office and made a beeline for Alex's. She was on the phone but waved him in. Johnathan waited patiently for her to end her call.
“Hey, I'm glad you stopped in. That was Simms. We need to refile the incorporation papers. Can dinner next week move to 8?”
Johnathan couldn't believe his luck. Things between him and Alex were still PG-13 rated. Telling her about Kellie would scare her off, he was sure.
“I don't know...8 o'clock on a school night?” He pretended the time didn't fit perfectly into his plans.
Alex smiled and put him in his place. “I'll bring an overnight bag.”
Johnathan jumped behind her desk, leaning down to give her a very long and passionate kiss. “Saints alive! I love the luck of the Irish.”
Alex pushed him away and glared at the open door. “You're only Irish by marriage, on your stepmother's side.” She giggled at the little jig he performed to dispute her fact.
A knock on the door by Eric interrupted their joy, and the change in atmosphere felt palpable. “Um...guys?” Eric handed a drawing to Johnathan.
Johnathan studied the paper and rubbed his neck at the nape. Alexis stared at him before realizing herself and finding paperwork of her own to inspect.
“This test out?”
Eric flashed a boyish grin. “Yep. Wanna see?” He was already out of Alex's door and Johnathan followed swiftly. Before leaving, he grabbed the door jamb and blew a silent kiss to Alex.
Alex opened her email to respond back to Simms and murmured “Boys.” under her breath. It wasn't the first time gadgets trumped her.
6
H aggard breath exhaled from a very rotund woman next to him convinced Johnathan she would give birth at any moment. The HD flat screen gave regular advertisements on birth control, the hospital's birth center, and tips on nutrition and parenting.
“True or false? Only occasional smoking doesn't cause any lasting damage on the body?”
Johnathan scowled at the holier-than-thou television voice. Depends on what the occasional smoking would be replaced with, wouldn't it? He felt partially validated when the voice-over slide show gave the answer that while better than smoking a pack a day, even occasional smoking could cause lasting harm to the lungs and throat. The next question about sexually transmitted diseases lost his interest.
“Do you need any of my information?” he asked Kellie sitting next to him on the other side.
“Nope.”
“Not even for insurance purposes?”
“Oh. I put down none, but my mom mentioned I could apply for Medicaid.”
“You can if you want, but I'm happy to pay for the bills until...”
Kellie flipped a sheet over and scratched out her previous writing. She handed the clipboard to Johnathan to fill out his information.
“Are you rich or something?”
Johnathan stopped writing. She was being crass about a very personal subject. “No.”
“Really? You drive a Porsche. You dress really well, even I can recognize designer brands. And you're offering to pay for everything when this is going to cost, like, thousands of dollars.”
“My father is dead.”
Kellie's face twisted into a look of mortification. “I'm-I'm sorry. I didn't know.” She ran her thumb under her left bra strap to adjust it and looked at the infomercial spouting TV. Suddenly, she turned back to him. “I don't get it.”
Johnathan cleared his throat. “My dad left me a small inheritance, which I used to start my company. Things are going well and we have no debt. I am just living up to my responsibilities. How he raised me.”
“Oh.” Kellie's cheeks turned red. Wistfully, Johnathan shook his head at her lack of tact. He finished the last of the paperwork with his information and put his name down for HIPPA rights. He doubted she even knew what they were. The pen attached to the clipboard by a chain of rubber bands made a final tapping noise as he finished his signature on the promise-to-pay form and handed the entire packet to her. She walked the newly available