“You work too hard, June.”
He said that every time she said work was busy.Sometimes she felt like it, but she loved her job and helping others as she had been helped.It was very rewarding.She also felt the need to make up for all the years she’d sat on her butt doing nothing but feeling sorry for herself.
“Well, I have the weekend off.”It wasn’t much, but the two days to recoup helped.Candice, the PT on vacation, would be coming back in two weeks.June just had to get through the next few weeks and then her workload would go back to normal.
“Good, you know, maybe if you had a man in your life, you wouldn’t work so hard.”He said that every time too.June didn’t know what one had to do with the other.“James is off tomorrow.Maybe you two could do something fun together like go to a movie.”
June looked around for Rob but didn’t see him.She hadn’t even heard the door chime.Maybe he was still out in his car or something.“Oh, well, unfortunately I already have plans tomorrow.My boyfriend and I are going hiking.”
“Boyfriend?”Mr.Harrow blinked at her, shocked.“I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”
She wasn’t.It had just popped out.June looked around again for Rob, hoping he wasn’t nearby when she used him as her scapegoat.“Yes, it’s rather new.Only a week or so.We met through the clinic and hit it off.”
“Where is he?”Mr.Harrow looked skeptical and rightly so.June was a homebody and never went anywhere except work and for Friday night drinks with her friends.It didn’t leave much room to meet people.
“Where is he?”She hadn’t expected him to ask her that question.“Well, he’s here in the store helping me shop.”Her words trailed off by the end.She hoped Rob was nowhere around to hear her using him as an excuse.
“There you are,” Rob said, coming up behind them.June jumped about a foot and felt her face flame.So much for the hope he hadn’t been nearby.“I was looking all over for you.”
“You found me,” she said more loudly than was necessary.This was awkward.More awkward than Mr.Harrow trying to set her up with his son.“Rob, this is Mr.Harrow the owner of the store.”She made the introductions, praying for a small miracle he hadn’t heard the boyfriend part.
“Hi, Rob Shaw.”He greeted Mr.Harrow holding his hand out for him to shake.
Mr.Harrow took it, a smile forming on his face.“Nice to meet you, young man.”June stifled a laugh.It had become a joke, her calling Rob an old man.He must be getting a kick out of being called a young man.
Rob smirked down at her.“I got the noodles, sweetheart.”He held up the box of lasagna noodles, took the cart from her limp arm, and slid it over his while placing the noodles inside.
June was sure her face had turned beet red.Oh lord, Rob had heard her call him her boyfriend.She was going to die of embarrassment.Could the earth form a hole for her to crawl into?If she had known he was close by, she never would have said she had a boyfriend.She honestly didn’t know why she did to begin with.
“I’m glad to see June finally have someone in her life,” Mr.Harrow remarked, not seeming to sense her distress.
“I feel very lucky to have June in my life, sir.”Rob wrapped his arm around her waist.If June weren’t so embarrassed right now, she would savor this moment more.“Do you have everything you need, babe?”
Be still her heart.If he kept up with all these nicknames, she would perish.No one had ever given her a pet name except her brother.June bug.It wasn’t a flattering nickname, but to be called sweetheart and babe by the man you wanted to date would melt any girl’s heart along with other parts of her body.
“Ye—yes,” she managed to stutter out.“I do.”She allowed Rob to escort her to the counter.She started to pull out her wallet, but Rob beat her to it.She would have argued, but she didn’t want to cause a scene in front of Mr.Harrow.
“Have a good evening,” he said as they left.
“Thank you,” she called over her shoulder, ready to escape this place and the past five minutes.
June walked out first and slammed into a wall of muscle.She tried to back pedal, but two arms reached out and grabbed her arms.“Where are you off in such a hurry, gimpy?”It was one of the guys from the corner.June had forgotten about them.
“Let me go,” she demanded evenly as she widened her stance.She knew Rob was behind her somewhere, but she was confident enough that she could take him on alone.
“Let’s have some fun.”Two other men appeared; Rob hadn’t trained for her multiple attackers.
“Release her.”June felt Rob come up behind her before she heard him speak.The guys looked up at him and instantly lost their grins and took off running.“You okay?”
No, she wasn’t.It wasn’t just because of her would-be attackers.She was mortified about what had happened inside.
“I’m fine, thank you.”June started walking until she was at her car.Her mind scrambled for any excuse about why she had told Mr.Harrow that Rob was her boyfriend.It was sweet that Rob had gone along with it, but she didn’t want him to think she was telling everyone they were dating.
“June.”He came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder to turn her to face him.“Are you sure you’re okay?After what happened before—” With Troy, he left unfinished.
“I’m fine; I stayed calm.I was prepared to defend myself against the one guy.I hesitated when there were three though.We never covered that.”
“It wasn’t something I’d thought about,” he admitted, looking grim.
