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"Morning," I murmured.
"Late night?" Jett asked as his eyes lingered on the fingers that were still smoothing over my shirt. His gaze shifted to my apartment. I swore I saw a flash of anger, but I knew that couldn't be right so I merely nodded my head.
"Yeah." I glanced at his temple and saw that my stitches were gone. "You got them taken out," I observed. The healer in me couldn't resist stepping forward to examine the injury more closely. It'd healed nicely and whatever scar he'd end up with would be barely noticeable in the future. I automatically stepped around him to check the wound on the back of his neck and was surprised to see that those stitches were still in place. Before I realized what I was doing, I reached out to touch him there. "These weren’t taken out?" I asked.
"Couldn't see them, and seeing as how I promised Maddox I wouldn't off myself for at least thirty days, I figured I shouldn’t go poking around my neck with any sharp objects."
So many things to take in from just that one statement. I started with, "You took them out yourself?"
Jett nodded.
"Why didn't you have a doctor do it?" I asked. It was then that I realized I was still touching the back of his neck. I dropped my hand and stepped around him so I could look him in the eye.
"Tried," he said as his eyes met mine. "But he took off on me before I could even ask him." When he held my gaze, I realized he was talking about me. I thought back to the day in the barn when he'd grabbed my hand. Good Lord, had he only done that so he could ask me to take his stitches out?
Of course he did, Sawyer. What did you think? That he was interested in something else with you?
Marcus's condemnation rang loud and clear in my ear. I shook my head in the hopes that I could somehow shake his voice away in the process.
"Why didn't you go see a real doctor?" I asked.
"You are a real doctor," he responded simply.
"You didn't seem to think so a week ago," I reminded him.
He actually dropped his eyes for a moment, and I instantly felt bad for risking the strange sense of peace we’d been momentarily experiencing. "What did you mean you promised Maddox you wouldn't off yourself?" I asked carefully. It wasn't the best topic for a subject change, but he'd piqued my curiosity.
Jett sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Where have you been all week?"
The question caught me off guard. "What?"
"You’re living here temporarily, right?" Jett said. His eyes shifted to the apartment above the garage. "I overheard Isaac and Maddox talking about you moving back to your place when the renovations are done. Neither of them seemed real happy about it."
"There's a certain convenience factor in having a vet on-site," I responded.
Jett's eyes pinned me. Hard. "You don't believe that," he said.
I didn't like that he could read me so well. I also didn't like the fact that I'd reverted to my old behavior of trying to find some reason for someone wanting me around. It was proof that Marcus was still very much in my head. I automatically reached my hand up to check the buttons on my shirt before remembering I wasn’t wearing one with buttons. I purposely only owned one shirt with buttons and that was only for situations where I had to wear something more formal.
Do up your shirt, Sawyer. You're not in the trailer park anymore.
"No," I murmured, though I wasn't sure if I was responding to Marcus's silent order or Jett's observation.
"No what?" Jett asked.
"No, I don't believe it. I think they like having me around," I conceded. Before he could question me any further about my strange reaction, I said, "What did you mean that you promised Maddox?"
Jett reached down and began fiddling with one of the wheels on his chair. The nervous gesture seemed out of place for someone like him. It reminded me of the day I'd knocked him over. While I'd mostly only interacted with the angry, sharp-tongued Jett, he'd nearly had a panic attack that day. It was proof that there were many facets to the man besides the ones he wanted others to see.
"We've come to an understanding," Jett began. "So for the next thirty days, Doc, I'm going to be all sorts of agreeable."
He almost smiled. Not quite, but I could see a hint of humor in his eyes. I found a smile tugging at my own lips. "But you've already been such a bright ray of sunshine," I joked. "I guess Jerry gets to hang on to his crown for a little while longer."
This time the man actually laughed. Okay, not laughed, but chuckled. It did even crazier things to my insides than the hungry look had a few minutes earlier. I had no clue what had sparked the emergence of this new side of him, but I certainly wasn't going to argue with it. After a moment, Jett sobered as his eyes fell to my arm. "How is it?" he asked.
