Mistletoe Mistake Read online

  Mistletoe Mistake

  Bryce Winters

  Mistletoe Mistake

  Bryce Winters

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  © 2018 by Bryce Winters

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  Cover art by the wonderful Cate Ashwood.

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  No part of this story may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations embodied within critical reviews and articles.

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  This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  To the countless friends who have supported the creation of this work. And kept me sane.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  About the Author

  1

  Justin

  Justin’s shoes squeaked against the waxed linoleum as he power walked down the wide hallway, intent on making it to his meeting on time. He hated being late. If he had had any say in the last twenty minutes, he would have already been seated in the conference room, pen poised over his notepad. As it was, he couldn’t have predicted the last case he saw while on clinic duty. He hoped the lab would be getting those test results back to him quickly.

  As a first year resident at Seattle Children’s Hospital, Justin knew he had his fair share of grunt work to complete. Hell, even staff physicians, like his mother, an Immunologist, still had to put in their hours at the clinic. Still, he enjoyed the work, as grueling as it could be some days. In the end, he knew he was making a difference.

  Even if he was late to his meeting regarding the hospital’s holiday toy drive.

  Vicky, the volunteer coordinator for the hospital, wouldn’t mind. He knew that. He had been volunteering at the hospital for years before he made it into the pediatric residency program. Every holiday season while he was a teenager, Justin made it a point to spend whatever free time he had volunteering for the hospital’s toy drive as an inspector, wrapper, and delivery assistant for the children staying there over the holidays. Having been a patient there himself when his appendix ruptured during the holidays, Justin knew how meaningful those moments could be, to not only the children but also to their parents. And Justin wanted to do everything he could to pay that forward.

  A few people waved at him as he whisked on by, and he gave several apologetic smiles to those who looked like they wanted to stop and talk to him.

  “Meeting,” he said, giving a small shrug as he raced past.

  It was amazing how busy he was, even as a resident. He loved every moment of it though.

  He supposed he should feel lucky he could make it to the meeting at all. So often, doctors had to miss meetings like this simply because human lives were their first priority.

  Holiday decorations adorned the hallways, the season in full swing. Justin had worked during Thanksgiving last week, much to his parents' dismay. But he was young and, besides his parents, didn’t have a family or boyfriend he wanted to spend the holiday with. Many doctors still thanked him for taking the shift as they ran into him. And spending the time with the children, as much as he could, had been a reward in and of itself.

  He already loved working at Seattle Children’s.

  But as much as he loved working there, and doing his part as a volunteer, there had always been one driving force moving him to this point. A persistent flame of yearning, desire, and hope nestled in the deepest, most secret parts of him. That flame belonged to one very important man, a man Justin had met for the first time at fifteen years old, the first year his parents allowed him to volunteer for the annual holiday toy drive.

  Doctor Maxwell Shore. Or Max, to his friends. Justin had been proud to be considered one after only his second season volunteering at the hospital.

  Tall and lanky with a shock of auburn hair and hazel eyes that looked green more days than not, Max had captured Justin’s heart with his slow, crooked smile and a friendly hello.

  Justin wasn’t ashamed to admit that many a fantasy had played out in his mind over that smile.

  If everything continued as normal, Max should be in this meeting.

  After graduating for Oregon Health and Science University, Justin had started his residency in August, but because Max worked in Oncology and Justin in Gastroenterology, Justin hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him. He had tried. He had wondered if Max had left the hospital, but his careful questioning had been met with reassurances that Max was still on staff.

  This would be the first time Justin would see Max in nine years.

  It was safe to say he was freaking out a little bit.

  Reaching the conference room, Justin allowed himself a moment to pause and steady his breathing. He didn’t want to appear harried and unprofessional in front of the man of his dreams.

  After all, he only had one shot to make a damn good impression of his grown-up self.

  Pushing open the door, Justin barely glanced around, not wanting to appear too eager. Instead, he made his way to an open chair, casting an apologetic look to Vicky, who sat at the opposite end of the table, laptop opened before her. Vicky shot him a reassuring smile and continued on discussing the logistics of the toy drive and areas needing support.

  Justin made himself wait a full two minutes, listening raptly to Vicky’s explanation even though all of it sounded familiar, before allowing himself to look about the rest of the room’s occupants.

  There were a few doctors he didn’t recognize and a few he did. His gaze settled on a familiar head of dark red hair, bent over a pad of paper as the owner scribbled notes. His abdomen tightened, palms growing clammy in the space of a few seconds. Justin noticed the new dusting of gray concentrated at Max’s temples and wanted more than anything to run his fingers through the strands.

  He turned away before Max caught him ogling. There was a twinge on the outer edges of Justin’s heart, the beginnings of an ache he knew could consume him if he let it. Max hadn’t acknowledged him, hadn’t tried to catch Justin’s attention to say hi.

  Tightening his jaw, Justin shoved the thoughts out of his mind, ignoring the pang in his chest. Max was a busy man. Every person in this room was busy. Max probably didn’t even remember him. It had been nine years, after all. The last time Justin had seen Max, he had been a spotty seventeen-year-old mess, starry-eyed with the dream of becoming a doctor one day, like his mom. Like Max. Now, at twenty-six years old, Justin had achieved his dream of becoming a doctor, with only his residency to complete. Justin had done a lot of growing up over the years, had tried to put Max behind him, to forget about him in so many ways.

  He had failed every single time.

  And now, here he was, in a brightly lit conference room, trying to pay attention and not start staring and drooling across the table like the love-sick puppy he still was.

  “Doctor Coffey?” Vicky asked, interrupting Justin’s train of thought.

  Justin focused on the conversation, trying to remember what had been said. He looked at the slide projected on the wall, nobody having bothered to lower the screen.

  “Seeing as how you’ve been a volunteer for us when you were younger as an inspector and wrapper, I thought it would be a fun project for you to work with that team again,” Vicky explained, mistaking his hesitation for lack of enthusiasm.

  Embarrassment burning up the back of his neck, Justin beamed wide at her and nodded. “I�
��d love to.”

  “Great! You’ll be working with Doctor Shore, who’s been organizing that side of the program for years now. In fact, I think you two have worked together before, right, Max?” she asked.

  Justin’s glanced across the table, meeting Max’s eyes for the first time. They were green under the florescent lighting of the room. Justin gave him an easy smile, hoping the sudden zing of awareness that shot through him hadn’t appeared on his face.

  Max returned his smile, one corner lifting slightly higher than the other. If Justin hadn’t had years of experience fighting the effects of that smile, he would have slid onto the floor in a puddle of infatuation.

  “It’s good to see you again, Justin,” Max said and returned his attention to Vicky as though nothing of significance had happened.

  Vicky continued before Justin could respond, his tongue suddenly glued to the roof of his mouth.

  And that was their reunion. An anticlimactic, underwhelming moment that would fade from everyone’s minds but Justin’s.

  Disappointment flared deep in Justin’s stomach. He had imagined something with a little more drama, more romantic spark. Instead, Max had paid him little mind, like he had all those years ago.

  Justin gripped his pen, trying in vain to focus on the rest of the meeting.

  When Vicky dismissed them after assigning their action items, Justin couldn’t move fast enough. He leapt from his seat, hauled the door open, his white jacket whipping behind him, and escaped the room.

  He raced down the hallway the same way he arrived, shoes squeaking. He winced at the noise. He needed to do something about that.

  “Doctor Coffey! Justin! Hold up a minute!”

  Hearing the shout in that familiar tenor voice, Justin nearly tripped over nothing. Instead, realizing he had hesitated enough to know Max would notice, Justin stopped and looked over his shoulder. It wouldn’t do to turn around and bound back Max’s direction like an eager puppy.

  Justin watched with interest as Max hurried down the hall, his jacket billowing out behind him. It showcased pressed black slacks, a neat, blue button up shirt paired with a subtly patterned tie. Justin wanted to reach out for that tie and pull Max close.

  Max gave him a blinding smile, much more engaging and friendly than the one in the conference room had been.

  “I can’t believe it’s you,” he said as he drew near, and Justin’s breath caught in his throat.

  He couldn’t mean…

  “I mean, look at you! All grown up and a doctor in your own right,” Max said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Last time I saw you, you were gearing up to graduate high school.”

  No. He didn’t.

  Justin tried not to let his growing disappointment show. Instead, he gave Max a sheepish smile, turning to face him.

  “Yeah, what can I say,” he said, meeting Max’s eyes. “I’m nothing if not determined.”

  Max blinked at him for a second, and Justin wondered if he had gone too far, let his interest and intent known. In the next instant, Max chuckled as though they were sharing an old joke between them.

  “Too true,” Max said. “I’m glad to see you’ve started work at Children’s. What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “Gastroenterology,” Justin said. “Just started my residency in August.”

  Max nodded, looking thoughtful. “Doctor Cameron? Johnstone?” he asked.

  “Johnstone,” Justin confirmed.

  “Ah, excellent! Tell him he still owes me two-hundred dollars from our last poker night,” Max said with a wink, obviously not too perturbed about the money.

  Justin stared, wondering how to react and feeling more than ever like an awkward teenager again. How could he keep up with his cool, sexy man?

  “Uh, sure,” he said.

  “Great. Now, I wanted to ask when you were free so we can get together and discuss the community volunteers,” Max said. “How about at the coffee shop down on the corner? We can have some coffee and talk. Catch up.”

  Feeling a little overwhelmed, Justin sucked in a quick breath. “Sounds great. What time works for you?” he asked.

  “Wednesday, 3 o’clock? We could meet at my office and head out,” Max suggested.

  Justin nodded, not caring if he had a conflict. He’d figure it out.

  “Excellent!” Max grinned and patted Justin on the shoulder, like he would a young boy. Like he had done to Justin so many times before. It grated on Justin’s last nerve.

  He needed to get away from Max before he found himself prostrate on the floor, begging for Max to see him.

  “I gotta get back to my shift,” Justin said, hoping he didn’t sound like he was brushing Max off.

  But Max hummed an acceptance, his grin easing into a small smile, though no less lethal.

  “Have a good rest of your shift,” he said, turning and walking down the hall. He added over his shoulder, “It was good to see you again.”

  Justin watched him go, muttering a meek, “You, too,” that Max probably wouldn’t hear.

  Feeling caught up in the pathetic whirlwind of his emotions, Justin turned and headed back toward his department.

  He really should figure out how to get over Doctor Maxwell Shore.

  2

  Max

  Max stared at a report he received via email from the lab downstairs. It was an important report, and he needed to delve into the details of it and forward instructions to his nurses and resident doctors.

  But Justin was on his way to his office for their scheduled coffee meeting. It was all Max could do to keep his mind focused on the lab report and not on the young man he had been trying so hard to forget over the last nine years.

  Seeing Justin again had been like applying a balm to a wound he hadn’t even realized he had. Max had heard the rumors that the newest Doctor Coffey was a resident at the hospital, but Max hadn’t gone looking to welcome him back. He had wanted to, he really did, but he hadn’t. Because that would be creepy.

  He already felt creepy enough, being sixteen years Justin’s senior and finding the young adult sinfully attractive the moment he first laid eyes on him.

  It wasn’t like he went around picking up teenagers. He didn’t. He had only felt that way about one teenager, nine years ago. Justin Coffey. Back then, it had been relatively easy to tamp down that desire, tuck it away to a place deep inside that wouldn’t see the light of day. After all, Max only had to work with Justin as a volunteer for a maximum of one month out of the year, and only a handful of hours a week at that. Still, it hadn’t stopped the pull of desire deep in the pit of his stomach every year when Justin returned.

  When Justin had announced his acceptance to college and that he wouldn’t be back the next year for the toy drive, Max had felt a confusing mixture of relief and disappointment. Relief for the obvious reasons, but the disappointment had caught him off guard. Had he really been expecting Justin to wait around for a magical day when their age gap wouldn’t be considered taboo? Would that day ever come?

  Max didn’t think so. Even now, Justin was a fresh-faced resident. Max was closer to retirement than not.

  But Max had continued to ask after Justin every time he ran into Justin’s mom, the original Doctor Coffey. He grasped on to every update like a lifeline, hoping his asking came off as friendly interest rather than stalker-like. After every update, he yearned to hear more. He wished he had worked up the gumption to ask Justin for his email address or to add him on social media in order to keep in touch with him. In the end, though, he was glad he hadn’t, mostly because he didn’t want to know if Justin had managed to settle down with someone special. Justin’s mother hadn’t mentioned anyone, but that wasn’t exactly something she would have shared with Max.

  That same old pull had made itself known a few days ago when Justin had slipped into the conference room for their volunteer meeting. Max had wanted to make up some sort of excuse and leave the room, but in the end, something made him stay. To help himself cope, he began to d
oodle furiously on his notepad, hoping to distract himself enough from Justin’s presence.

  A knock sounded on Max’s office door, and he called out his permission to enter before he thought about it.

  Max tensed as Justin walked into the small space, already captivated by the sight of him.

  ‘He looks good,’ Max thought.

  Justin’s long, white coat looked too new, too professional with one button closed. Max knew that wouldn’t last long. Max, like most of the other doctors, preferred to keep his unbuttoned as it could get too warm with all the running around. Beneath the jacket, Justin wore a pale pink button up shirt paired with a gray tie and slacks. It complemented Justin’s blond hair and sparkling blue eyes well and accented the pink undertones in Justin’s complexion.

  It wasn’t hard to imagine how Justin would look after a few rough kisses.

  Clenching his jaw against the longing that slammed into him, Max tried to offer a smile, but feared it came out more like a grimace.

  “Justin,” he greeted. “Would you give me just a second? I need to send this report off to my team and get treatment started for a patient.”

  “Sure thing,” Justin said. He turned to let Max work, wandering over to Max’s small bookcase which held various literature on oncology, grief and loss, as well as children’s books.

  Oddly enough, Max found that he was able to finally focus on the report and make a quick decision about treatment with Justin standing in the room. It was as though Justin’s presence was equal parts stimulating and soothing. Deciding not to question it for now, Max fired off the report to his team, along with detailed instructions.