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She was not a nanny.
She was not a house mouse.
She had a career she loved, even when it was heartbreaking. Though, it always seemed to be heartbreaking. Even so, at the end, she was truly appreciated by the patient and their loved ones.
She tried to be a little bit of light during a very dark time. Just like Maggie had been a shining light during Walt’s.
Her cursor landed on an email from a private hospice organization that specialized in home hospice care. Their closest office was in Williamsport, which was only about an hour away.
She opened the email to see the offer for an interview. Since it was in driving distance, it would be in person, unlike some of the virtual interviews she’d done recently.
Her heart began to beat faster when she realized they wanted to do it in only three days. She needed to prepare and put her best foot forward. She’d take Teddy up on his offer of a wash and trim and head over to Lottie’s to iron her dress slacks and a blouse.
She had crossed her fingers and toes for this job when she’d emailed her resume. It was close enough to Manning Grove to do a day visit with Lottie and the rest of her family, but not close enough to constantly stir up bad memories.
She pressed her fingers to her lips because she wanted to squeal with excitement but Dyna was napping in her bouncer on the floor next to where Jemma sat at the kitchen counter with her laptop.
She glanced down at the baby.
Fuck.
She’d be gone for hours and Cage would need to find someone to watch his daughter, or he’d have to take off from work to stay with her himself.
She needed to let him know right away. She also needed to make an appointment with Teddy as soon as possible. She’d call the hairdresser first thing in the morning, since she was sure his salon would be closed at this late hour.
Cage had already come home from work, but wasn’t in the trailer. He asked if she’d mind watching Dyna while he went to the shed to work out for a half hour or so, since he hadn’t been able to do so for the last six-plus weeks.
She agreed only if he allowed her to check his ribs before he did. She had held her breath as she ran her fingers over his bare skin, testing for any soreness or pain.
He claimed he had none.
“Just don’t do anything stupid. Take it easy,” she ordered as he walked out of the trailer wearing only long, loose nylon shorts and an actual pair of sneakers. She had wondered if any of the brothers owned anything other than biker boots. Now she knew.
She closed her laptop and slid her feet into her flip flops, gently scooped up Dyna and groaned softly at how heavy she had become. She had to have put on at least four pounds since Jemma had come back to Manning Grove, but then, she ate like crazy and pooped as much, too. They were flying through the diapers.
She did a quick diaper check before heading out of the trailer and across the grass. She hoped to get to the shed and back before Dyna woke and demanded her next meal.
The shed that had been converted into a mini-gym wasn’t far. It actually was closer to the trailer than The Barn. She had explored it one day with Dyna when she was bored. It wasn’t anything fancy. It didn’t have any cardio equipment, like treadmills and stair-steppers, but had free weights, some weight benches, a speed bag and some heavy bags. Just the basics.
What the guys would consider “manly” gym equipment.
As she got closer, she heard Enter Sandman by Metallica blasting and wondered if Cage was alone.
She glanced down at Dyna in her arms. Somebody would be awake soon from the loud music if she continued.
Good. Then it would be on Cage to take over her care for the evening if Metallica woke her up and she began to fuss.
She hesitated outside the propped open door to the shed, took a bolstering deep inhale and walked inside.
Dyna immediately awoke in her arms, but she didn’t start crying... yet. She’d eaten not long ago, so her belly was full. Luckily, for the most part, she was an easy baby. Thank fuck.
Jemma’s eyes skimmed the shed, which was much smaller than the one the guys parked their sleds in. She was searching for the radio to turn it down, but her gaze locked on Cage first.
His bare, tattooed back was turned toward her and his skin glistened with sweat. A rolled bandana around his forehead held his hair back from his face, but, from what she could see, beads of sweat still slid down his temples. His loose, light gray shorts were soaked at the small of his back and the silky fabric clung to his ass cheeks like a second skin.
