Riveting stuff. I agreed to this slow return, so I smile and head behind the reception desk. It’s best if I’m around people right now. And while I’m working on bookings, I can slot myself in a few extra patients. What Shannon doesn’t know won’t hurt her.
I’m barely getting started when Jesse comes back into the clinic. He looks frazzled, his usually perfect hair is sticking up like he’s run his hands through it, and not in a good way. I get up and walk around the counter.
“Is everything okay?”
“No. My car won’t start, the people at my insurance company are useless, and the towing company can’t get here for three hours. I need to get back. Could you hold on to my keys and call me when they show up? I need to Uber back, but there are no cars in the area.”
“Of course, we can handle the tow company for you.” I take the keys from him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just the whole stress thing.” He gives me a tight smile. “I’m running late.”
The clinic is quiet, Ashlyn has a handle on the paperwork, despite asking for my help. It’s Shannon’s way of keeping me here but not overdoing it.
“How about I give you a ride, will that help?”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“It’s fine. I’m due a lunch break anyway. And I’d rather help you out than sit in my room eating stale cracker bread.”
“That’s not very healthy of you, Nurse.”
“See, you’re saving me from myself. Let me get my keys.”
“You’re a lifesaver. I owe you.”
“You haven’t seen her drive,” Ashlyn says.
“Very funny.”
“I’d take a ride from an F1 driver right now,” Jesse laughs.
“We keep crash helmets in the back.”
“It’s not that bad,” I protest.
Ashlyn and Jesse both laugh. It’s good to see a smile on his face. If I can take away some of his worry, then today has been a good day.
Chapter Three
Taylor
The directions he gives me are to one of the nicer neighborhoods in Baltimore, which I kind of expected, given the way Jesse holds himself. I shouldn’t make assumptions. He can be the nicest person in the world and live in the shittiest of neighborhoods.
It takes about fifteen minutes to get there. He has five bags of groceries, which we transferred from his trunk to mine, so I get out to help.
“I should be fine if you help me unload them.”
Jesse tries to get all the bags at once, and I pat his arm, taking two away from him.
“Okay, thanks, by the front door is fine.”
That’s good with me. We may know each other at the clinic, but technically I’m still a stranger, he doesn’t want me in his house. I’d thought we were going to his office but didn’t question him when he gave me the residential address.
We head up the path, and as we approach it, the door is pulled open, and a man steps out.
“Where the hell have you been?” he snaps.
Thisis who he lives with? No wonder he’s having issues getting intimate with him. Aside from the way he looks, which I’m feeling all kinds of guilty about, given my discussion with Jesse, and that he is clearly an asshole. The guy is hot. Even hotter than Jesse, and that is saying something. Not wearing a shirt isn’t helping.
