“Care to make it a year?” Gene asks, dead serious.
Clenching my jaw, I shake my head, then grimace in pain. That seizure strained my neck something fierce.
“That’s what I thought.”
I carefully lift my chin at Mason. “And what are you doing?”
He blushes. “I…I’m thinking of going back to Summit Springs.”
“Why?”
“If you’re not on the road, you don’t have much use for me. Besides, you’ve seen the place. It’s gorgeous, super queer-friendly, and, frankly, I could use the time off.”
I narrow my eyes at him, and he blushes.
“Fine. One of your EMTs was really cute, and we hit it off while you were being admitted. Kinley, the gal who saved your ass, has a whole upstairs part of her house that she never uses. She said I could stay as long as I wanted.”
“You’re going to stay in her house? Isn’t that weird?”
“Actually, she was going to lend me her dad’s hunting cabin, but I don’t want to be alllone man in the woods.”
“Still—that’s awfully chummy for someone you just met.”
He shrugs. “She offered to drive me up here and, on the ride up, we sorta hit it off. Plus, she’s hilariousandshe thinks you’re hot,” he says, popping his brows.
Dr. K, listening in on our back-and-forth, taps her chin. “Hm. That’s not a bad idea.” Turning to Mason, she asks, “Tell me about this cabin in the woods. Is it accessible by car? Or do you have to hike half a day to get there?”
He holds up his finger and begins to type furiously on his phone.
I turn to Dr. K. “So…what? Nowyou’regoing to stay in the cabin in the woods?”
She checks with Mason, who reads an incoming message and holds up his thumb.
She grins at him, then finally answers my question. “No. But I think you should.”
“Why?”
“Because once you’ve been through rehab, you’re going to need a place to recover. We’ll arrange for a physical therapist to visit you regularly so you’re not left entirely alone. And if you should so happen to recover enough to get laid while you’re there, maybe that’ll dislodge the enormous stick up your ass.”
I suck my teeth at her, suddenly exhausted.
“Fine. I’ll think about it.”
Chapter4
Kinley
Shit.I thought I was going to have the office to myself. According to my buddy, Mason, Mackenzie Nash will be here in less than five minutes, and Joey still hasn’t left for lunch.
I need Joey to go to lunch because I need to see if the chemistry from the night of the concert was real or driven by a major brain event. I clearly shouldn’t be reading too much into anything. I want to know if she’s been thinking about me the way I’ve been thinking about her.
Because we’ve apparently regressed to middle school.
I usually have more chill than this, but given the number of times Cassie—battered ribs and all—has laughed at my thirsty ass these last few weeks, I might have to reexamine that notion.
Anyway. Lunch.
“Joey, sweetie?”
