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Enough pondering She had work to finish Glancing at her email list one last time, she saw that there was a new note from Dr Donavon She opened it

I can’t say thank you enough

I’ll send over the dictation electronically this afternoon and will need the reports by Monday et the-time

S Donavon

She could iine the smile on his face when he read her email She liked it that she’d made him happy But work so soon? This weekend? He really must be in a hurry Well, she knehat her plans were for tonight and to

Dr Donavon,

I’ll do my best to have them ready by Monday

Cynthia

Seconds later he came back

You’re a lifesaver

S Donavon

Cynthia wasn’t sure she could be anyone else’s lifesaver She was already taking care ofon soht sink her boat What would it be like to have soe?

The kitchen door opened and slaer than her, called

“In here”

He flopped into the cushion chair beside her desk and flung a leg over the arm

“So how did it go today?” Cynthia asked

“I’ to quit”

His blunt state the aret a college education She’d been fighting Mark’s apathy about doing that for et to her “Why?”

“College doesn’t get you anywhere” Mark spoke to the floor instead of her

This was one of those times when she wished she had some backup, someone to turn to She refused to let her voice rise “You know Mom and Dad wouldn’t like that”

“Yeah But it’s not for me”

Cynthia oing to do?”

He shrugged and continued to look at that floor “I don’t know”

That wasn’t a good plan “Well, you’re going to have to figure so out”

Mark jumped to his feet “Get off my back You’re not my parent We can’t all be Rick” He stomped from the room

She sighed Could the day get any better? Mark’s statement hurt on a number of levels Cynthia uardianship responsibilities seriously Wanted to do the best by them And no, she was not Mark’s parent If the situation was different she would prefer just being his sister

Dr Donavon’s dictation arrived in her transcription systeht before dinner The work could wait until after dinner Her parents hadmeal time important and she continued the practice Her brothers knew that if possible they were expected at hoether

Two hours later she pulled her chair up to her desk This wasn’t the way she’d planned to spend Friday night, but she would get over it Doing what had to be done had become a part of her life She’d have Dr Donavon’s work to hi to impress

She clicked the dictation inbox and Dr Donavon’s voice filled her ears It didn’t take long for her to forget about how tired she was or the a the rich deepness of his voice If she had to work on Friday night, there orse jobs to have than one that involved having the sound of a sexy voice in her ear

After lunch Monday, Sean settled in behind his desk at his clinic office Pushing his chair back and putting his feet on his desk, he

crossed his ankles and got comfortable He didn’t usually reread all his reports but in this instance, he couldn’t afford not to The grant was too important

His future depended on it Not to mention the quality of life for his patients, for the vast nu improved and those of other ear, nose and throat doctors as well With the grant he could continue his research and make that difference

With the success of his procedure and the patent of a new instrument he would also be financially set for life He knew too hat it was like being without and he’d vowed never to feel that way again He’d heard some people call it the Scarlett O’Hara syndrome He just called it smart

Long ago he’d hired a financial planner He was determined not to live paycheck to paycheck as his parents had, wondering if there would be enough cash to pay the bills or buy food While growing up, more than once he’d been unable to participate with his friends in an activity because there hadn’t been funds His parents had been and still were the types to fall in with the next bigsche them rich as they claimed they one day would be There had beenin coreat vita seeht

Sean hated any part of that way of life Money shouldn’t be squandered Instead it should be saved and invested He was deter their bills and handling finances embarrassed him Their philosophy about life was so different from his that they found little in common Because of that he’d not seen them in almost a year Even then visits had been short He wasn’t interested in hearing about the next “get rich quick” plan

The one thing about his new breakthrough was that it would allow hih e He was confident that they would need his help Despite his bitter feelings about his childhood he would take care of them No matter what, they were his parents