Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Scraping my fingers through my hair, I sigh. “Fucking hell.”
“Yeah, you can say that again.”
“Fucking hell.”
Laughter bursts from her mouth. She reaches over, this time resting her hand on my forearm and leaving it there. The warmth of her palm seeps into my skin, her care felt in the light but relaxed touch we’re sharing. “Since I’m sharing, want to know a doozy of a secret?”
“I’m all ears.”
“And abs but I’m sure you hear that all the time.”
“No, I don’t, but I don’t mind hearing it from you.” This time, I reach over and rub the top of her leg. Her skin is soft, matching her expression. “It’s not so much a secret but something from your past. I don’t know if you remember, but you called me when my sister was in an accident. That’s why I had to leave the date. I never got to thank you for that.” She laughs. “You saved me that night.”
“Sounds like I caused a lot of headaches for you down the road, though.”
She’s unbothered with a pop of her shoulder and a tilt of her head. “You’re not to blame. He is.”
“Who is he? Ludlow?”
The hesitation tells me what I need to know. “He’s the only single doctor, Autumn. You’re not giving away any secrets.” A lady pulls my attention to the car next to ours when she gets in.
“If you see him, steer clear. That man gives off a bad aura.”
The fucker better be steering clear of me for the hell he’s caused her. “Was your sister okay?”
Autumn’s introspective smile sweetens like tea at the county fair. “She was okay because you were at the scene to help before I showed up.”
I can vaguely remember an accident involving Summer and a cow named Bessie, but the rest isn’t sticking. It’s okay. I’m still fixed on this asshole doctor. “What’s he done to you?”
“I lost my seniority even though I wrote a sworn statement that I didn’t do what I was accused of. It’s a small hospital with limited staff. They need doctors here more than nurses. So, if one of us is being shown the door, it’s not him.” She grows quiet as she drops her hands to the sides of her legs on the leather seat and rubs her palms. “I might as well tell you everything because it matters more now than when I originally accepted the job.”
“Which job? The hospital or me?”
“I ended up at your house because I didn’t want to get fired or transferred to Ocean’s Bay. Overseeing your recovery was the last option. I took it without hesitation, and it was the best decision I’ve made in a long time.” That sense of pride returns, weighing in her eyes, along with the confession.
“Why?” I ask, wanting her to feed my ego as much as my curiosity.
“Because this time with you has watered a garden inside me that had long died. There were weeds that needed pulling and vines that had to be cut back to reveal new growth. I feel alive again because of you, Lieutenant. And look at us grocery shopping together like we do it all the time. I could have never predicted it. Things are changing for the better, and it’s all because I took this job with you.”
If she was trying to win me over, she did it back when I was in the hospital. But hearing that I might have helped her as much as she has me, this woman just stole my heart. “And you call me charming. You got some good lines and moves, too, Nurse.”
“They’re not lines.” She taps me on the nose. “I only speak the truth to you.” Her stomach growls, and she wraps her arm over it.
“Petty larceny builds up the appetite.” She giggles, and the sound shakes the tense feelings from my shoulders as well. I can tell she feels better, although I’ve taken on some of her irritation with the doctor as my own. I’m not one to let things slide as easily as she does. I pop my door open. “Let’s get some food to get you fed.”
When we meet at the back of the Corolla, she says, “I still wish there was a faster restaurant than the diner in town. Lord knows they’re slow as molasses, even in the off-peak hours.” We walk together toward the doors. “Maybe that’s how we make our first million.”
“It wouldn’t be my first.” Fuck. I shouldn’t have opened my stupid mouth. She set it up so perfectly for me to interject what she doesn’t need to know. I’ve been good about keeping my business and bank account quiet around town, stealthily moving to build my personal wealth and set myself up for a future of my choosing.
But Autumn has me out here forgetting myself and tossing private information around like in disc golf.