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Nora
“OH, SORRY. Ididn’t see you there.” An adorable young guy flashed a dimpled smile and thumbed over his shoulder. “I think I might be in the wrong hospital room. But…” He shrugged and raised one of the Starbucks cups in his hands. “I brought you coffee.”
I chuckled. “You brought me coffee, yet you’re in the wrong room?”
“I brought it for my brother, but he won’t appreciate it as much as I’ll enjoy having coffee with you.”
I wasn’t sure if it was the unappreciative brother comment, or the happy-go-lucky, hot-guy attitude that tipped me off. “Oh my gosh. I bet you’re Jake?”
His dimples deepened. “You’ve been looking for me all your life, too?”
I stood and extended my hand. “I’m a friend of your grandmother’s. Nora Sutton.”
“Oh shit.” He put down both coffees and surprised me by engulfing me in a big hug. “The woman who wing jumps and doesn’t jump at my brother’s command. It’s great to meet you, Nora. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
I laughed. “If it’s from Beck, I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
He picked up his coffee again. “Seriously, have the other one if you want. I only brought it to butter him up because I screwed up something at work.”
“Thanks. I think I will. The coffee here is godawful, and it’ll taste better knowing I deprived Beck of it.”
Jake’s grin was infectious. The two brothers resembled each other, both gorgeous, yet somehow still very different. Beck was broad shouldered, angular, and impeccably dressed. He was buttoned up and commanding, while Jake was leaner, with slightly softer features, and it looked like he could use a haircut and shave. Yet I’d bet my last dollar that women ate up his look just as much.Especiallythose cavernous dimples.
He lifted his chin to the empty bed. “Where’s Gram? She make a run for it already?”
“They took her down for radiation a little while ago. It usually only takes about a half hour, so she should be back soon.”
“How’s she feeling today?”
“She’s not too happy that the doctor said she can’t go to the Harry Styles concert tonight.”
“I love Harry!”
I smiled.Yeah, these brothers are sooo different.“Anyway, it’s funny you mention her making a run for it, because she’s trying to get me to sneak her out for a few hours. I keep telling her I can’t. We might want to put the nurses on alert when we leave though.”
“Well, if you need a replacement date for the concert tonight…” Jake rocked back on his heels and slipped his hands into his pockets. “I can cancel my plans.”
I was half tempted to take him up on the offer, just because I thought it might drive Beck nuts, but I’d already given the tickets to him to sell online for me. “Sorry. I think the tickets are sold already.”
“Damn.” He grinned. “Next time.”
Jake slipped off his shoes and hopped up on Louise’s bed. Spreading his long legs and making himself comfy, he locked his hands behind his head, elbows out.
“So…did you hear the story about why Gram’s dog hates Beck?”
I smiled. “I don’t think so. Although I have seen all the nip wounds on his fingers. The first time I met him, I think he was wearing four Band-Aids.”
“Yep. Dog hates him. He likes to tell people it’s because Gram talks to Bitsy and he doesn’t. But that’s not the reason at all.”
“What’s the real dirt?”
“Bitsy’s gotta be eight now, but she was only about a year when Beck picked her up from grooming one time. Gram was away for the weekend, and she asked him to watch her. She’d dropped Bitsy off at the groomer, and Beck was supposed to pick her up.”
“He forgot?”
“Oh no, he showed up. And he took a little dog home, too. It just wasn’t Bitsy.”
“Oh my God. Didn’t he take the wrong baby carrier once and leave you at daycare?”
