The Baby Jackpot Read Free Page B

for...fun. She’d spent too much
of her life worrying about other people, loving, losing, falling short, hoping
and stressing out. It was time to enjoy being young, healthy and free.
    Fun. Keeping that word in mind, she
blew.
    The candles winked out, drawing cheers from the children.
Everybody grabbed a cupcake and began peeling away the paper. For the next few
minutes silence reigned while they ate.
    As she licked icing from her fingers, Stacy listened to Mia
start in on a familiar theme: she wanted to adopt a kitten, like a couple of her
school friends. The apartment complex didn’t allow pets, however, so that was
out of the question. It took all of Harper’s persuasive abilities to draw her
and Reggie into a discussion of which cartoon to watch before bedtime.
    As much as Stacy loved spending time at home, watching kids’
shows wasn’t the kind of fun she’d wished for. She ought to check out that club,
after all. She might even meet a guy. She refused to torture herself with
fantasies about Mr. Right—just someone to make her feel desirable again.
    From the moment Stacy had filled out the egg donor paperwork,
she’d lost interest in dating. There had been too much else going on. Then,
after taking fertility hormones this month, she’d been warned to avoid sex for
the rest of her cycle. If the harvesting procedure had missed any microscopic
eggs, the risk of a multiple pregnancy would be high.
    Getting her period today would mark a fresh start. A
re-birthday. When Stacy excused herself and went into her bedroom to change, she
tucked a package of condoms into her purse. Not that she intended to go home
with a man. Seeking reassurance after her divorce, she’d foolishly jumped into
bed with someone she didn’t care about, and suffered an emotional backlash
afterward.
    But playing it safe never hurt.
    * * *
    I T WAS A QUESTION Cole dreaded.
    “What kind of doctor are you?” asked his dance partner, a perky
blonde woman. With the club brightened only by swirling lights, and echoing with
Elvis Presley’s baritone, there’d been little chance for conversation before
they hit the floor.
    “Men’s doctor,” he shouted over the music.
    Her pretty features scrunched. “Come again?”
    Why fight it? “Urologist.”
    The response was immediate. “Ick!”
    It’s not what you think. But how
did he presume to know what she thought? So Cole merely shrugged.
    The woman—he thought her name was Billie, but he might have
misunderstood—gave him a look that said Did you flunk out
of every other possible specialty?
    “Thanks for the dance,” Cole told her as soon as the song
ended, and returned to the table he shared with Laird and Ned Norwalk from Dr.
Tartikoff’s office.
    Laird had disappeared. Ned Norwalk, a tanned blond who went
surfing most mornings before work, was slouched in his chair. “Not a
keeper?”
    “She didn’t seem impressed by my specialty,” Cole conceded.
    “You should try telling her you’re a male nurse.”
    He’d never considered Ned’s occupation in that light. “I get
‘ick.’ What do you get?”
    “They assume I’m gay.” Ned shook his head. “Why do they think
I’m here dancing with women if I’m not interested in them?”
    “Surely you have plenty to choose from.” In the cafeteria, Cole
often saw him surrounded by female nurses. “You have a lot of attractive
friends.”
    “My friends go and marry doctors,”
Ned responded cynically. “I’m surprised one of them hasn’t snagged you yet. But
you’re new. Give ’em time.”
    Cole had intercepted a few
interested glances, and pretended not to notice. He’d always kept his work and
his private life separate.
    That made his sensitivity toward Stacy even more surprising. He
simply liked her, that was all.
    In a break between songs, Ned remarked, “Now, there’s one I
wouldn’t mind getting to know better. Oh, damn. Laird beat me to her.”
    Before Cole could see who he meant, a waitress in a
Hawaiian-print top and