Winds of Fortune Read Free Page B

group just inside the door to the treatment room. The woman with KT and Tory looked like an elegant version of Deo and Joey. She had the same glossy, wavy black hair and dark expressive eyes. Her skin was a slightly lighter shade than theirs, closer to her own, and her features a little more finely detailed. Whereas Deo’s compelling beauty verged on androgyny, Pia was the archetype of female loveliness. God, can this family get any more attractive?
    “Hi,” Pia said, holding out her hand. “I’m Pia, Joey’s sister. Sorry to barge in.”
    Nita took her hand. “That’s quite all right. Hi, KT.”
    “Nita. What have you got?”
    “The X-rays are over here.” Nita led the three to the light box. “He’s got a fracture of the middle phalanx of his small finger. Fortunately, it’s favorably angled and once we reduce it, he should do well with a splint.”
    Nita waited while KT leaned forward and perused all the films. Then she went on. “He’s completely transected his extensor tendon in that finger and nicked the one in the ring finger.”
    “Looks like he’s bought himself a couple of months out of work,” KT commented.
    “No way,” Deo said, having moved closer while everyone was talking. “He’s still got one good hand and two legs. He’s not laying off for half the summer. He can have until Tuesday, then he needs to get his candy ass back to work.”
    Nita was about to remind Deo that she was making the decisions when Pia wrapped her arm around Deo’s waist and kissed her cheek. Struck by the obvious affection in Pia’s gesture and the fleeting look of tenderness that passed over Deo’s face, she hesitated.
    Pia said, “You okay, tough girl?”
    “I’m fine.” Deo’s voice sounded surprisingly husky. “I’m sorry about this, Pia.”
    “We’ll talk later,” Pia murmured. “It’ll be okay.”
    “Yeah. Right.”
    Once again, Nita caught a glimpse of something raw and vulnerable in Deo’s eyes, and against her will, she was drawn to it. Heart pounding, she turned her back to the cousins. She needed to get Joey taken care of and get them all out of the clinic. Especially Deo Camara. The woman was dangerous.
    “I was just about to do the tendon repair. If you want to do it, KT, it’s fine with me.” Even though it was a straightforward procedure, Nita wasn’t about to stand on ceremony when one of the best trauma surgeons on the East Coast was available to do the job. Especially not when a family member was involved.
    “Why don’t we do it together.” KT grinned. “Then we can all get back to the party.”
    “I’ll see the rest of the patients while you two take care of Joey,” Tory offered.
    Nita nodded in surrender. “Well, I guess it’s decided.”

    *

    “Look,” Deo said, trying to extricate herself from Pia’s grasp as they crossed the parking lot outside the clinic. “I don’t want to crash this party.”
    “It’s a baby’s birthday party!” Pia gave Deo a playful shove before she opened the passenger door of Deo’s camo green Defender and climbed in. Waving goodbye through the open top to KT, who was headed back to the party in Reese’s cruiser, she said, “It’s just a bunch of people you already know—and Tory invited you, so you can’t be crashing. Come on. I know you’ve been working fifteen hours a day since April without a day off. Why pass up free food and beer and good company?”
    “I can manage to get food and beer and plenty of company on my own,” Deo grumbled. “Jesus. I don’t need a social director.”
    “Yeah? Well I didn’t see you at the Memorial Day picnic or the Fourth of July barbecue yesterday.”
    “You know why.” Deo gunned the truck out of the parking lot, spewing gravel. “No point spoiling everyone’s day.”
    Pia rested her hand on Deo’s thigh. “You don’t know it would have been like that.”
    “Don’t I?” Deo said darkly. “It was a family gathering, wasn’t it? When was the last time I came to one where