4
You know when you're stuck sitting next to someone who irritates you and you get that feeling like hot prickles on the skin closest to them?
No? Maybe that's just something I experience.
Or maybe Brody Murphy finally succeeded in driving me over the edge.
My right arm and leg tingled like crazy as though I were sitting too close to a bonfire and I swore that I could actuallyfeelhis presence.
Perfect. I was going to stress eat all during lunch, which would make my already snug cut-offs even tighter. So much for fitting in my clothes from college.
I growled under my breath as I reached for my iced tea and took a sip. I shot a look to my right when Brody made a strange coughing-slash-choking sound. He didn't meet my gaze but kept his eyes on his plate.
"Miss McClane?"
I glanced up at the sound of Jacks' voice. Brody's daughter met my gaze and I noticed that while her eyes were a slightly different shade from her father's, they were shaped the same. Her stare was almost as piercing as her father's as well.
"Please call me Cam, Jacks."
She glanced at her father. I followed her example and saw Brody nod at her.
"Uncle J said you own an ice cream shop. Is that true?"
I grinned at her. "Yes, it is. And I make all my own ice cream too."
"Really?"
"Yep. Twelve flavors that I offer daily and three that change with the seasons or my mood."
Her answering grin was huge. "That sounds great. I wish I could try them all."
"You're welcome to come by any time. I'd be happy to let you."
Her smile faded a little. "Mom doesn't like it when I eat ice cream. She said it'll make me fat." She studied me. "Do you eat the ice cream in your shop? Because you're not fat at all."
My eyes shot over to Brody and I bit my bottom lip. I could see the muscles in his jaw ticking. I felt another wave of heat against my right side and I was pretty sure it was anger. He didn't say anything though.
Well, if he wasn't going to address the sudden, gigantic elephant in the room, I was.
I turned back to Jacks. "I do eat my ice cream, sweetie. But I try not to eat too much of it. Anything can be bad for you if you eat a whole lot." I peered at Brody out of the corner of my eye, but he remained silent, so I soldiered on. If I was going to screw this up, I was going to do a magnificent job. "But you shouldn't worry about being fat. You're still pretty young and have a lot of growing to do. If you eat well, stay active, and get plenty of rest, you'll be very healthy and that's more important. If you feel good on the inside, it shows on the outside, regardless of the size or shape of your body."
I chanced another quick look at Brody, but the ticking in his jaw was noticeably absent. My mother looked almost proud.
I ignored them all because it made me uncomfortable and refocused on Jacks.
"Yeah, I told Mom that Dad said that and she said it was a load of bull..." Jacks' eyes slid to Brody. "Uh, just bull."
I couldn't stop myself from looking at him again and saw that the muscles in his jaw were once again tight and hard. I thought I even heard his teeth crack a little.
"Um, well, Jacks, there are some people who think that way but my father is the one who told me all this and he's a medical doctor, so he probably knows, right?"
Jacks turned her avid gaze to my father. "You're a doctor?"
My dad smiled at her, but I could tell it was forced. I knew he hated hearing children repeat some of the things their parents said and this was one of those times he would rather express his outrage to Jacks' mother rather than pretend he wasn't upset. But he was a pediatrician and he considered it his job to establish a good rapport with his young patients.
"Yes, I am," he replied.
Finally, Brody spoke. "He'll be your doctor now that we live in Farley."
