“Oh, thank you,” she breathed, looking charmed already. Mark couldn’t blame her.
She took a seat and Mark smiled at her. “Now, can you start from the beginning about this company?” he asked, ignoring his drinks for now.
“Well, see, my niece is working at the clinic in Mercer and she might’ve mentioned that the company has lost a couple of their best nurses recently,” she began, clearly getting into the gossip now. “Apparently there’s a rumor that the people they’ve hired to replace those have been… well… there’s been talk of stealing and things like that….” She wrinkled her nose.
“The nurses are stealing from their clients?” Mark asked, already feeling protective of the Grahams.
“That’s a rumor, of course, but….”
“There’s often truth in rumors,” Francis said quietly. “You’re worried about your friends for a reason.”
“Yes, I agree with Francis, Pearl. People who tend to the elderly need to be trustworthy. Are they still using the same service?”
“I think they have some of their senior nurses alternating, but they need someone more regular. They don’t trust easily.”
“And they shouldn’t.” Francis looked at Mark. “You know this couple?”
“Yes. I think they need a live-in nurse, actually. I was going to tell you about them anyway, but Pearl here beat me to it.”
Pearl beamed at them. “You’re Doctor Donovan’s friend, right?” she asked Francis.
“Yes, I am. I’ve been around before. More while Marcus was still with us. I was Marcus’s friend first, and we met Padraig at college.”
“Oh, that’s lovely. We are all so happy for Doctor Donovan these days, for finding such a lovely artistic person like Kaos.”
Francis chuckled. “I think Kaos was exactly what Padraig needed without knowing it.”
“How about this, Pearl,” Mark said, before the conversation could get too far. “When you talk to the Grahams, tell them not to change services and to call the sheriff’s department if they feel unsafe if they’re given one of those new nurses. I’ll make sure they’ll get to meet Francis as soon as possible, all right?”
Pearl couldn’t have been more delighted. She glanced from Mark to Francis and her eyes widened slightly. “Well thank you so much, and I think I shall leave you boys to youreveningnow. I will call them tomorrow,” she said as she got out of the booth. “It is nice to have another capable healthcare person in town, and Doctor Donovan and Mark here both need friends.” She looked at Francis. “Have a goodevening.”
“You too.” Francis smiled at her, and Mark, blushing a little, murmured something similar after her as she bustled away. Once she was out of earshot, Francis chuckled. “I’ve never heard the word ‘evening’ used as a euphemism before.”
Mark, who had just taken a sip of his beer, coughed half of it out. “Warn a guy….”
Francis smirked. “Now where would be the fun in that?”
They talked about the Grahams’ situation for a while, and Mark told Francis what he could.
“To be honest, I already thought that if you didn’t have a job lined up when you got to town, I’d mention them to you. The whole town, let alone their daughter who lives elsewhere, would feel much safer if they had a live-in nurse or at least someone who would spend nights there if needed.”
“They have the space?” Francis asked, looking thoughtful.
“And then some. I can take you to meet them when I go do a welfare check the next time.” He thought for a moment and added, “I know Jason went today and the nurse who stops by three times a week goes tomorrow. Sundays are my extra day with them at the moment. If that’s something you’d like to do?” He suddenly realized he was planning over Francis’s head here, and who knew if Francis was even interested.
Noticing his doubts, Francis nodded. “Sounds good to me. I had a lead on a job in Woodruff, but I haven’t even called them yet. So this would be local and I could maybe get out of Padraig and Kaos’s hair for a few nights every week….” He shrugged, then sipped at his wine and settled more comfortably again.
His feet curled around Mark’s once more, and he felt the touch in his bones.
“So, you’ve moved to Acker completely?” Mark asked, something inside him wanting to know for sure before any additional steps were taken.
“Yes. I’ve gotten rid of most of my stuff, and what’s left is in storage in the Millers’ storage shed across the road. My lease has been settled, and I am trying to figure out whether to buy a place here somewhere or just mooch off Padraig and Kaos for the time being. But I guess we’ll see.” Francis shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal that he was in town. Where Mark also was. And there was something brewing between them.
“Well, the real estate market here isn’t exactly booming, so you might be able to find something pretty cheap, depending on your price range,” Mark stated, moving his hand to the tumbler instead of the beer bottle he’d almost completely drained
Francis hummed. Then he kept his tone casual and asked, “Are you sure you want to drink that? You can still drive, right?” and just like that, Mark trembled, and goosebumps ran from his feet, up to his legs, and higher and higher, until his scalp tingled.
Why?How?It wasn’t as if Francis had propositioned to blow him right then and there. His tone hadn’t been suggestive, either. How the fuck did he have such hold over Mark?
