“No,” she protested. “I have to finish my shift.”
“You’re sick.”
“Yes. You’ve already mentioned that, and I know I definitely feel it. But I need to push through.”
His eyes narrowed. “Would Dolly say that if I went in there and told her what you just said to me?”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
His mouth quirked up in the corner and she knew she was screwed.
“Hawk, I can’t go home. We’re already short staffed and my mom is counting on me today. Please… just don’t say anything to her.”
“Jess.”
She needed to think of something, quickly. “I’ll go to the clinic,” she blurted. “On my break. And if Jake says I need to go home, I will.”
He studied her face for a minute. Then he nodded. “How long until your break?”
“An hour… maybe two.”
“Do you want me to come back? I can drive you over?”
“I have my car.”
“That rust bucket isn’t safe to be driving.”
“Don’t you dare talk about Joey like that. She’s been so good to me.”
“And Lachlan should bring it into his shop and chop it into parts for the scrapyard.”
She’d had her car for almost a decade, and before that, it was her older brother Beau’s. But Joey still had some goodyears left in her, and Jess really couldn’t take the hit to her savings to replace her preferred mode of transportation. Living at home with her parents was bad enough at twenty-five… she couldn’t imagine how terrible it would be if she had to start bumming rides off of them too.
“Jess?”
“Yeah. Yup. Sorry.” She forced herself to look away from the gorgeous man standing in front of her. “I’ve got to get back inside.”
“The clinic. Will you send me a message after you go?”
She pushed off the wall and headed back to the door, her hand resting on the handle before she looked over her shoulder. “You got it, Chief.”
And with a wink for good measure, Jess left Hawk standing alone in the alley.
Three
Jessie tugged her jacket tighter around her chest as she stopped in front of the clinic. Guilt ate at her for leaving her mom to handle the lunchtime rush, but in true Dolly Ford fashion, she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Especially after Jessie mentioned getting sick. And although her mom wanted her to head right home, Jess knew she couldn’t do that.
Jake would be able to prescribe her something, and a quick trip to the pharmacy, and maybe even a nice little nap back in the office at the diner, would mean she’d be right as rain to run through closing.
Jessie pulled her cell from her pocket. Closing the diner meant telling her brother she wouldn’t be back in time to run through her ranch chores.
I’m closing the diner for Mom tonight.
Beau:
You’re telling me this because…
I need you to take care of Lucky and the littles. I won’t be back in time to give them their dinner.
