“Ahh,” he said, following her up the steps. “That’s better for the digestion. Not getting run over.”
She could feel him behind her. Tall, imposing. Broad shouldered and athletic. All things that made her hyper aware and more than a little nervous.
She reached for the brass knocker, which sat below a simple pine wreath, and gave it a couple of taps. When she heard someone shuffling on the other side of the door, she looked over at EJ, frowning.
“How much of this is he going to be able to do on his own?”
“Not a lot. But he’s getting stronger every day, and with you helping out, he should have a pretty smooth recovery.”
She nodded as the door opened.
“Well, hi there,” Joe said, leaning on his walker and beaming at them. “Come in, come in.”
Jemma stepped past and into the warm, cozy entryway of the house. It was even nicer inside. Gleaming hardwood floors, simple leather furniture, and pictures. Pictures everywhere.
A small brown tabby cat meowed up at her, and then wound its way around her ankles.
“That’s Ethel,” Joe said. “She’s needy.”
Jemma bent to scratch the little cat behind her ears. “Hello, Ethel. How are you?”
She’d always been crazy about animals. They’d had a scruffy dog when she was little, but her mom was allergic and they’d had to give him away.
“She likes you,” Joe said. “Not surprising. You’ve always been so good with living things.”
Jemma didn’t want her heart to swell at that. To care about a compliment from her father whose approval she’d always craved.
But it did swell, and the anger that followed was pure and absolute. She looked up. “You remember? That was so long ago, Dad. I’m surprised.” She couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice. But she hurt. In fact, it seemed like she’d been in pain since crossing into the city limits of Marietta. All those childhood memories she’d worked so hard to keep at bay had come rushing back with a vengeance.
Joe’s smile faded. “I do remember, honey. I’d never forget that.”
EJ cleared his throat as if uncomfortable. He walked around the living room and began looking at the furniture with a critical eye.
Jemma stood and watched him. He probably thought she was a complete bitch. A shriveled-up person who’d refused to answer her dad’s correspondence all these years. At least not with anything meaningful. She knew he had a completely different view of her dad. Someone who was responsible and loving. Someone who didn’t walk out on his family. In fact, she wondered what exactly he’d told EJ about their relationship. If he’d been honest about how everything had gone down all those years ago.
EJ kicked the legs of the loveseat. “Joe, you can’t sit here. Too hard to get out of. Stick with the couch; it’s firmer.”
“You’re the expert.”
Jemma gave Ethel one last pat and stood, looking at the pictures on the cherry-wood bookcase. They were mostly of her and Justine as little girls. But there was one with her mother, too. It was taken the Christmas before Joe had left. They’d all gone to Hawaii. Jemma remembered being homesick for the snow on Christmas Eve.
EJ rubbed his hands together. “Ready to run through a couple of things, you two? It shouldn’t take long.”
Looking at her dad, Jemma nodded. “Sure.”
Joe half shuffled, half pushed his walker toward the couch, where EJ helped him ease down into a sitting position. His cheeks were paler than they’d been a few minutes ago, and Jemma wondered if that had to do with the exertion, or the words they’d just exchanged.
She felt a sudden rush of feeling for him that took her off-guard. “Can I get you anything, Dad? Some tea or coffee?”
“No, thank you, darling. Sit.”
He patted the spot beside him, and she walked past EJ, breathing in his scent, which was clean and spicy like he’d just showered.
She sat and looked up at EJ expectantly. He put his hands in the pockets of his khakis, and the muscles in his jaw clenched.
“So, Jemma... I’m not sure how much you’ve talked to your dad about what to expect, or what the discharge nurse told you over the phone?”
Clearing her throat, she sat forward. She’d taken off her jacket coming in, and the V-neck of her sweater was riding too low. She realized she was giving him a view of her boobs, which were too big and always happy to oblige.
Cheeks heating, she sat back again, but not before catching him look.
“Not a lot, actually,” she managed. “I just know Dad wasn’t bad enough off for the insurance to hire a nurse, but would’ve had to go into a skilled nursing facility if he hadn’t had some kind of help.”
EJ nodded. “That’s right. Basically, that means he’ll need you here for certain things, but I’ll also be coming by to check on him. I know there are some friends who’ve said they want to help, too. That right, Joe?”
“That’s right. But I won’t need too much.”
EJ’s brows furrowed. For the first time since she’d met him, he looked one-hundred-percent serious. And formidable.
“We’ve talked about this,” he said. “You’re gonna have to accept help if you want to keep yourself out of that care center. You can’t overdo it like you’ve got a tendency to do. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Okay.” He looked back at Jemma. “How long were you planning on staying?”
“At least a few weeks. I can work away from the office.”
“All right. That’ll give us a good start. Today, we’ll work on rearranging some furniture that’s a hazard, and talk about how to help him up and down without hurting yourself in the process.”
She nodded.
“Joe, we’re going to have to get you some socks with grippers on the bottom.” He pointed to the other man’s stocking feet. “Those are too slippery. You’ll fall again. We have some at the office if Jemma wants to come by, or I can drop them by later.”
“I’ll come by,” Jemma said.
She sat and listened to the gorgeous man in front of them explain how to care for her father for the next few weeks. And wondered how in the world she was going to protect her heart in the process.
From both of them.
Chapter Four
EJ turned his computer off and pushed away from his desk with a sigh. It had been a long day. After he’d met with Jemma and Joe, he’d come back to the clinic and treated three other patients, the last of whom had been running late.
The sun had long since gone down, and everyone else had gone home. Even Chad, who as much as he liked to screw around was fastidious about paperwork and was usually the last one out the door.
EJ leaned back in his chair and rubbed his neck. Small, multicolored lights hung on the pine tree outside the office window, and their glow reflected back through the open blinds. It was cold tonight. Dylan Morgan, the local weather guy, kept saying snow was coming, but so far, they hadn’t seen any. Just ice and frost, which made it treacherous for his patients who had to trek their way across the parking lot every day.
He thought about Jemma then, and that ridiculous, flimsy raincoat she’d had on the other night. The night he’d almost run her over. She’d had it cinched tightly around her waist, but it hadn’t hidden the shape of her body. His throat went dry as he thought of her leaning forward on Joe’s couch that afternoon. He’d been able to see all the way down that glorious cleavage, and it had taken everything in him not to stare and react like a teenage boy.
He swallowed hard. Jemma Banks wasn’t exactly what he’d expected. Ever since he’d known Joe, the older man had talked lovingly about his daughters. Not so much about the circumstances that had left them estranged, but EJ could read between the lines well enough. He’d known another woman had been in the picture, but he didn’t know who’d left whom. It didn’t really matter—the end result was the same. But Joe’s daughters obviously cared, and he had been trying to rebuild a relationship for years. The fact Jemma had shown up w
as huge. All this time, EJ had pictured someone much colder. Not the young woman with the big green eyes and silky hair he immediately wanted to wrap his fists in. Which was a complication at best. She was Joe’s kid. And he wasn’t about to step into that shit-storm.
Still, when there was a light tap on the window and he looked up to see her face peering in, his groin tightened yet again. Painfully this time.
He stood and motioned toward the front door. She smiled, a breeze whipping a strand of hair across her face, before disappearing to meet him up front.
He unlocked the door and grinned when he saw her standing there with two bright spots of color on her cheeks. Her teeth clicked together and she hugged herself, bouncing on her toes.
“Oh my God,” she said. “It goes right through you, doesn’t it?”
Stepping aside, he motioned her in. “It does. But at least you’re dressed warmer than you were the other night.”
“That was Bob. I finally listened.”
“That guy’s your Marietta guru. I’m intrigued.”
“It’s his sweaters. They’re magical. How can you not listen? Fashion advice, food advice...he’s got me covered.”
EJ laughed. She was petite—the top of her head came just to his chin, and he caught the fruity scent of her shampoo as she walked by.
“I just came for those socks,” she said. “I didn’t mean to show up so late. Everyone’s gone. I hope you weren’t waiting for me.”
Actually, he’d been hoping she’d come by. But that wasn’t why he was still there. He had a mountain of paperwork.
“I had a late patient. No worries.”
“Oh, good.”
They stood there looking at each other for a long, pregnant second. The stereo played softly in the background—Christmas music that was on repeat down at the local radio station. The lights from outside glowed behind her, creating a kind of halo, which made her even prettier than before.
She smiled. “What?”
“Nothing. Just thinking about how you’re a lot better looking than Joe. God bless him.”
The color in her cheeks grew deeper and more intense. And it had nothing to do with the cold. That right there was a good old-fashioned blush.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she said. “I look like my mom.” The way she said it, with a subtle tilt to her chin, made it clear she was glad she didn’t look like her dad. And wouldn’t admit it if she did. But she had Joe’s eyes. That same sparkling, intelligent green, whether she liked it or not.
“Your mom must be very beautiful.”
Where the hell was this coming from? He wanted to duct tape his mouth shut. She was going to think he was making some kind of sleazy pass...which, hell, maybe he was. He couldn’t seem to shut up, no matter how much he wanted to.
“Thank you,” she said, her cheeks now scarlet.
He leaned against the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. Her gaze rose, lingering on the spot where his collar gaped open at his throat. Then she looked away as if embarrassed. Like he’d caught her looking at his crotch or something.
“So, we’ve determined that you look like your mom,” he said. “Where does she live?”
Jemma swallowed noticeably. Her eyes were bright even in the dim light of the office. “She died, actually. A few years ago.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Well, it’s not okay. But it’s okay that you asked. Not that she’s dead.” She wrung her hands. “Crap.”
He wanted to step forward then and pull her to him. She was sad, beautiful, awkward, and irresistible. “No, I shouldn’t pry.”
“You’re not prying. It’s a natural question. I’m just surprised you don’t already know...being friends with my dad and everything.”
EJ picked up a pen from the desk and wound it between his fingers, Top-Gun style. An old habit from college. “He doesn’t really talk much about his personal life. I mean, I knew about you and your sister. But I never got the details. Just that—”
He stopped short. He’d been about to mention the fact that Joe had lived here with another woman, which was unbelievably stupid. And he hadn’t even had any beers to blame his lax tongue on.
Jemma looked up, her expression hardening. It was like a light had gone out in the room. “Just that, what?”
“Just that,” he continued carefully, “Joe’s lived in Marietta for a while.”
“With someone else.”
“Yeah.”
“Who he left us for.”
“Uh...”
“You had to have guessed that part, right?”
She was challenging him now, and he had the uneasy feeling he was painfully out of his depth. Family dynamics were not his specialty since he had no family of his own to compare anything to.
“I might’ve put two and two together.”
She laughed, but it was bitter sounding. “Of course he wouldn’t volunteer something like that. And ruin his image of the perfect philanthropist, the successful business owner, and the helpful small-town citizen.”
EJ stiffened at that. He knew Joe wasn’t perfect. Nobody was, no matter what kind of image they put forward. But he’d been a good friend to EJ when he’d needed one most. And, yeah, he’d also been a father figure, something he knew would put Jemma Banks’ lovely hackles straight up.
“Maybe it’s time to let him make it up to you,” he said evenly.
She looked up, all the warmth gone from her eyes. “With all due respect, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re right. I don’t know any of the history between you two. But I know the guy now. I’ve known him for the last decade, and all he does is talk about you and your sister. I know that much.”
Her lips tilted, but it looked like she wanted to turn on her heel and march out of the office. Or throw a stapler at his head. Either, or.
“Can I have those socks now, please?”
He watched her for a second before putting the pen back on the desk. “You’re pissed.”
Her brows arched. She looked surprised that he’d called her on it. He had a feeling she was used to keeping people at arm’s length when it really mattered. That she didn’t reveal too much about herself, judging by how uptight she seemed at this very minute.
“No, I’m not.”
“Yeah. You are.”
Cocking her head, she looked away. Her silky waves had moved over one shoulder, and she brushed them back again. Bing Crosby crooned over the stereo, and a light snow was just beginning to fall outside the darkened window. It caught Jemma’s eye, and she let her guard down for a second, smiling like a kid.
“It’s snowing,” she said.
“It does that in Montana.”
“I know, but this is the first time it’s snowed since I’ve been here. In Marietta.”
“Marietta has a long history of white Christmases.”
At that, her expression fell before she composed herself again. “Do you have family here, EJ? Or will you be traveling for Christmas?”
Nobody had given a damn about his holiday plans for as long as he could remember. Except patients, who seemed to ask as a matter of ritual. Will you be home for Christmas this year? Oh, that’s nice. They were just being polite. With the exception of a few elderly ladies who were trying to marry away their granddaughters.
But for some reason, when she asked, he felt that old, familiar pull in his chest. The truth was that he never had any Christmas plans, except for snowboarding, of course. That was his reliable standby. No family? No problem. He was a ski bum. It was how he’d come to see himself, and it was safer than admitting he was alone.
He shook his head. “Nope, no family. And I was actually going to board in Colorado at the end of December, but I’d already committed to the Christmas-tree auction. I get wrangled into it every year.”
“You don’t really look like the Christmas-tree-auction type. No offense.”
“None taken. But I can decorate a mean tree.
And that’s not my ego talking, either.”
“Oh, I’d never presume.” Her smile faded. “And my dad usually helps?”
“Affirmative.”
“Who’ll do it now?”
He shrugged. Actually, if he’d been trying to set a trap to lure her into working on the damn tree with him, it couldn’t have played out any better. Chad would be proud.
“We’re gonna have a skeleton crew around here for the next few weeks. Most of my coworkers are going out of town for the holidays, so that leaves me. It’s okay. I’ll manage.”
He was shameless. He could see the tender look in her eyes. Poor EJ. And it’s all for charity, too...
“And it’s for the hospital?” she asked, mirroring his thoughts.
“Yup.”
She chewed the inside of her cheek, and his gaze dropped to her plump, glossy lips. For a second, he let himself imagine how they’d feel traveling across his bare chest. Yeah, he was shameless, all right. Chad would definitely be proud.
“When is it?”
“In a few weeks, right before Christmas.”
He could see her beautiful wheels turning. And they were heading straight for him, too.
“Well, I’m going to be here that long. I sort of feel responsible for my dad’s half of the project. I could help if you want.”
Bingo.
“I couldn’t let you do that. You’ve got a lot on your plate with Joe.” Arguing a little couldn’t hurt, right? It just added that extra flair of authenticity.
“I’ll be helping him,” she said, “but I’ve got to be honest. I was prepared for a lot more work than I think it’ll be. He’s getting around pretty well.”
It was true. Joe was doing great. He’d even impressed EJ, and EJ wasn’t easily impressed.
“He is.”
“Maybe I can be at his place during the day, and in the evenings, we can...I don’t know. Do tree things?”
“It sounds like Christmas trees might be your secret shtick.”
She looked away. “No. I don’t really like Christmas. It’s been years since I’ve decorated a tree.”
This was new information. For some reason, he’d just assumed she loved it. Her smile had almost broken her face at the sight of snow just now, for Christ sake.
Christmas at the Graff Page 3