat, pecan clusters. He didn’t know from where they came; they just appeared from time to time. But he was very aware of when they were present. He could smell their nutty caramel goodness from across the room. Above the refreshments, extending wall to wall, were built-in shelves laden with reference books. Behind his desk, framing his chair, were two floor-to-ceiling windows. Each offered a view of the street below. He enjoyed looking out of them as he thought about a particular case. The movement from the street seemed to help organize his thoughts.
    Aside from the stethoscope, there were few personal items. He used to have a picture of his mother, but after her passing, it was too painful to see it, so the only image of her was housed in his wallet.
    “Betty, could you find a number for Sarah Suzan? She’s down in the ER.” He released the call button on his phone and clicked on his computer screen. With the prospect of his immediate problem being taken care of he hoped to be able to focus on other pressing medical issues. He was momentarily sidetracked by the notion of someone having two first names as their first and last name. He had a patient named Reagan Parker. And two other patients named Parker Stevens and Reagan Aaronson.
    “Sorry, Doctor, there’s no Sarah Suzan in the ER.”
    Puzzled, Malcolm sat back. Surely he had her name correct—he wasn’t likely to ever forget it. “Are you sure? She’s a nurse….”
    “I called both duty stations. No Sarah Suzan, nurse, doctor, or patient.”
    Curious.
    “There was a Sarah Klein, though. Could you have gotten the name wrong?”
    Sarah Klein. “Is she related to Doctor Klein in Audiology?”
    “His wife, I think. I’d heard he married someone on staff, but with all the gossip, who knows what’s fact and what’s fiction? Anything else?”
    “No. Thanks.”
    Malcolm couldn’t be sure that Sarah Klein was his Sarah Suzan, but it would be an amazing coincidence if she wasn’t.
    Deflated to have his plan pulled out from underneath of him so quickly, he forgot about accomplishing anything on the computer and once again sat slouched in his chair, staring at his desk.
    He hadn’t doubted that the task of finding a wife in seven days would be difficult, but he was now feeling it was impossible. He’d have to forgo his inheritance and, more importantly, the opportunity to honor his mother by creating a center to support single mothers using his father’s money.

Chapter Three
    “So what’s the plan?”
    Denzel had listened to his wife intently as she’d relayed Malcolm’s story. Still not quite believing it herself, she’d been hopeful he’d have an idea. He and Malcolm had been best friends since middle school. They’d grown up across the street from each other in a small town outside Chicago. They’d gone to the same high school and college. They’d split ways afterward, Malcolm to medical school and Denzel to business school,