SIX
JACK
When I walk into Anna’s house, soft music echoes through the rooms, along with lively chatter and laughter. Paul’s birthday party is in full swing. I wave to some people here and there on my way to the kitchen, where I find both of Paul’s sisters preparing finger food.
“Hey, Anna. Hey, Meg.” With a smile, I drop on a chair and grab a cookie from the table, stuffing the entire thing into my mouth. Damn, I’m hungry.
“Jack!” Meghan beams at me. “I heard you have the best present for our brother?”
Anna smacks her sister’s arm. “Meg, that was obviously a joke.” She narrows her eyes at me. “Right, Jack?”
The way she says my name makes me burst out laughing, and I’m tempted to go along with the story, but I nod. “Yes, that was just a joke. Don’t worry.”
Meghan pouts. “Aww, how genuinely disappointing.”
Anna glares at her. “There are kids present at this party.”
“Maybe next year, Meg.” I grab another cookie. “Liv says hi, and she’s sorry they had to cancel.”
Anna waves off my apology. “That’s fine. We understand. She should rest her shoulder.”
“Which, of course, she doesn’t.” I grumble, flicking my gaze upward. “With Lucy’s birthday coming up, she’s in full party planning mode. You only turn five once.”
Anna laughs. “Yeah, that sounds like Liv. Every party she plans is a major event.”
“True.” My gaze wanders over the deliciously looking food on the kitchen counters and the cakes and cookies on the table. “Talking about event—how many people are you expecting? And why are you having Paul’s party here?” I ask.
“This is a birthday-slash-garden-warming party.” Anna beams at me. “But mostly garden-warming party. I have to show off my new and improved backyard.”
“That Tessa designed for you,” Meghan adds as she grabs a tray with food. “Come on, Jack, take this over there, please, and follow me outside into the all-new and improved backyard.”
After grabbing another cookie, I do as I’m told. When I walk through the French doors onto the terrace and follow Meg to a large table to put down the tray, I gaze around the backyard and scan the crowd.
The garden does look amazing. Tessa, a florist, recently expanded her business. She owns a flower shop in Manhattan, and now, she also designs people’s gardens. She did an excellent job with this one.
While I help myself to a mini quiche or two, I spot a familiar face I didn’t expect to see.
Emma.
What the fuck is she doing here? Instantly, my heart beats just a tiny bit faster, and my lips lift in a slight smile.
Seriously? I thought I’d gotten over this. Obviously not. I still don’t know what this woman did to affect me like that. It’s been two weeks since I first saw her, and for two weeks, thoughts of her kept popping up in my head. For two weeks, I tried to get over it because that’s bound to fail.
This is my first time seeing her in regular clothes instead of scrubs, and damn, she looks stunning. Her hair falls loosely over her bare shoulders, and she wears a knee-length, peach-colored dress that makes me smile even wider. She’s talking to Tessa and hasn’t seen me yet. I walk up to her when Tessa indicates she’ll be back in a minute.
“Nice color,” I say as I stand next to her and point to her dress. “Peach, huh?”
She turns to me, and her eyes widen when I smile. “I happen to like peach, be it color or fruit,” she responds with a raised eyebrow. But then she returns my smile. “Hi, Jack.”
“Hi, Emma.”
“So you can smile.”
“Yeah, sorry. I tend to get a little grumpy when I’m injured. Same with family members. Hate to see them hurt.”
“Fair enough. How’s your sister?”
“She’s doing okay. It’s tough to be in pain when you’ve got an almost five-year-old little troublemaker running around. And when you’re pregnant,” I add in a low voice.
Emma tilts her head. “She’s got a five-year-old kid?”
I nod. “My niece, Lucy. And she’s quite a handful. Like mother, like daughter.”
Emma laughs out loud. Fuck me, that is the happiest sound I’ve heard in a while. How her entire face lights up and her blue eyes shine brightly does things to me I didn’t deem possible anymore. Boy, I’m in trouble. Shit, I need to stop talking to her for a minute and cool down. “Can I get you another drink?” I point to the empty glass in her hand, and she holds it out to me with a smile.
“That’d be great. Thanks.”
“What can I get you?”
“Surprise me.” She gives me a smile that draws my attention to her full lips. Delicious lips.
I spin around to vanish inside the house, and as soon as I’m out of sight, I run my hand over my face and take a groan. Don’t be stupid, Jack!
In Anna’s kitchen, I examine the juice supplies in the fridge. Sure enough, she’s got what I’m looking for. Just as I grab the glass, someone calls my name. “Hey, Jack.”
I turn toward the voice and smile at Ben, who approaches me with his nine-month-old daughter, Bella, placed on his hip. When Bella recognizes me, she screeches with joy.
“Hey, Bella.” I laugh. “How are you?” And I laugh even more when I get the typical baby babbling as an answer. “Ah, yes. Interesting.”
Ben leaves a peck on her cheek. “Yup, she has a lot to say.”
“How are the wedding preparations coming along?” I ask. Ben and Amy are getting married in June, which is less than three months away.
Ben grimaces. “I’d say just fine, but Amy is stressed. She and Lauren spend so much time planning. I didn’t think there’d be so much to consider. But I’m glad that Amy has Lauren to remind her to breathe every once in a while. ”
Lauren is Amy’s best friend and, with that, her maid of honor.
“Are you bringing a plus one to our wedding?” Ben asks. “Amy is freaking out over the seating chart for the reception.”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you know soon, okay?”
“It better be really soon, or else you’ll have to face my fiancée.”
“Okay, gotcha.” I smile and wave to them as I walk back outside and find Emma where I left her.
“Here you go … peach.” I hand her the glass.
She throws me a sideways glance with narrow eyes. “Are you telling me this is peach juice, or are you calling me peach?”
I shrug. “Both. Because every time I see a peach these days, I think of you.”
She rolls her eyes but smiles softly. “Good thing my favorites aren’t bananas.”
I burst out laughing, and she joins in. Again, her sweet laughter touches me in places I almost thought were dead. I can’t even recall when I last laughed so much—the past weeks and even months have been more of a downhill ride. While my spirits were already higher than usual when I came to the party, standing here with Emma lifts my mood another few notches.
“So, Peach, thanks for taking such good care of me the other night. And sorry for being so insufferable.”
She waves her hand. “It’s my job. Believe me, I’ve had worse patients.”
“Really? Like what?”
“Sorry, I’m bound to professional secrecy.”
“Aw, I’d love to hear your stories. I bet you have plenty.” I lean closer to whisper in her ear, “I can keep a secret.” While I do, her sweet scent fills my nose—a scent I hadn’t noticed before because I was freaking out when she was too close to me at the hospital. And now I’m acceptably close while being sufficiently distant for me to feel comfortable and her scent to engulf me.
As out of nowhere that sensation hit me, it’s gone just as quickly. What the fuck am I doing? Why am I flirting with her when I shouldn’t? I shouldn’t smile at her like that, and I sure shouldn’t call her pet names. I shouldn’t notice her heavenly scent.
I didn’t realize how tense my body was until Anna joins us, and I let out a quiet exhale when she interrupts our conversation. “Hey, Jack, could you check my dishwasher?” she asks with a hopeful smile. “It’s acting up again.”
I groan. “I’m not a fucking handyman, but a medical device engineer.”
“Yes, I know. But could you please, please have a look at it? You know more about any electric household appliance than anyone else here. And you fixed it before,” she adds with a wink.
I roll my eyes and sigh. “Fine. I’ll have a look at it later.”
“Thanks so much.” Anna beams at me, and before taking off, she gives me a quick hug, making me cringe.
I take a deep breath and look at Emma, who watches me silently. The unasked question is written all over her face, and I expect her to voice it too.
But instead, she asks, “You’re a medical device engineer?”
“Yeah, I work for the company that provides your hospital with ultrasound equipment. And we’re responsible for technical support. ”
“Really? That’s awesome. My friend Rob—one of the ob-gyns—always goes on about how great that ultrasound equipment is. He throws around these big words: excellent imaging, HD, 3D, and even 4D. And those portable ones? Just amazing!” She laughs as she mimics her friend.
I can’t help but laugh too. It’s so contagious. “Your friend sounds like a real fan.”
“He is.”
And when she smiles again, a strange sensation rushes through me. What kind of friend is that when she smiles like this, thinking of him?
I push that thought far away while we continue talking about this and that, and I find myself enjoying her company more and more. The conversation feels easy, which isn’t something I can say about many people, especially people I’ve just met.
I’m not even sure how long we’ve been talking when Paul shows up next to us, frowning at me. “Jack! What the fuck? When did you get here?”
“Oh, hey, Paul. Happy Birthday.” I grin at him.
Emma chuckles. “I’ll let you guys catch up.” She waves before joining Tessa, Amy, and Lauren.
I watch her until Paul hits my shoulder. “What the fuck are you doing?”
I furrow my brows. “What do you mean?”
“Emma is a nice girl. Stay away from her. That’s only gonna end in disaster.”
“What? Are you insulting me?”
“No, Jack. But I know you. You’re not in the place to start anything close to a relationship, and that’s what she deserves—not some drunken one-night stand.”
“Paul,” I respond with a weary sigh .
“No, don’t you roll your eyes at me. I see the way she looks at you. She’s attracted to you. Don’t lure her in. Because you know you can’t offer her what she needs.”
As much as I wish he were wrong, he’s not. And I hate that. So with my mood spiraling downward, I feast on the buffet to still at least one kind of hunger.