“Why aren’t you answering your phone?” Shoes squeaked on the linoleum floor seconds before my sister rounded the corner. She froze when she saw us, eyes going wide. “What the…”
Alex stepped away before I could stop him.
“Hey, Bri,” I said through a yawn.
Alex didn’t stick around long enough for me to introduce him. After slipping some shoes and a coat on, he stepped out through the back door with the dogs, mumbling something about taking them outside to go potty. It was pitch black outside, but at least I didn’t hear the sound of rain anymore.
“Who is that?”
“Alex. The guy I told you about, the one who’s been helping out around the clinic.”
Bri’s brows shot to her hairline. “He’sthe one living in the loft?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes. Don’t act so shocked.”
She tossed her purse onto the chair. “Sorry, it’s just… Vaughn, are you really sure about this? That’s why I’m here actually. The more I think about it, the less comfortable I am with some homeless guy living above your clinic.”
I ignored her and went to the kitchen, glancing out the window as I did. Alex was standing on the patio, hands shoved deep in his pockets as he waited for the dogs to do their business. I could see his breath coming out in cloudy, white puffs and worried that he didn’t have his coat on.
“Mind telling me what’s going on?” Bri asked coldly.
“Mind telling me what you’re doing here? It’s nearly ten at night, Bri.”
“I just got off work. And like I said, I’ve been thinking about the guy a lot and—”
I cut her off. “Well, you can stop. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Bri was clearly in one of her moods, judging by the defensive tone, which meant anything I’d say would likely just fall on deaf ears anyway.
She came around the counter to stand beside me, reminding me of Mom with all the worry and concern etched in her features. “Didn’t you say he’s only been here a few weeks? You barely know him.”
I suppressed a yawn, too tired to get into the debate of what it meant to know someone. Whether Bri believed me or not, I did know Alex. Enough anyway. I knew he preferred his coffee black, had a weakness for grilled cheese sandwiches, and that he protected his heart more than anyone I knew. But that heart was also one of the kindest ones I’d ever known, and it was starting to trust me.
I reached for an orange and dug a nail into the skin to start peeling it. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“Well, what about Trinity?”
I gave her a blank look. “What about her?”
“I thought you guys connected the other night.”
“Got along, maybe. Connected? Not really.”
“But you could, if you gave her a chance.”
I sighed. I honestly understood Bri’s concern, but the spark she wanted me to feel with Trinity, I’d felt with Alex instead, every time we were together.
Before she could say anything else, the back door opened. Noel bounded up to Bri, rubbing against her leg for attention, but my eyes were fixed on Alex. There was a line of worry between his brows and when he set Roxy down, the pug hobbled uncomfortably to the living room, obviously in pain.
“What happened?” I asked.
“She hurt her leg when she fell off my lap,” he explained.
I went to her and lifted her gently to get a better look. She didn’t whine or show any signs of aggression when I moved her leg, but when I touched her front paw, she yanked it out of my hold. “It’s not the fractured one,” I said. “It’s the front paw. She must have put too much weight on it when she fell.”
“But she’s not letting her hurt one touch the ground either.”
I frowned and looked again, realizing he was right. She was trying to tug her injured leg away when I held it. “Well, let’s keep an eye on it, and if she keeps limping, we’ll do another X-ray.”
