Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Reed cocks an eyebrow at his friend, and damn, that’s sexy. Even sexier when he tells Marek, “I suggest you get your arm off my girl before I break it.”
Marek, of course, just laughs and pulls me into his side. “She wouldn’t be your girl if I put the slightest bit of effort into her. I could take her away from you in a heartbeat.”
A tiny flash of heat mixed with amusement flickers in Reed’s eyes. But he doesn’t challenge Marek with any return ribbing. Instead, he says, “You couldn’t handle Josie. She’d turn you inside out and twist you all around. I know this for a fact, and it takes a real man to accept and appreciate that.”
Wow. Just wow. I do that to Reed?
Before Marek can respond, someone’s calling my name.
I pull out of Marek’s grasp and lean to look past Reed to the hub. It’s one of the nurses. “X rays are complete on exam room four.”
“Be right there,” I tell him. I reach a hand out and touch Reed’s forearm. “Let’s just stay in tonight, okay? Pizza and beer.”
“And bed,” he adds with a wink.
“Pizza and beer in the bed,” I clarify with a grin as I walk toward the exam room.
“Sounds perfect.”
Yes, it does.
Chapter 21
Reed
I tighten the stem that sits on top of the O-ring with my wrench before screwing the faucet handle back on. Reaching under the sink, I turn on the water and then give the faucet a go. After the cold water runs for a few moments, I turn it off and watch it carefully.
Not a single damn drip comes out, and I want to give myself a high five. Josie will be beside herself I fixed it for her, and I expect she’ll reward me appropriately. Snickering to myself as I imagine all the ways she might be thankful, I squat down to replace all of the bottles and girlie stuff I’d pulled out from under her sink so I could turn off the water.
Just as I’m standing, the doorbell rights. I shut the cabinet drawer and make my way out of the guest bathroom, through the living room, and to the front door.
When I open it, I’m surprised to see Aiden standing there. I can tell by the look on his face that he’s not surprised to find me in Josie’s home.
“Hey,” he says casually, and holds up a CD in a plastic case. “I’m just dropping more medical charts off for Josie to review. I’d texted her last night that I’d be in the area and she said that was fine.”
“She’s not here,” I say as I reach out for the CD. “Got called into the hospital.”
Aiden hands it over with an easy smile. “Cool. Tell her there’s no rush on that.”
I hold the case up and wave it. “No rush. Got it.”
A part of me wonders if this is a ploy of his, to see Josie at an unplanned time. A way to spend time with her that makes it seem like business but it’s really not because he just happened to be in this area. But there’s also a part of me that thinks this guy is genuine, and he’s just working on a project with Josie. He’s not given me one single thing to make me think he’s being dishonest in his intentions.
Bottom line, I guess I’ll never know, and honestly, it doesn’t matter. She’s with me and not him. She’s not looking to be with him, and by all accounts, he seems like an all right dude. You know, outside of breaking Josie’s heart once, but that worked out well for me, didn’t it?
Aiden throws a hand up in a wave and turns to the porch steps. I start to close the door, but then he turns suddenly. He tilts his head as if appraising me and asks, “Hey…do you golf?”
“Huh?”
“I’m going to get a round of golf in. Want to come with me? I’m a member over at Brier Creek.”
While I’m clearly surprised by the offer to hang out, I’m also a little amped. I love to golf, even though I’m pretty bad at it, and I’ve got nothing else planned today since Josie got called into the hospital unexpectedly.
“Yeah…sure,” I respond as I set the CD on the foyer table. “Sounds like fun.”
I lock Josie’s house and follow Aiden down to the porch steps. “Let me pop over to my house and grab my stuff.”
“I’ll drive,” he says as he rounds the front of a small economy car. “Then I’ll just bring you back.”
After I get my clubs and shoes loaded, and we’re on the road for the short drive over the country club, Aiden starts up casual chatter.
“Too bad Josie got called in,” he says as he maneuvers through lunchtime traffic. “She loves golfing.”