HE DAY AFTER MY SLEEPOVER with Katie, Joe dropped by the clinic. Just his walking into the reception area caused a hushed and reverent silence to fall over Jill, Sienna and three female patients ranging in age from eleven to seventy-three.

“Hi, Millie,” he said as I came out of an exam room.

“Joe! Hi!”

“Got a minute?” he asked.

We ducked into my office.

“What’s up?” I murmured, a thread of uncertainty unraveling in my stomach.

“Oh, I was just driving by and saw your car,” he said, coming closer.

“Oh.” Think of something to say, quick.

“And I missed you.”

“Oh,” I whispered.

He kissed me then. Oh, Joe, I thought, I can’t believe we’re really together.

Ten minutes later, he left the clinic, waving cheerfully to Sienna and Jill, leaving me in a trembling pile of lust after six hundred seconds of glorious necking.

“My God, who was that? Millie, are you sleeping with that guy?” Sienna asked.

“Goodness! That Joe just gets better looking every time I see him,” Jill commented. “And are you sleeping with him, Millie?”

“Mrs. Doyle!” I said, reverting to childhood formality. “Sienna, that’s Joe Carpenter, the sweetest and most gorgeous man in the world.”

“He’s so…wow,” Sienna said, dazed. “He could be a movie star or something.”

“I know.” I grabbed a pen and wrote out a prescription. I may have been humming.

“I can’t believe he’s with you,” Sienna murmured, still staring at the parking lot. “I mean, you’re really great, Millie…it’s just that guys like that…uh…”

“What, Sienna?” I asked more sharply than I meant to.

She blushed. “Forget it. Sorry.”

Giving her a look, I went into the other exam room to see my next patient.

SIENNA WASN’T THE ONLY ONE who was surprised to learn that I was dating Joe.

On Thursday I was in my office dictating cases, getting ready to race home to change, fix my hair and reapply makeup for my date with Joe. Sienna poked her head into my office and I switched off the tape recorder.

“What’s up, Sienna?” I asked.

“The cops are here to see you,” she whispered.

I glanced out the window and saw an Eastham police car in the lot. “Oh, that’s just Sam,” I told her. “My brother-in-law.”

“He’s cute, too,” Sienna said thoughtfully. “In an old-guy kind of way.” Of course, for Sienna, anything past twenty-five was old, so no doubt Sam seemed close to death. I quickly ended my dictation and smiled as Sam came into the room. Thankfully, the leathery-faced, gravel-voiced Ethel wasn’t with him. She frightened me.

“Hey, Sam,” I said. “Thanks again for the ride the other night.”

“No problem,” he said, standing in the doorway. “It was fun.”

“Everything okay?” I asked, expecting more news from the Trish front. “You can sit down, you know.”

He looked strange in my office, very official and serious. And, let’s admit it, a good-looking a man in uniform…nice. He sat down, his gun clunking against the chair.

“Are you seeing Joe Carpenter?” he asked bluntly.

“Yes,” I answered cautiously. “What about it?”

Sam looked at the floor. “I was, uh, kind of surprised the other night, when I picked you and Katie up, that’s all. You know, when Joe kissed you. I didn’t realize you guys were dating.”

I stared at Sam. “So?”

“I guess I’m just surprised. You didn’t say anything about it.”

“It’s kind of new,” I replied neutrally.

“Yeah, sure. It’s just…I don’t really see you guys together.” He shifted in his chair as if he had sand in his bathing suit. “You don’t seem…”

That was it. I flung my pen down on the desk. “Don’t seem what, Sam?”

His eyebrows rose. “Well, it’s just that Joe doesn’t seem like your type.”

“What exactly is my type, Sam?” I snapped. “Do you have any idea? Tell me, since obviously you’re an expert in ‘my type.’”

“Whoa there, Millie, I didn’t—”

“What you really mean is that I’m not Joe’s type, don’t you?”

“Millie—”

“Because why? I’m not pretty enough?” I slammed my file drawer shut.

“No! I didn’t say—”

“God, I am so sick of hearing people ask why Joe is with me! First Trish, then Sienna and now you!”

“Millie, don’t put words in my mouth. I didn’t mean anything—”

“Did it ever occur to you that maybe Joe likes me because I’m a good, fun person? And maybe he actually finds me attractive? I might be Trish’s dorky little sister to you, Sam, but maybe Joe doesn’t feel that way.”

“Millie, stop. Jesus. You’re not Trish’s dorky little sister,” Sam said, holding his hands up defensively. “It was just a surprise. I’m sorry I said anything at all.”

“You should be!” I said hotly. “It’s none of your business, Sam. Frankly, I don’t care if you think Joe is my type or I’m his. Butt out, okay? You’re not my big brother. You’re not even my brother-in-law anymore.”

Sam stood up, his face stony. “Fine. Once again, I’m sorry. See you later.” He left, closing the door quietly behind him.

My heart thumped sickly against my ribs. Damn Sam Nickerson! Of all people to wonder what Joe saw in me! Sam had always seemed to like me, always had time to talk to me, even when I was a fat, geeky teenager with braces. To imply that there was something off balance in my relationship with Joe…Angry tears stung my eyes, and my throat was tight. Damn you, Sam, I thought, swallowing hard.

I was still fuming when Joe picked me up a few hours later. The whole night, I fumed. It was hard to pay attention to Joe when I was reliving my fight with Sam every two minutes. But Joe didn’t seem to mind, or even notice, actually. He was his usual happy-go-lucky self, and if I was preoccupied, it didn’t bother him. When we got back to my house, I went at him with a bit of a vengeance. I deserved Joe Carpenter, and screw anyone who didn’t see that.