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It made him bristle on the inside that he’d noticed the absence of a gold band on January’s left hand, but he couldn’t pick outwhenhe’d noticed it.
After he’d cleaned up, Josephine beamed at him as he walked back in. To just linger in the hallway would have looked weird. He still had more cleaning to do. He had to wipe down the exam table, sanitize, sweep, and mop. Probably take a good wipe at the countertops and walls too because it would kill time and keep his mind busy.
“I actually need Trace here,” she said evenly, without so much as a hint of guilt about doing it when she knew full well that she was plotting. “Kier too.”
He crossed his arms. “Really?”
Josephine nodded. “Yup. Totally forgot that Rory has a thing this afternoon and he needs to bring the boys over. You know full well it takes two to watch those two. They’ll be running circles around Trace in no time.”
She had him there. The twins were pushing three. They were just babies when he’d met them and now they were running, tumbling, little terror machines. He was sure that Josephine was making up the babysitting duties, but maybe it slipped her mind that Rory had a thing.
No, it hadn’t. This was Josephine. Mind like a steel trap was an extreme understatement for her. She was the most organized, intelligent, capable person Tavish had ever known, and he knew Sam, so that was saying something.
He lifted a hand and swiped it over his hair. He’d started growing it out a few years ago and now it was long. He didn’t dare put it in a bun, even though it would have been more convenient, because Kier never would have let him hear the end of it, so he kept it in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He’d considered growing a beard but decided the hipster comments would get out of control, so he shaved every single morning even though he hated doing it.
Did he really care what anyone said? Not really. If he truly wanted a beard, he’d grow one and tell Kier where to go with his snarky remarks. Maybe it was more that he couldn’t be bothered with that either.
His fingers tore loose a strand of hair and he had to slip the black elastic out and swipe everything back in.Fuck it.He knotted it and tied the elastic around it, making a perfect bun. He watched Kier’s face change and enjoyed the expression. He even gave a bit of a smirk back.
“So, everyone is busy,” Josephine prompted. “Would you be alright changing that tire out there?”
“What if I’m busy too? Here. At the clinic.”
January and June exchanged a worried look. He wanted to immediately take that back even though he didn’t want to go and change that tire. Changing it was one thing—he hated the thought of the women being stranded. Changing it for January and being around her was another. If he spent more time with her he’d probably notice other things, like how her skin was so creamy and flawless she looked like she’d been airbrushed. Like how she had a lovely jawline and gorgeous bone structure. How her curves flowed into each other just right. He’d probably start thinking about her being a goddess among women. And he’d notice that she smelled like freshly cut flowers in the dead of winter. Not roses or lilies. Something exotic, maybe a bird-of-paradise flower.
“What if I find someone who isn’t busy by making some calls?” He didn’t want the women to worry that they’d be left stranded. He didn’t want January to worry about anything. Ever.
That insane notion was precisely the reason he shouldn’t walk out of here with her. Or ever think about seeing her again. He wouldn’t. She wasn’t from Greenacre. She was just passing through, like so many other people did every single year. Passing through on the way to somewhere else. On the way to her regular life, which didn’t and wouldn’t include him.
January lifted her head. She was still holding her sister’s hand like a lifeline. Was she dizzy? Was she in pain she couldn’t manage? “If you are free and you could help, I’d be happy to pay you for your time.”
That pretty much settled it right there, and she wasn’t even trying to use reverse psychology.
“You don’t have to pay me. I’ll change your tire and get you on your way safely. It won’t take me any time at all.”
Well, shit. Sometimes you said things you didn’t want to say and sometimes you did things you didn’t want to do. Sometimes, you did things you did want to do but shouldn’t do. Sometimes, the quickest ticket to a personal hell was to purchase one yourself.
Hell being a world where he now knew January existed.
Separately from himself.
Chapter 3
January
“Holy amazeballs.”
“Ugh, no one over the age of fourteen should say amazeballs.”
“No one over the age of fourteen should say ugh like ugh and not make the sound.”
January rolled her eyes, but June ignored her in favor of paying attention to the road. Two more minutes or so and they’d be at her car.
She’d been sent away from the clinic with a verbal list of care instructions and ibuprofen. The guy who was clearly the doctor’s husband or boyfriend had taken her insurance information and sent that off before she left. She might be self-employed, but she paid for a top tier health insurance plan. You never knew when you were going to need it.
“I’m talking amazeballs as in all those guys were super hot. Like alien level hot.”
“Eww. Alien level? Really? What kind of romances have you been reading?”
