And then Lynn slipped inside—light on her feet, like a breeze.
White coat, ID badge, hair pinned back.
My girl, Jasper thought. My pride.
He still sometimes couldn’t believe he had a daughter this grown. Being a young father had its advantages, after all.
She was still in college, but worked part-time at the clinic’s reception desk. Soon she’d be an intern. And eventually—if she wanted—he’d hand her not just knowledge, but an empire.
“Dad—” She stopped short when she noticed Nolan.
Almost instantly she straightened, cleared her throat, shifting into her professional posture.
“Dr. Garth,” she said formally.“I brought the lab results you requested. The system should be back online within thirty minutes—the malware attack affected everything.”
She stepped forward and placed the folder neatly on his desk.
When Jasper lifted his gaze to thank her, he saw the flush on her cheeks. Soft pink. Completely out of place.
He narrowed his eyes.
His gaze drifted to Nolan—and instantly he didn’t like what he saw.
Nolan reclined in the chair, openly assessing her. Not leering, but looking. Evaluating. The way a man looked at a woman, not a kid. And Lynn was doing her best to pretend she didn’t notice him at all.
Nothing overt. Nothing anyone else would’ve caught.
But Jasper felt every instinct sharpen to a deadly point.
“Thank you, Lynn. You can go,” he said, icy calm.
She nodded quickly, offered a polite goodbye, and slipped out.
Jasper waited until the door closed. Then he turned to Nolan.
“Don’t even think about it.”
His voice was arctic. Nolan lifted both hands, feigning innocence.
“What? I didn’t say a word.”
“You didn’t need to. You thought it.”
Nolan’s grin stretched wider.
“Maybe I was just appreciating a promising young employee?”
Jasper’s jaw clenched.
“You’re here for a consultation, not to stare at my daughter.”
Every muscle in his body went tight. Anything involving Lynn always flipped a switch in him—instinctive, territorial, absolute.
Nolan leaned forward, not looking remotely apologetic.
“Relax, doc. Message received.”
But Jasper knew him too well to relax.
