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“Let’s just get started,” Stone ordered. “Jolene will be back to pick me up any time and I want to get this over with. Have you found David?” he asked. He had stopped calling his father, “Dad” the day he found out that he had two sisters he was never told about. David wasn’t honest with him or his mom, and there was no way that he’d consider him to be his dad ever again.
“You are as impatient as your sister’s, man,” Ranger accused.
“Seriously, are you hoping to spend the night with Austin, in the doghouse?” Bobbie asked her husband.
“No, dear,” Ranger mumbled.
“How are things going with your hot physical therapist?” Lulah asked.
“She’s not hot,” Stone insisted. Sure, he was totally lying, but there was no way that he’d give his sister the satisfaction of thinking that he thought Jo was hot.
“Liar,” Bobbie countered. “She is hot and anyone with eyes can see that. I take it you like her, but you’re not ready to admit it yet.”
“Wrong,” he said, pointing his finger at her. “You two need to keep your noses out of my physical therapy sessions.”
“We weren’t asking about your sessions. We were asking how things are going with your hot therapist,” Lulah corrected.
“You might as well just tell them,” Austin insisted. “They’ll drill you until you do anyway.”
“Jesus, you two are like pit bulls,” Stone accused, causing them all to laugh.
“No, more like pugs. Our puppies stick their smushed-up noses in everyone’s business,” Lulah insisted. She was right, they did nose around a lot, but he thought that his sister’s pug puppies were too cute to be as vicious as his sisters were being.
“Listen, I know that you two are hoping that I’ll fall on my ass for Jolene, but it’s not going to happen. She’s my therapist and that’s it,” Stone insisted. He looked up when he heard Jo clearing her throat, standing at the front door. She had heard everything that he had just said and she didn’t look very happy about any of it.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hi, I hope I’m not intruding,” she said, looking a bit unsure of herself.
“Not at all,” Lulah insisted, “come on in. We’re about to find out where our father has been hiding and then, you can cart my brother back home. Be careful of the foot in his mouth, but I’m sure you’re used to it being there at this point.” His sisters stared him down as if he had just said the dumbest thing possible, and maybe he had. He was trying to put them off his trail, and instead, he ended up hurting the woman he was coming to care about. The kiss that they had shared in the kitchen last night meant something to him and he just needed to work that out before sharing the news with his nosey sisters.
“He didn’t put his foot in his mouth. He’s right—I’m his physical therapist and that’s all I am to him.” She looked at him, sadness in her hazel eyes, and God, that gutted him.
“I can just wait in the car,” Jo offered. “Take your time,” she said, turning to leave the office. He was an idiot and all of the progress that he had made with Jo trusting him and not thinking he was a giant ass just flew out the window.
“I’m thinking flowers,” Bobbie said.
“Is she the type of woman who likes candy?” Lulah asked. “Maybe you should do both flowers and candy.”
“I don’t need any of that shit because she’s my therapist,” Stone shouted.
“She didn’t look at you like you were just her patient,” Lulah insisted. “She looked at you as though something more has been going on between the two of you and you just fucked it all up.”
“My wife has a point,” Austin agreed. “You fucked up with that woman, big time. You need all the flowers you can carry and a bucket load of candy. Just have everything delivered and then beg for forgiveness until she can at least stand to be in the same room with you.”
“Does that work for you?” Stone asked his brother-in-law.
Austin looked Lulah over and sighed, “Sometimes, but I have a feeling that tonight is going to cost me a whole lot more than flowers and candy.”
“I’d really love to sit here and discuss my imaginary problems and non-existent love life with my therapist, but I need to get going. My ride is here and she’s not going to wait for me forever.” Stone had a feeling that Jo was good and pissed, and her waiting any amount of time would only add to her anger.
“I’d love to tell you that we have good news, but we don’t,” Ranger said, jumping right in. “We found David and he’s been dead for about two months now.”
“Dead?” Bobbie asked. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” she asked her husband.
“Because we just found out,” Austin cut in. “It’s why we were stalling. We had one of our sources down at the morgue double-check everything. There was a man brought in about two months ago who matched David’s description, but he was listed as a John Doe. It took some time to identify him and he’s a match for your DNA, Lulah,” he said.
“I see,” Lulah breathed.
