“Of course,” I said.
He offered a soft smile and rolled back over. Laura dug in with her other hand and pulled out a few pieces of candy. None of us stopped her. At this point, I was content to give her whatever the fuck she wanted after this nightmare.
Dr. Jacobs looked over at Evie. She leaned against the wall next to Avery, her blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun. All three of us had a little bit of blood on our clothes, but somehow she still looked chic.
Dr.Hotnesscouldn’t take his eyes off Evie as he stood up and started righting everything in the room. “We’ll get everything squared up and out of here. Laura should rest this evening, and so should all of you after today’s events.”
Hot. Smart. Caring. I gave Evie a pointed look, then smoothed down Laura’s hair as she leaned back into me.
“We’ll be doing a movie night. How does that sound?” I asked her.
Laura nodded as I opened a small pack of M&M’s for her. “Has my dad texted?” she asked.
I’d texted him about fifty times and had yet to hear back. I checked my phone briefly, and swallowed hard. Still no answer.
“I’m sure his phone is just on do not disturb for work.” It was a lame fucking excuse. I really fucking needed Laura’s insurance card. “I’ll be right back, okay? Avery and Evie will stay with you and help you open candy.”
“Okay.”
Avery and I switched spots. I stepped out of the small room and felt all of the emotions I’d been keeping in check rush through me.
Dr. Jacobs lingered in the hall with me. “You’re doing good, June. She’ll be okay. Kids always bounce back. They’re almost invincible at this age.”
“Yeah.” I slumped against the wall, trying to keep my tears in check. “I need to get a hold of her dad.”
“Ethan, right?” he asked.
Perks and downfalls of being in a small town. I nodded. “Yeah. I haven’t heard back from him yet. I don’t know what to do.”
He grimaced. “I think he’ll need to be the one to get her signed out since he’s the parent. Unless you’re also a legal guardian?”
“I’m not.” I should have been at this point.
He nodded slowly, rocking on his heels. “I’m sorry. I have a younger brother that stresses me out like this too sometimes. It can be a lot.”
“How’d you know he’s younger?” I chuckled.
“I know a stressed eldest child when I see one.”
Ouch. Well, so much for keeping the mask on. My head bumped against the wall and I swallowed hard. “It’s tough. Thank you for being so good with Laura. You didn’t need to be the one to come do this, I’m sure you’re busy.”
“Thankfully a town this small doesn’t have too much going on most of the time,” he said. “And I’d do anything to get Evie’s attention.”
I grinned. So, I’d been right about the chemistry there. He definitely had a thing for Evie. “Well, I’ll see what I can do in that department as one of her best friends.”
Dr. Jacobs beamed. “Wouldn’t say no to the help. Let me know if you need anything else. Hopefully I won’t see you here again.”
“Hopefully not. If you ever need flowers, stop by my shop.”
“Does Evie like flowers?”
“She likes back massages.”
His brows show up as a head poked around the corner of the doorway. He slid his hands behind his back as if he’d been caught.
Avery winced. “Laura is still asking about Ethan.”
Fuck. “Okay. Let me call him again.”
