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I can’t help but laugh, even as I throw my middle finger in the air.
“Seriously, though, if you wait by the side of the house, I’ll be there in ten minutes to hose you off. You shouldn’t step inside our house like that.”
“You know what? Screw you and your brussels sprouts!” I holler as I push through the door.
* * *
I’m working my shampoo into a rich lather—the muscle ache from today’s labor already settling into my shoulders and arms—when the bathroom door creaks open. A moment later, Jonah is pushing the shower curtain open and stepping into the tub behind me.
“Need some help?” He doesn’t wait for my answer, gripping my hips to spin me around.
I revel in the feel of his touch as he massages my scalp with strong, skilled fingers.
“Marie called.”
My heart skips a beat, nervousness splicing through the moment of peace. “And?”
“He’s gonna survive.”
“Oh, thank God!” I fall against Jonah’s broad, bare chest, the soft blond hair tickling my cheek. I’m surprised with myself for feeling this much relief over an animal that isn’t mine, that I’m quite certain has been scaring me to death, lurking around for the past two months. “What about his leg?”
Jonah’s hands keep working, sliding all the way down to the ends of my strands. “Still attached. She doesn’t know how much use he’ll have of it, though. He’ll definitely have a limp forever.”
“She really is amazing,” I murmur, even as a troubling thought stirs. “Roy said he didn’t want a lame dog.”
Jonah snorts. “Roy’s full of shit. He called her office, like, thirty seconds after we left his place and demanded she do whatever is necessary to save him. No cost was too high. And when Marie called him back with the news, he thanked her.”
I feel my eyebrows pop as I try to consolidate that with the miserable old man we dealt with not that long ago. “He actually used the words?” He knows the words thank you?
“A few times. And then he asked when he’d be able to come get him.”
I shake my head. “What is that guy’s problem?” Teddy did warn me that, more times than not, we’d face the wrong side of Roy Donovan. But, to be that confrontational just because we want to run a charter plane business? It doesn’t make sense.
“I don’t know.” Jonah’s soapy hands smooth over my back. “But you did good today, Barbie.”
“I did do good. Muriel was about to shoot him.” The dog would be dead.
“She was doin’ what she thought was right. And if Marie hadn’t been there, it probably would have been the right thing to do.” Jonah gives my shoulder a squeeze, earning my whimper. “From workin’ outside?”
“Yeah. Muriel is not only an executioner, she’s a tyrant. I’m amazed she didn’t bring a whip with her.”
“It looks great back there. You did an incredible job.” Jonah gives my shoulders a soothing rub.
I wince, even though his hands feel like a masseuse’s touch. “It’s going to take way more ass-kissing to get me to plant your stupid brussels sprouts, Jonah.”
His chuckle fills the tiny bathroom, carrying over the running water. “Believe me, we haven’t even gotten to the ass-kissing part.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Hey … Calla.” Jonah’s voice stirs me from my slumber.
I crack a lid to find him standing over me. It takes a moment for me to register that he’s already dressed for outside, the collar of the navy-blue wool jacket I bought him for his birthday flipped up. It’s a sexy look, likely unintentional on his part. “You promised you wouldn’t work today.” Even groggy, my voice is heavy with disappointment. I was hoping for one full day with him this week.
“I’m not.” His rough fingers caress my temple, pushing my wayward hair back off my forehead. “We’re going out. Get dressed.”
“Where to?”
“Out.” An indecipherable look flashes across his face. “I’ve switched out the skis on Archie and wanna take him out for a spin so he’s ready for the season. He’s been sittin’ too long.”
