Forbidden Prescription: A Stepbrother Romance Read Online Free Page B

Monday, the rest of the interns were more cordial toward her. By meeting them for drinks, she had proven that she could be one of the guys. This was the only positive result of the night.
    She avoided James at all costs, which was extremely difficult since he was their superior and they reported to him. When he spoke, she averted her eyes, and when he asked questions, she waited for others to answer for her.
    On Tuesday, he assigned them tasks during rounds and gave Isabella her assignment last.
    “Is everything okay? You don’t seem like yourself.”
    “I’m fine.” She quickly dismissed him.
    “Yeah, it’s just that you’re always first to answer questions, but yesterday, you stood in the back of the group and looked at the floor the whole time.”
    “It’s nothing.”
    “Dr. Carter,” he pressed. “You’re not fooling anyone. Either you tell me what is going on, or I will figure it out myself.”
    She took a deep breath and finally looked him in the eye.
    “Fine. I’m just a little embarrassed about Friday night.”
    “And why is that?” he asked, his smile growing wider.
    “I’m not used to getting drunk around anyone, especially my instructors. It’s not professional.”
    “Is that all?” he said exasperatedly. “Listen, it’s not a big deal. I wouldn’t have bought you guys all that beer if I didn’t want you to loosen up a little. You’re truly embarrassed because you thought you were being unprofessional?”
    She nodded, biting the inside of her lip.
    “Nothing more?” he coaxed.
    “No. That’s all.”
    “All right,” he said, handing her a chart. “Prep this patient for her appendectomy and answer any questions she has.”
    Isabella hurried off. She didn’t want to spend too much time alone with James. He was too flirty around her and she didn’t want him to get in the way of her work. She especially didn’t want the other interns to get the wrong idea about them, especially since things were going so well.
    During the rest of the week, she made a point to volunteer for tasks that involved other people to reduce her chance of being alone with James. She worked with other doctors and dragged Jordan around as much as possible.
    “You know, I have things I need to get done too,” Jordan said to Isabella after she asked her fellow intern to go to the cafeteria with her for a late lunch. “I already ate. I don’t see why I need to be back here again. People will think I’m a glutton.”
    “Shh, just eat your ice cream,” Isabella said. “If you must know, I think James has been acting weird around me ever since we saw him at the bar on Friday.”
    “I think you’re the one who’s been acting weird,” Jordan said. “I don’t see him dragging his coworker around so he can’t be alone.”
    “Fine. Go,” Isabella said shortly. “But when I face my downfall, I’ll remember when you refused to help me.”
    Jordan rolled her eyes and left the cafeteria.
    Isabella felt childish for avoiding James just because she was afraid of developing a crush on him. Men were a danger when it came to careers, though.
    She had seen it happen with her own mother more times than she could count. Each rich husband was just another reason to not work. Her mother was a talented interior designer, but it was easier just to redecorate her homes instead of making a living doing it for other people. Her mom could hardly go for more than a year between men because then, the money might dry up.
    Isabella had also seen her mom heartbroken with each breakup. Weeks of wining and shopping did little to ease the pain of being left by another benefactor. She watched as her mother got drunk and trashed her home until another man came to sweep her off her feet. It was hard to live with. These men funded their lifestyles, but if she could, Isabella would have traded the money for a little stability. Leaving home for college was a great relief for Isabella because she didn’t have a front-row seat for the