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Izzie squealed, Nick and Mark both burst into laughter and Noelle giggled into her hand. Lindsey laughed with them, finding herself liking this quartet a lot. She wondered if Mike’s brothers were similar to Nick and Mark, and suspected they were.
“Now, give me some dirt,” she said. “What was Mike like as a little boy.”
“A pain in the ass,” said Nick with a shrug.
“Nah,” said Mark, “he was cute. Rafe was closer to our age, but we usually let Leo and Mikey tag along on our escapades.”
“Leo’s the middle brother?”
“Yeah,” said Mike.
“Leonardo,” said Nick. He crossed his arms, gave his cousin a sly look and added, “Raphael’s the oldest, and Michelangelo here is the baby.”
The waitress had just brought Lindsey a glass of water, and she’d been about to put it to her mouth. But she slowly lowered it, staring at Nick, then at Mike.
He just groaned, glaring at his older cousin.
“Are you serious? Your name is Michelangelo?”
A heavy sigh, then he admitted, “Yeah.”
“And your brothers are Leonardo and Raphael?”
She was about to ask if his family had a big thing for art when Nick spoke again. “Didn’t he ever mention that his parents had an obsession with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?”
“How many times do I have to threaten your life before you stop telling people that?” asked Mike through a pasted-on smile.
Lindsey, who vaguely remembered the cartoon characters, had been trying to puzzle out the dates when she realized Nick was again yanking Mike’s chain. Feeling stupid, she slapped herself on the forehead. She was often accused of taking things too literally. Maybe well justified.
“Behave, boys, or we’ll tattle to your moms,” said Izzie.
“What will you do once you’ve finished the substitute teaching job, Lindsey?” asked Mark, who resembled Mike more than his twin did. Though they both had the big, solid build, incredibly broad shoulders and powerful chests.
“I’m not sure. I’m playing that by ear,” she said.
That was true. She had talked to one of the partners at the clinic last week, and he’d admitted that they really missed her. But since he’d also admitted that the senior partner was still very unhappy about that whole Today show thing, it may not have been long enough for them to welcome her back.
“But you’ll be returning to Chicago, right?” asked Izzie, who was exchanging knowing glances with her husband.
“I’m certain I will.”
“Oh, how nice. Too bad Mike doesn’t live there anymore,” said Izzie. “He just can’t stand the city, now that he’s all about small-town life and white picket fences. He’s found heaven, I guess.”
“White picket fences?” she asked, totally confused.
Mike was shaking his head, muttering under his breath about his pushy family.
“Is there something going on?” Lindsey asked.
“Yeah, my cousins are using your tricks and pulling some reverse psychology on me,” he said.
“Your tricks?” Nick asked, suddenly very alert. “What’s that mean?”
Mike sent her an apologetic wince, and she realized he hadn’t meant to reveal that bit of personal information. Sensing that being secretive would make it an even bigger deal, she shrugged it off and tried to sound blasé. “I’m not a teacher, really, I’m a psychologist.”
“Yeah, that’s Dr. Smith to you,” Mike said, dropping a hand on her shoulder as if showing the others he was proud of her.
It was a sweet gesture. Kinda nice and protective. Then again, that was Mike. Superprotective. She just wondered if he had any protective instincts when it came to his own well-being. If he did, he probably wouldn’t have gotten involved with a woman who was a tabloid scandal. Oh, and one who wasn’t even sure she was capable of letting anyone close enough to maintain a long-term relationship.
“Oh, my God!” Noelle said, her voice raised in surprise. Her mouth fell open as she stared at Lindsey. Her eyes had grown huge in her face, and she appeared stunned. “It’s you. You’re the Dr. Lindsey Smith!”
Lindsey grimaced, trying to shrink down in her seat.
“Shh,” Mike hissed. “That’s not common knowledge around here.”
Blanching, his cousin-in-law immediately stammered her apologizes. “I’m so sorry. It’s just, I was trying to figure out why you looked familiar to me. I didn’t put it together until he mentioned you were a doctor.”
“All right, what’s going on?” asked Izzie. “What are we missing? Who is she?”
