“That doesn’t even sound right.”
“And ‘Miss Elizabeth’ does?”
I just stared at him.
“Sometimes the girls have requests,” Brutus said as he placed the whiskey back. “Wasn’t sure if you had a suggestion from one of the girls.”
Fuck, what did Miss Elizabeth like to eat? Something easy. Something that’ll settle easy on her stomach, especially since her ribcage was still giving her a fuss.
“Something soupy, maybe?” I asked. “Easy on the digestive tract? Doesn’t produce a lot of gas?”
Brutus eyed me over the rim of his mug of whiskey. “Brothy, not a lot of fiber. Got it.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
A rare grin crooked his face. “Having dinner with Miss Liz tonight?”
“I’m sure you can just call her ‘Lizzie.’ I’ve been told that’s what she prefers.”
“Oh, so none of us can use your nickname for her?”
I was frustrated. “It’s not a?—”
His rumbling chuckle broke through my words. “You’re easy to ruffle, Doc. Gotta work on that.”
My face sank. “Just because I’m having dinner with Miss Elizabeth doesn’t mean anything is going on.”
He sipped his whiskey. “Never said anything was.”
“I feel like that’s what you’re insinuating.”
His grin stayed put. “Oh, you do now, huh?”
“Yeah, and I don’t appreciate it. She’s my patient. She relies on me for advice and guidance about her body. I take that very seriously.”
“Mhm.”
“Besides,” I said with a wave of my hand, “you know how you feel about everyone fucking all the time around here?”
That made his grin fall away as his nose wrinkled.
“Yeah,” I said with a nod of my head, “Miss Elizabeth is the same way. So I’m just going to get her out of the house for a couple of hours tonight while everything dies down.”
“Can I join?” Brutus asked.
I chuckled as I sipped my drink. I walked past him and patted him on the arm before I watched him down his entire drink.
“Mind if I have another?” he asked.
I had to hold back a bark of laughter. “Enjoy your evening.”
“Yeah, with headphones,” he grumbled.
I laughed as I slipped out of the kitchen.
But all too soon, my eyes searched for the nearest clock.
I had to get a fucking grip.
