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“Oh, no. You’re fine. So, what’s the story with the wedding dress? At first I thought maybe it was some sort of costume. But that thing is legit, isn’t it? Or it was, at least.” She gives me a sad look as she lifts the torn hem.
“Well,” I say, suddenly certain this doctor will wind up telling the whole town anything I share with her. “It’s kind of a long story. But I pulled the old betrothal backout.”
“You’re a runaway bride?” she asks, eyebrows shooting up. “How exciting. Did you run away for Jesse Prince? Can’t say I blame you. I think every girl in Frosty Harbor has a special place in their heart for Jesse. Of course, he’s about as available as a statue. Well,” she pauses, tapping her chin. “I guess nobody would stop you from romancing a statue. He’s as available as a statue in a high security prison.”
“Why would they keep a statue in prison?” I ask slowly.
She narrows her eyes.
I realize I’m not sure I actually want the answer to that, so I cut her off. “But no. I just met him like half an hour ago. He’s my big brother’s teammate.”
“Mhm, mhm,” she says, looking in my ears. “Well, I’d say you’re all healthy, Miss Summers. That’s a pretty name. Miss Summers in Frosty Harbor. Makes you wonder what will win, your sunshine or our cold winter, doesn’t it? Your warm lady parts or Jesse’s cold manhood.”
I smile awkwardly. “Right. Makes you wonder!” I put a little false cheer into my voice, suddenly eager to be out of the room with this “doctor”.
“I’m sure you’re practically chomping at the bit to get out there and rejoin those rugged boys, huh?”
“Yep,” I say. “That’s me.”
She smiles and gestures to the door. “You’re good to go. No charge. Consider it a welcome to Frosty Harbor treat, on me.”
“Thank you.”
I don’t bother telling her if it wasn’t free, I’d have to ask if doctor’s offices have dishes I could wash to pay off my debt. I’ve never been really good at holding steady jobs, accumulating savings, or planning for my future. I like to think of myself as a “happy in the moment” kind of girl. If that means living in a crummy apartment or bunking with a friend for a little, so what? It’s all just part of life’s adventures. But life’s adventures don't really do a great job of paying for healthcare.
Jesse, Carter, and Liam are all waiting in the lobby for me. They look ridiculous in the chairs sized for normal people. All three guys are well over six feet tall, broad, and muscular.
Jesse bolts to his feet when I come out. “Well?” he asks. “Are you alright?”
I flash two thumbs up. “Healthy!”
It’s cute how relieved they all look, especially Jesse. They just met me, but it looks like they were all out here biting their nails while they waited to find out my condition.
“So,” I say. “Jake is going to be here tomorrow. I can handle hiding between some bookshelves for a night or something. I really don’t want to be any trouble for you guys.”
“No,” Jesse says. “We’re not going to have you sleeping on the floor in a library. No way. It’s not safe, for starters, and–”
I grin, glancing out the window at the picturesque little snowy mountain town. It looks straight out of a Hallmark movie. I bet if I walked outside right now and tilted my nose to the sky, a perfect little snowflake would land on my tongue and a cheery old man would ring a bell, because that’s exactly the kind of stuff that happens in places like this. “Dangerous town, huh?”
Liam grins and elbows Carter, who is watching Jesse with amusement. I think they’re both interested to see how he’s going to justify this.
“Well,” Jesse looks uncomfortable. “A few years back, there was a violent crime here.”
“Wasn’t it man on statue violence, though? That old guy was pissed they got his face wrong so he drove his car into the statue they put up for him?”
“What is it with this place and statues?” I ask no one in particular.
“Oh, statues are a big deal here,” Carter says. “It was one of the first things Jesse told us about when he showed us around. Anybody who’s anybody eventually gets a statue. Honestly, if you don’t get a statue around here, you’re kind of a failure at life.”
I narrow my eyes. “Really?”
“Really,” Jesse says, sounding impatient. “But I’m not going to leave you on your own when I have a perfectly good cabin you can rest at. You just had a car accident. Even if you have a clean bill of health, you should be somewhere comfortable.”
“Where?” Carter asks, grinning wide. “Like your water bed?”
“If she wants,” he says, shrugging.
“Uh, I–” I start to stammer as my mind fills with an image of me snuggling up to Jesse tonight. Nope, nope, nope. Bad mind.
