Twenty-eight
The days that followed fell into a heady routine of work, family and Nick. It was strange how well he’d integrated into her family. Once she thought she’d found peace and contentment and that life had been perfect, then Nick had come along and now she wondered how anything before had ever felt right.
The incident, as it was now known, had been put to rest, but only after the awkwardness of it all had been tossed about for a few days in order to defuse the ugliness of what had initially followed. Savannah—with her usual brashness—had taken great delight in bringing it up at the table, turning it into something almost hilarious.
‘I’m going to head up for a shower now,’ Brittany said, as she got up from where they’d all been lounging around watching a movie after dinner. ‘Can you keep an ear out for Sophie in case she wakes up?’
‘Nick’ll be up in a few minutes to wash your back,’ Savannah called as her sister left the room. It was followed seconds later by a chuckle as Nick threw a cushion at her.
‘Funny,’ he muttered, but Jenny saw the small grin that tugged at his mouth.
‘I’m heading up too,’ Savannah said, blowing them a kiss as she went. The room was quiet once more.
‘Am I ever going to live that down?’ Nick murmured into Jenny’s hair as she sat tucked up against his side on the lounge.
‘Probably not.’
She heard him grunt and settled in closer. A wry smile touched her own lips as she replayed the last few days. Embarrassing moments in this house tended to always become in-jokes—had done ever since the kids were little.
Nick’s phone buzzed and he ignored it, until it sounded again and, with a muttered curse, he withdrew his arm from where it had been comfortably resting around Jenny’s back on the lounge and reached over to pick it up.
When he let out a small groan, Jenny eyed him warily. ‘That sounds like bad news.’
‘It is. My sister’s coming out here.’
‘When?’
‘Tomorrow.’
‘Is that such a bad thing? It might be nice to catch up with her,’ Jenny suggested, but one look at his scowl and she winced. Maybe not as nice as she thought.
‘I don’t imagine it’s that kind of visit. More than likely she’s just coming out to check on her investment—or more to the point, to criticise how I’m doing everything.’
‘I don’t see how she could criticise; you’re doing a great job.’
He sent her a smile, before it changed into something more like a grimace. ‘She’ll find something.’
‘Maybe just wait and see. She might surprise you this time.’
Nick gave a small chuckle before placing his phone back on the table. ‘Okay, Miss Positivity. We’ll wait and see.’
‘Why do I feel like you’re just humouring me now?’
‘I have no idea,’ he said, replacing his arm behind her and drawing her into his chest. ‘But I can’t wait till this movie finishes so we can go to bed.’
His voice dropping down an octave sent a small quiver of electricity through her. It was almost as seductive as when he whispered things in her ear in that gravelly, sexy tone that instantly turned her to jelly.
‘We don’t have to finish the movie,’ she suggested as his fingers traced patterns across her hip.
He looked down at her with a lazy, almost wolf-like grin. ‘I was hoping you’d say that.’
Somewhere behind the lust-induced haze in her brain, she realised this was Nick’s way of disengaging from any further discussion about his sister and her impending visit, but she figured she’d let it slide. There’d be plenty of time to talk later.
To say the day at work had been hectic would have been a drastic understatement. Not only were they short-staffed, but it seemed every resident in the nursing home had decided today would be a great time for a number of urgent doctor visits, which had resulted in two transfers to Hamwell hospital.Emergency had also been extra busy, which had further stretched resources.It has to be a full moon tonight, Jenny thought as she headed for her car. She’d just finished a long shift and was ready to fall into bed and sleep for a week. Only she couldn’t, because Nick had left a message that his sister had arrived, and he’d asked her to drop in on her way home.
She’d tried to delay the meeting until she’d at least showered, but he had sounded a little stressed—and that was something she’d never experienced with Nick before. Jenny glanced at herself in the rear-view mirror as she checked behind her before reversing.This is the perfect time to meet your boyfriend’s only living family member for the first time, she thought sarcastically.
She slid her sunglasses onto the top of her head as she walked inside the pub and waved as Cassie told her Nick was upstairs. With each step, her legs felt heavier. She eyed Nick’s bedroom door and wondered if maybe she could just sneak in there and close her eyes for a few minutes first, but Nick came out of the common room and any chance of a detour was suddenly out of the question.
