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“You want to help design a clubhouse?” Hex asks her with a grin. “No powder rooms.”
Shayna sticks her tongue out at her brother, making me laugh.
“I have a lot of ideas. You’ll love them. I promise. I can draw them up and share them with you?”
Hex eyes her suspiciously, but he must see that she’s serious. He gives her a slow nod. “You can bring some ideas, but keep in mind these guys don’t want girly shit. Don’t make it too fancy or too expensive. Our guys don’t tear up shit in here because they’re the ones who helped fix everything up. Guys coming to visit won’t care about keeping the place intact.”
“I know,” Shayna says. “That’s why I think we should go with Louisiana rustic. Make it look like a shack in the bayou, but make it more comfortable.”
“Okay, I want to see that. Bring me your ideas and we can go over them in Church,” Hex says. Shayna claps her hands and beams at Hex.
“Where’s Jack? He needs to call his brother right now,” Shayna says, glancing around the room.
“He’s on guard duty,” Hex says.
“Speaking of which, I need to head out,” Pirate says, standing up with his empty plate in his hand. “I’ll start the search for your friends,” he tells Olivia, who gives him a grateful smile.
“Tell Levi to come back inside and do the dishes,” Hex tells Pirate, who waves his acknowledgment.
“I need to check your bandage,” Lake says to Dixie.
I frown at the reminder, but get up to follow them. “I want to watch so I can help take care of him.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: DIXIE
I don’t want Delphine to see the brand again, but there is no stopping her from following us into the infirmary. Lake gestures for me to remove my shirt, which I do, albeit reluctantly. Cringing when I hear Delphine suck in a breath. I study her face and see what I expect to see. Compassion with a hint of anger. I hop onto the exam bed, which Lake has lowered. Olivia places a silver tray holding bandages, scissors, and a tube of ointment within easy reach for Lake.
As Lake removes the bandage, I keep the hiss to a whisper. Delphine’s narrowed eyes tell me she still heard me. So, I focus on distracting her.
“Since you want to play nurse, how about a sponge bath?” I ask, giving Delphine my cockiest grin.
Delphine smirks at me while Lake chuckles.
“No? How about some help in the shower?” I press, bouncing my eyebrows. Her response is an eye roll.
“If you take a shower, keep it a cold one. Cover the bandage with cling wrap,” Lake orders, as he shows Delphine how to apply the ointment and then redress the burn. “Keep the bandage loose. You only want to cover the area to keep it clean. I can add the cling wrap now, if you were planning on taking a shower right away.”
I nod at him to continue before glancing over at Delphine. She’s not looking at me, but studying Olivia. I look over and see that the other woman seems unaware of the rest of us. She looks like she’s sleepwalking through her steps as she cleans up after Lake.
“You alright, Olivia?” I ask her.
She startles before offering me a small smile. “I’m okay. Just distracted.” She hands a roll of bandages and a tube of ointment to Delphine. Delphine takes the items before squeezing Olivia’s hand.
“Pirate will come through,” she assures her.
Olivia nods her head. “I know. I just can’t help but think something bad happened to them.”
“How well did you know them?” I ask her. “Were they the type to take off?”
“I worked with Dr. Carver for only a few months before she transferred to Tulane. She’d been dating another doctor and wanted to distance herself from him after they broke up,” Olivia supplies before frowning. “I forgot. Talia dated him, too. The same doctor that Dr. Carver dated.”
“Could he have hurt either of them?” Lake asks. “Maybe they upset him by breaking things off. Some guys can’t handle the rejection.”
Olivia snorts. “Not this guy. Dr. Anton Calder. He thinks he’s too good for one woman. Most of the women he dates dump him when they realize he will never be monogamous. Fortunately for him, there is no shortage of women who don’t mind sharing.”
“Tell Pirate to check out this guy, too,” I suggest as I shrug on my search. “He’s busy right now, but he’ll follow through.”
She nods before carrying away the tray. Lake follows her while Delphine and I slip out of the infirmary and head upstairs to my room.
