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“Some of us are pretty near perfect, though.” Kristen brushed her blonde hair over her shoulder and winked at Stacey.
Jacob glared at her.
“Kidding, Jakey.” She purred.
He rolled his eyes and pulled Kristen closer, kissing her on her head. “Anyway, sis. What if he’stheone, you chase him off, and I never meet him?”
“The one, really?” Stacey got up and walked toward the kitchen. Her soda was empty, and she needed something to do. Jacob and Kristen followed. Not a surprise. “We’ve only been talking a few months,”
“Wrong, six months,” Jacob intervened.
Stacey gave another eye roll. “This was our first official date. I don’t think I’d be able to tell if he’s ‘the one’ after just one date.” She leaned against the counter, a bottle of water in her hand.But he was amazing and easy to talk to, and it was a lot of fun.
Kristen stood next to her. “So, are you going to see him again?”
Stacey tilted her head and smiled a sneaky smile at her friend. “Yes. He wants to take me to dinner on Wednesday night. He said he wanted to see me tomorrow, but since I have to work the next two days, I told him I couldn’t. He didn’t want to wait until the weekend. So, Wednesday night it is.”
“Well, look at you. Maybe not serious yet, but it looks promising. And he’s hot, and as you have pointed out—sexy.” Kristen hip-bumped Stacey, making her tip her head back with laughter.
“Hot is definitely one way to describe him, but sexy! His ass in his jeans!” Stacey placed her arm around her friend. “I’d describe him as more of an Adonis.” She waved her other hand in front of her face to cool herself off.
Jacob looked back and forth between the two girls. “Whatever. I really don’t want to hear this. Don’t you need to go to work in the morning? Maybe you should go take a shower and cool off.”
“You’re right, Jacob. I do need to cool off. Thinking about him, his lips on mine and that sexy body of his is making my blood boil and causing me to get warm in certain places.” Stacey walked away, panting as Kristen continued to fan her arms.
Jacob caught Kristen’s hands in his. “You know we could take this into the bedroom and get your temperature up and get you warm in certain places.”
Kristen moved closer to him, pulling her hands around his back while pushing him toward the counter, trapping his hands with hers. Warmth crept through her body. “Oh yeah? Do you think you’re capable of making certain places on my body warm? And if so, how do you plan on doing that?” She gazed into his eyes, her heart fluttering madly. He is the only man who ever made her heart flutter. His personality and love melted the hard, bitchy shell she kept ever present. Even before they became an item, he controlled her heart. She just didn’t let him know. He is her best friend’s brother, after all.
Jacob leaned down and placed his lips on hers, devouring her mouth. Kristen let go of his hands and grabbed his shirt to pull him closer, needing to feel his hard body against hers.
He broke away, his eyes smoldering, burning her deep in her soul. He grabbed her hand and placed it on his crotch, shooting her a wicked grin.
Her breath caught, and a smile crawled across her face as she felt the extent of his excitement. “And just like that, I’m warm in a certain place,” she whispered hoarsely.
His expression became mischievous as he swept her up into his arms, carried her to his room, and closed the door behind them.
Stacey watched as a semi-truck crossed the median on the crowded interstate and collided with the car in front of her. The impact started a chain reaction of noise and cacophony and burned twisted metal. She heard a woman’s soft voice calling their names. “Jacob, Stacey, my loves. Take care of each other.” Blue eyes, the color of crystals, were in front of her, hands gently touching her face.
Stacey’s eyes flitted slowly open.
Five a.m. glowed at her, urging her to get up as if she hadn’t just relived her parents’ death. She touched her cheek, where seconds ago, she’d felt the gentle hand of her mom. Even though she could still feel the light touch of her hand, the only thing that really existed was the wetness from her tears falling from her eyes.
Stacey had replayed the accident that had taken the lives of ten people in her head over and over again throughout the years. Only two of those people mattered to her and Jacob. They’d lost their parents in that crash. They were coming home from an anniversary trip, yet never made it.
This dream always reminded Stacey of her responsibility to take care of Jacob and make sure he was happy. After the accident, she didn’t do that. She focused only on herself and her dream job as Jacob mourned. She worked long hours because she wanted to be the best. The harder she worked, the better the hole in her heart felt. The harder she worked, the more time she spent away from the house and away from Jacob, giving him time to make poor decisions. The harder she worked, the softer the hole in heart felt. Stacey was thankful Jacob had Chad and Kristen because she wasn’t there for him like she should have been. She’s spent a lot of time in the past couple of years trying to make up for it. His feelings and needs have come before her own.
Pushing herself out of bed, she raked her hands over her face, trying to rub away the remains of the dream. She took a deep breath in and blew it out through her mouth, then twisted her body to the left, then to the right. Finally, she pushed herself up off her mattress and plodded to her bathroom, throwing herself into a shower. It’s time to get ready for work.
The Labor and Delivery floor was busy today. There were three babies born during the night, and two families were expecting to go home. The small, intimate feel of the floor was one thing Stacey loved about working at County Hospital. She got to know her patients on a personal level, if she didn’t already from living in the small town.
Stacey entered the break room to grab a cup of coffee before starting her shift. Karolyn, a red-haired firecracker, was sitting at the table texting and sipping on a can of Coke.
“Good morning, Karolyn.” Stacey smiled.
Karolyn was the wife of an amazing husband, and the mom of two young boys. Her husband was loved by the nurses because he often sent snacks and bagels to help them through their long shifts. Karolyn’s always ready-to-go attitude helped to make the ward fun and upbeat. She looked up, a frazzled expression already on her face.
“Wow, already a bad day? The shift hasn’t even started yet.” Stacey poured her coffee, added some creamer, and took the seat across from her co-worker.
