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Laurel wasn’t enthusiastic about visiting with virtual strangers during that little break, but she didn’t want to seem churlish. As she had pointed out, it was thoughtful of Jackson’s co-workers to stop by. If he wanted her to thank them with him, she supposed it wouldn’t hurt to do so. After all, she reminded herself wryly, she and Jackson had agreed to work harder at being a team.
She didn’t like leaving Tyler alone in the ICU even for a short time. She almost changed her mind at the door, but Jackson took her arm and led her out. “We’ll be right back,” he promised her.
It wasn’t overly reassuring to be towed out of the unit by the man who had just warned her about every bad thing that could happen in a hospital.
Six
Jackson had to swallow a groan when he saw who was waiting for him. He’d expected to find a couple of guys from his crew, most likely Joe and
Luke, his two best friends from work. Joe and Luke were there, all right, but they weren’t alone. Chandra Shoemaker, the boss’s secretary, had come along for the visit.
Feeling Laurel stiffen the moment she caught sight of the visitors, Jackson didn’t have to guess which one had set her back up. Laurel had never liked Chandra.
The two women had met only a few times, at the annual company picnics and Christmas parties, which were the few events Laurel had attended. She usually used work or Tyler as an excuse not to go with him to his social functions.
Though she had never put her feelings into so many words, he suspected that she thought Chandra had something going for him. Okay, maybe she wouldn’t have been completely wrong. Chandra was a compulsive flirt, and he doubted that she was all talk when it came to her conquests. He wasn’t oblivious to the fact that she would have been available to him had he chosen to take her up on her half-teasing advances.
Heck, maybe he’d even flirted a little in return. After all, a man’s ego needed an occasional boost, and he sure as hell didn’t get that from Laurel. But cheat on his wife? No. That wasn’t the way he had been raised.
A real man honored his commitments, Carl had said too many times to count, and Jackson had made a commitment to be a faithful husband. If Laurel didn’t understand what that meant to him, well, then, he really was a stranger to her.
“Hey, guys,” he said with a falsely bright smile, giving another slight tug on Laurel’s arm to move her forward. “Nice of you all to come by.”
“How’s your boy?” Joe asked with genuine concern on his weathered face. “He doing okay?”
“He’s still sedated, but everything looks promising so far.” Jackson pushed a hand through his hair. “We’re hoping they get him breathing on his own in the next few hours so they can take him off the ventilator.”
“This must have been a rough day for the two of you.” Shy Luke glanced quickly at Laurel before turning his dark eyes back to Jackson’s face. “Anything we can do for you?”
“No, but thank you for offering.”
Chandra stepped forward to take Jackson’s hand. “Are you sure there’s nothing we can do? We’re here for you if you need anything at all, you know.”
He patted her hand, then quickly released it, moving subtly closer to Laurel at the same time. “We’re doing okay, aren’t we, Laurel?”
“Yes, we’re fine.” Her voice warmed just a bit when she added to the men, “But we really do appreciate you stopping by to offer your support.”
Luke flushed a little, as he always did when he felt self-conscious. Joe cleared his throat. “Thing is, we have a little something for the two of you.”
He held out a slightly crumpled white envelope. “Some of the guys at work took up a collection for you. We’ve all had family members in the hospital at one time or another and we know how expensive it can be. You know, eating in the cafeteria and paying for parking and all. Maybe this will help a little.”
Jackson’s pride cringed at the thought of taking the offering, but he knew it would hurt his co-workers if he refused. How many times had he dug in his pocket for a contribution to something just like this? It had always made him feel good to help out his friends when he could. He supposed the others felt the same way.
“That’s really nice of you guys,” he said awkwardly. “And women,” he added with a glance at Chandra. There were women on the crews, of course. It was just habit to refer to everyone as “the guys.”
“It was very kind,” Laurel agreed, her warm smile making Joe’s flush deepen. “Please thank everyone for us.”
Joe shrugged, looking pleased with their response to the gift, as though he hadn’t been quite sure how Jackson would react. “Just try not to spend it all on cafeteria food. As good as the food here is, that stuff gets old fast.”
“Don’t I know it.” Eager to put the awkward moment behind them, Jackson stuffed the envelope in his back pocket. “So how’d everything go at the site today? Did that shipment ever come in?”
“I’ll let you stay and talk shop with your friends,” Laurel said before anyone could answer. “I really should get back to Tyler now.”
“You should try to get some rest, Laurel,” Chandra said. “You look really tired.”
Laurel’s smile glittered just a bit. “I’ll do my best.”
Taking her leave of the men, she turned and left the waiting room, her steps unhurried, her head held high.
