Los Angeles, not so many years ago….
Veris dropped his leather duffel bag at the door and hurried over to where everyone was sitting. “Sorry, the plane was hung up circling LAX.” He leaned over Brody, grabbed his face and kissed him thoroughly.
“But it was a smooth flight, I see,” Alex said, from the other Craftsman chair. “No spilled drinks on your pants from careless hostesses trying to get your number.”
Taylor smothered a laugh, for that particular flight stood out as one of Veris’ more colorful travels. He seemed to have a way of drawing adventure to him wherever he went, including the mundane Washington to L.A. flight he did on a monthly basis.
Veris rested his hand briefly on Alex’s shoulder, a silent greeting, as he passed behind his chair. “It was an interesting flight…well, the start of it was. I ran into an old friend.” He bent over Taylor where she sat in the big, comfortable chair and kissed her soundly. Then he patted her enormous belly and settled on the ottoman next to her.
“Any day now, I hope,” Taylor said and shifted carefully on the cushion, rearranging herself more comfortably. “Alex says I’m overdue.”
“That’s quite normal for a first gestation,” Alex said complacently.
Brody raised a brow at Veris. “No second opinion, professor?”
Veris smiled. “I know my limitations, thank you. I leave the country doctoring to others.”
“Ouch,” Taylor said.
“If you’re trying to offend me, you’ve failed,” Alex said. “I get great pleasure from hands-on direct medicine of the country doctor type. I get to see the happy results. Too much of the modern practice involves shuffling patients off to one specialist or another and sometimes that’s the last I see of them. I leave the esoteric theory and research to the academics.”
Veris grinned. “Guilty as charged.” He brushed at the lapel of the expensive suit he was wearing. Unlike Alex, who had come to the house directly from his rounds at the hospital, Veris had already discarded his tie and unbuttoned the top buttons of the shirt. He would have done that sometime during the flight. He would have waited at least until he was in the taxi heading home before carelessly pushing the sleeves of the jacket up and rolling the shirt sleeves underneath.
Alex’s suit was still pristine and his tie neatly in place.
“Guilty, he says,” Brody intoned. “Hell, I didn’t even get to speak as witness.”
“Witness for whom?” Taylor asked. “The defense or the prosecution?”
Brody smiled. “Probably just as well I didn’t get called to the stand. Either one would get me shot.”
Taylor laughed. “That reminds me of your birthday.”
Brody’s expression darkened. “I still haven’t forgiven you for that,” he growled. “Either of you.”