33
“I’m staying another week,” Jesse said as they entered Romeo Family Health through the rear door into the kitchen. He hadn’t said much on the drive in. She hadn’t known they were still carpooling, but he’d gone to the passenger side of the Maserati and waited with an air of impatience, and she supposed his shoulder might have been worsened by the hours he’d gone without the sling.
“Just like you predicted, huh?” she asked now, punching in the alarm code.
“Yeah. But I can’t stay longer than that,” he reiterated. “If Dr. Pike’s not back by then, I think you better move any March appointments into April.”
“I will,” she promised, taking a casserole dish out of the freezer and putting it into the fridge to thaw. They’d take it home and have enchiladas for dinner later.
Jesse followed her down the hall to the reception desk. She crouched to turn on the power strip, and when she stood up again found him staring moodily at her.
“When’s that job fair?” he asked.
“Monday morning.”
“Good. You need to get out of here.”
She wasn’t sure why he sounded so grim. “I do?”
“Yeah.”
There was an urgent knock at the front door, and when Jesse saw through the glass that it was her two youngest cousins, he went into his—her mother’s—office.
Clara unlocked the door and they burst in. “Clara! Is Yoli here yet?”
“Nope. She probably won’t be for twenty minutes.”
“Good,” Lorelei said quickly. “We’re going to tell you a huge secret.”
“You can’t tell,” Eloise emphasized. “Not a single person. It’s actually illegal for us to tell you.”
“But we decided you can be trusted,” Lorelei assured her. “Don’t worry, Mom and Dad know it, too. But you can’t even tell your parents. You have to promise. Even Asher doesn’t know!”
“But Birdie does,” Eloise put in. “You can talk to Birdie about it.”
“I promise I won’t talk to anyone but Birdie about it,” Clara said, curiosity piqued. “Is this about Next Texas Rock Star ? Did you make it to the next round?”
“Not exactly,” Eloise said with a giddy laugh.
“Ellie Glass was there,” Lorelei said, her voice barely above a whisper. “She was the guest judge, and she liked our song .”
“Wow,” Clara said, taken aback. “Seriously?”
“She gave us a gold star!” they cried in unison.
“A gold star? Like, you’re going straight to the finals?”
“Yes! And we can’t tell anyone at school because the episode doesn’t air until March! We’re in the finals!”
“Wow, congratulations! Ellie Glass!”
“She said she loves our sound!”
“And she said Lorelei is ‘obviously a very talented guitarist,’” Eloise said, puffed up with sisterly pride.
“I can’t believe it! That’s so great!”
As soon as they had rushed out again, not wanting to be late for class, Jesse reappeared.
“I guess you heard.”
“They’re getting out,” he said gloomily. “You need to get out of here, too.”
“Why do you keep saying that?” she wondered.
“Before you know it, you’ll be forty,” he warned her. “Still working for your mom, living at home, dating guys like Jordan and Charles.”
“Why are you so worried about my life all of a sudden? I can handle it on my own.”
“I don’t know. I just don’t want you to waste away out here. There’s no future in a little town like this.”
“Did you skip a tramadol dose?” she asked suspiciously.
“I’m not taking it anymore.”
“Well, it shows. Good grief. When I want life advice from you , I’ll ask for it.”
“Why do you say it like that would never happen? I have a great life.”
“No, you have a new condo,” she corrected.
He frowned.
“Look, you’ve obviously found your calling and I’m happy for you. But it kind of sounds like your job is all you have, and I definitely don’t envy you that. You want to talk about futures? What future is there for a brilliant surgeon in a big city? What happens after you make unit chief? More money, trophy wives, fancy cars, burnout, alimony, golf.”
“Harsh, Clara,” he said mildly.
She was a little horrified. “I know. I don’t know why I said that.”
“I did start it.”
“You did. I guess you hit a nerve.”
“I guess so,” he agreed. “Should’ve minded my own business. Sorry about that.”
She watched him go, regretting the whole conversation. She should go in there and apologize. Kiss and make up, figuratively speaking. Or literally. Whichever.
But she didn’t.
He definitely wasn’t going to join the practice, she thought. She needed to stop holding out hope when he clearly didn’t want to leave his career and couldn’t stomach the prospect of living in a small town. She didn’t want to hold it against him that it wasn’t what he wanted. But he’d basically ruined her for other men in a matter of eight to ten seconds. So excuse me if I’m not exactly looking forward to sending you back to Austin to meet your first wife .
It was very quiet in the office when Yoli arrived. “How’s the pooch?” she asked, first thing.
“Good,” Clara said, feeling her mood lighten a little. “Sleepy, but doing really well.”
“Dr. Flores pulled it off.”
“Yep.”
“We knew he would.”
“Yep.”
“Any chance he’ll stick around? Move back? We could sure use him around here.”
“No,” came his voice from the other room.
“Slim to none,” Clara answered, ignoring him. She made a face that she hoped would convey that things were not going super well with Jesse that morning, and Yoli smiled a very knowing smile as she hung up her coat and scarf.
“Oh! Clara, before I forget. I met that Marine with the tattoos. Remember?”
Clara gave her a disapproving shake of the head, but Yoli brushed it away and continued.
“When I got home from work yesterday I saw him down my block, working on a car in his driveway. I guess he’s my neighbor!”
“You don’t say,” Clara said reluctantly.
“So I walked over there and introduced myself. When I tell you that I was standing there wishing I was an engine block! I could see his abs through his t-shirt. Well, maybe I was imagining that. Turns out, he doesn’t know anyone in town, so I gave him your number. He’s going to text you!”
“My number? Why didn’t you give him your number?”
“I got my eye on someone else, and I wanted to do something nice for you,” Yoli said mysteriously. “His name is Sam, by the way. I showed him your picture—”
“Yoli!”
“—and Sam said you are a ten . So, keep your phone close today.”
Then Yoli grinned hugely, and looked at the door to Jesse’s office.
Clara rolled her eyes but couldn’t help smiling a little. “All right, I guess we’ll see.”
You got this , Yoli mouthed to her, with two thumbs up.
Clara put her hands together to form a heart. “Jesse was right about you—you’re good people.”
“Pshaw,” the tech said.
Clara’s phone chimed loudly and she jumped in her chair.
“Sounds like a text ,” Yoli said dramatically.
“It is a text. Now, mind your own business. You’ve done more than enough already.”
“Well, let me see it! Just the first one.”
Clara turned her phone to show the photo the Colonel had just sent of Greer, lying on the floor at his feet, with a dog emoji and the caption:
Someone was lonely in her crate
“Aw!” Yoli gushed. “Lonely! Poor baby!”
“I know, right?” Clara exclaimed. “How sweet is he, though, for sending me this? I’m definitely going to have a good day now.”
“He even knows how to use emojis! He’s adorable.”
Clara laughed, both at Yoli’s remark and the knowledge that Jesse no doubt believed them to be talking about the made-up Marine. Unfortunately, she didn’t think he would be too upset by the misapprehension; he was probably relieved to find himself off the hook after the kiss he so clearly regretted.