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“Yeah, and he’s a really nice guy—too nice, I guess,” she said. “I hate that he’s had to go through everything that he has, but he’s slowly getting back on his feet.”
Stone hopped over to his recliner and sat down, letting out a loud groan from just how good it felt to sit down. “It feels so good to be home,” he moaned. Jo dropped the bags in the corner and he looked her over. “I think that you take care of everyone around you, but who takes care of you?” Stone asked. It was a private question, but he just couldn’t seem to help himself. There was something that seemed to draw Stone to Jolene. He couldn’t explain it, but he liked her, even if he hadn’t known her very long.
“I manage,” she said. “I’m kind of a loner myself. I like taking care of people, so it’s easy for me.”
“Well, if it counts for anything, I appreciate you agreeing to stay here and take care of me,” he said. Stone was feeling a little bit loopy from the pain meds that he had been given just before his release from the hospital. “Sorry, I’m just being sappy. I think that my pain meds are kicking in.”
“You don’t sound sappy at all,” she said, “it’s nice of you to say that. It means a lot. I think we’ll save therapy for later, when you’re not so loopy. Let’s get you upstairs and you can take a nap.”
“Upstairs,” he repeated, “I’ll be fine here in my recliner.”
“No, you won’t,” she insisted. “That thing isn’t good for your back or your leg. You need to lay down in your bed with your leg propped up on a few pillows,” she said. It did sound like heaven; finally sleeping in his bed again, but he had no idea how he’d get up and down the stairs daily to get to his bed.
“It sounds great, but that’s a lot of work,” he said.
“I know it is but think about how nice it will be to stretch out in your own bed,” she said. It was as if she was reading his mind and using it against him.
“I’d really love to sleep in my own bed,” he admitted out loud.
“Great, then let’s work on those steps. I’ll teach you a trick on getting up them with your crutches,” she promised. “You’ll need them to get around once you are upstairs.”
“What will you do while I nap?” he asked.
“Are you kidding? I’m taking a nap too. I’m beat,” she said. Stone thought about joking about the two of them napping together but didn’t want to cross a line with his new physical therapist. He needed to keep her around. Jolene was his type though and that made it hard not to flirt, just a little bit.
“So, we’ll be napping together then,” he joked, deciding not to hold back. The smirk on her face was adorable and he wondered if she was actually considering his joke to be an offer.
“No, we’re napping at the same time—not together,” she corrected.
“Got it,” he mumbled. “Well, how about you get me upstairs so that we can not nap together? These pain killers are really kicking my ass and I just want to lay down.”
“Then we better get you settled,” Jo agreed. She gave him instructions on how to use his crutches to get up to the second floor of his home and by the time he got to his bedroom, he felt about ready to drop.
“I’d show you around, but I’m betting that you already took the tour when you were here to clean yesterday,” he said.
“Yep. I’m assuming that the room next door is okay for me to crash in,” she asked.
“Sure,” he agreed. “Unless you want to sleep here,” he said, patting the vacant side of his bed.
Jo hesitated and he wondered what that was about. “I’m good,” she said. “But thanks for the offer.”
“You hesitated,” he breathed. His eyes were almost closed, and Stone was having a hard time trying to fight sleep, even if he wanted to have this conversation with Jo.
“Sweet dreams,” Jo said as he watched her walk out of the room. Yeah, flirting with Jolene was a dangerous game, but it was going to be fun.
Jolene
Jo had tossed and turned for the past two hours and she was dog-tired. On top of being exhausted, her stomach was growling and she knew that if she didn’t get something to eat, she’d never be able to sleep. Skipping dinner because she was too nervous to eat wasn’t her brightest idea, but there was something about hanging around Stone that felt dangerous to her. As if spending time with him might end up with her making bad decisions. Sure, they’d make her feel good for a while, but bad decisions usually led to horrible consequences that she wasn’t ready to face, no matter how much she wanted to. Stone was dangerous to her and she just needed to spend as much time hidden away in her room, avoiding him, if she wanted to get through her latest assignment. If that meant eating dinner in her room alone, so be it.
She threw off her covers and sucked in her breath when her bare feet hit the hardwood floor. She was going to freeze, but that was the last of her worries. Jo was going to have to find a way to sneak past Stone’s room and down to the kitchen if she wanted any chance of finding a snack to get her through the night.
Jo walked down to the kitchen and flicked on the lights to find Stone sitting at the small kitchen table, blinking against the intrusion of the florescent lights. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she breathed. “I came down for a snack.”
He held up his glass of milk and half-eaten chocolate chip cookie. “I had the same idea,” he said. “My mom brought me cookies to the hospital this morning before you came in to discharge me. She knows that they are my favorite. I’m willing to share,” he offered.
“That’s really sweet of you, but I’m trying to watch my figure,” she said. He looked her body over and smiled.
“You’re good in that department,” he insisted, causing her cheeks to heat. She was sure that she was blushing. “Just sit down and have some cookies and milk with me,” he ordered.
