The Doctor Is In Read Free Page A

for a long time, and this is the logical next step for us.”
    Voncile felt an anxiety attack coming on. It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. Was she really too late to make Kasen her man? She had seen the way he looked at her in the office, and she knew he wanted her. She had always thought it was just a matter of time before they were a couple. This marriage thing sure messed up her plans. She took several deep breaths to calm herself.
    “If you say you’re ready, Kasen, then by all means, go for it. Congrats,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound too phony.
    Kasen could see that something was wrong with Voncile. Trying to get a sense of where the negativity stemmed from, he walked up and stood directly in front of her. Putting a hand under her chin, he lifted her face to look into her eyes.
    Voncile momentarily took in the view before her. Everything about Kasen was perfect—from his muscular frame to his tailored suit that fit him so well. The scent of his masculine cologne set her on fire. Normally she loved to gaze into his tranquilizing light brown eyes. In the moment, though, she avoided them so he wouldn’t see the jealousy that rested in her eyes. In her opinion, no woman, especially one who gave off such cold vibes like Raine, deserved to have a wealthy, established, and handsome man like Kasen all to herself.
    “Listen,” Kasen said, “I don’t know what’s going on here, but is there something you need to talk to me about?” He was thinking that maybe the breakup with her boyfriend was affecting her more deeply than she was ready to admit.
    It was moments like this when Voncile truly believed that Kasen cared deeply for her. He was such a gentleman, taking her feelings into account in a way most men didn’t. No man had ever made her smile and laugh as much as he did. She treasured the time they spent together at work and hoped that someday they’d be spending lots of quality time together outside of the office. If she didn’t get herself together quick, though, she might scare him so much that he would let her go. She certainly wasn’t willing to take that risk, so she stuffed down the tears that were threatening to burst forth from her eyes and tried to put a smile on her face.
    “I am very happy for you, Kasen,” she said as she stood up. “And please know that all I want is the best for you. Your news just took me by surprise. I didn’t mean to come off so negative. Marriage is just so serious. You have a lot to offer Raine. I hope she’s able to give you all that you need in return.”
    Kasen stepped backed to the edge of his desk, sitting against it. He hadn’t expected this kind of a reaction from Voncile. If anything, he would have expected this from his boy Omar, a self-professed lifelong bachelor.
    “Of course I know marriage is serious. But it can also be a beautiful thing. My parents have been together since they were twenty years old, and they’re still happily married. They work hard at it, and I’m ready to do the same thing with Raine.”
    “But why so suddenly?” Voncile asked.
    “It’s not really that fast,” he answered. “We’ve been together for years. But I don’t know, I guess seeing Mr. Jones like that today reminded me just how precious life is. I don’t want to waste my life being indecisive. God forbid I get sick like Mr. Jones. I don’t want to look back and have any regrets. I love her and she loves me, so why not just go ahead and do it, you know?”
    Voncile felt like she was ready to explode. She wanted to break down in tears, or else go crazy and break something, but she blinked away her tears then stood with open arms.
    “Congrats,” she said with a forced smile. “As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. Now, go get your woman her ring, and do not forget to bring back my salted caramel shake. If you forget, I’ll never forgive you.”
    They both laughed, but this was no laughing matter for Voncile. She regretted not telling