by Sandi Lynn
“Yeah. Mason invited this guy over he met last night at Rudy’s.”
“What guy?”
“Some guy named Jack. I guess he’s from Alaska and was a crab fisherman. They got to talking last night over drinks and he invited him over.”
“That’s weird. That doesn’t sound like my brother,” he spoke.
“I thought that too, but then again, he did invite me to live with him.”
“True.” He chuckled. “I guess my little brother is changing.”
“Who’s changing?” Mason asked as he walked through the door.
“You are. Sara was just telling me how you invited some random guy from Rudy’s over for dinner.”
“Yeah. His name is Jack. I’ll go get that shirt for you.”
“When do I get to meet this new friend?” Nathan shouted.
“Dude, I just met the guy. I don’t know.” Mason walked over and handed him his shirt.
“Thanks, bro. Don’t forget we’re meeting at the gym tomorrow morning at six. Elijah said he has to be at the office by eight.”
“I’ll be there. See you later, bro.”
While Mason seasoned the steaks, I started prepping the salad. As I was cutting up the cucumbers, the knife slipped and cut my finger.
“Shit!” I yelled as I grabbed hold of my finger and blood poured from it onto the counter.
“Here,” Mason spoke as he grabbed a towel. “Wrap this tightly around it.”
I couldn’t help but smile at him.
“What?” The corners of his mouth curved upward.
“I am a doctor, you know.”
“I know. Sorry. It’s just the medical training side of me.”
After a few moments, Mason took the towel and slowly unwrapped it so he could look at my finger.
“Good news, doctor. I don’t think you need stitches. I’ll go grab a butterfly from the bathroom and I’ll have you fixed up in a flash.” He winked.
I sighed as I looked at my finger. Within a moment, he was back, and he placed the butterfly Band-aid around my finger.
“All better. And for being such a star patient, I have a nice big, satisfying lollipop for you.”
“I’ll suck on it later. Your friend will be here in a few minutes.” I gave him a wink as I walked away.
“Damn you, Sara.”
I laughed all the way to my bedroom.
Chapter 25
Mason
“Jack, come on in,” I spoke as I opened the door.
“Thanks, Mason. It’s good to see you again.”
“You too. Jack, this is my roommate, Sara. Sara, this is Jack.”
“You neglected to tell me you lived with a beautiful woman. The pleasure is all mine, darling,” he spoke as he brought Sara’s hand up to his lips.
“It’s nice to meet you, Jack. You two go sit down while I get dinner,” Sara spoke.
“I can help,” I said.
“No. No. You go sit and talk with your friend.” She smiled.
We both sat down at the table and Jack leaned over.
“Roommates?”
“Yes. Just roommates. It’s a long story.” I smiled.
“And one I’m looking forward to hearing.”
Sara put dinner on the table and took her seat. While we ate, Jack shared some of his fishing stories and how close he came to death multiple times over the years.
“Mason told me you don’t have any family here,” Sara spoke.
“No. I don’t.”
“What about back in Alaska?” she asked.
“Not really. I guess you could consider my crew part of my family. It’s always been just me.”
I could tell by the look on his face that it bothered him, and I wished Sara would stop asking him questions like that. Once we were finished eating, Sara got up from the table and took the plates to the kitchen sink.
“Let me help,” Jack said as he got up. “It’s the least I could do for the fine meal you cooked.”
“Thanks, Jack, but that’s not necessary. You sit down and relax. I’ve got this.” She smiled.
He walked over to the sofa table where I had a picture of me, my mom and my brothers from her wedding in Vegas.
“Is this your family?” he asked as he picked up the frame and stared at the picture.
“Yeah. That’s my mom and my brothers.”
“Your mother is a beautiful woman if you don’t mind me saying so.”
“Not at all. She is beautiful. That was actually taken not too long ago at her wedding.”
“What about your dad?” he asked.
“Never knew him. He took off right after I was born.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. You never tried to look for him?”
“No. He was something we didn’t discuss in our household. We all figured if he could walk out on his family the way he did, he wasn’t worthy of knowing us.”
He set the picture down and walked back over to the table.
“You have a beautiful family, Mason.”
“Thanks.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, do your brothers have dangerous jobs as well?” he smirked.
“Elijah is a lawyer and Nathan is an airline pilot.”
“Good careers. Your mother raised you boys well.”
Sara
I stood at the sink and listened to every word Jack said. Something about him wasn’t sitting right with me. Sure, he was a nice man, but something seemed off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. When we were sitting at the table eating dessert, I noticed something. Something a doctor would notice, and I figured maybe that was the reason he came to New York.
“So, Jack, what brings you to New York?”
“No specific reason. I guess I just wanted to visit and catch some sights that everyone in the world talks about.”
“Oh yeah. Like what?”
“Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, museums. Things like that.”
“I thought you said last night you came here for personal reasons,” Mason said.
“I didn’t really think you’d want to hear about that boring stuff.” He smirked. “To me, those are personal reasons.”
“Yeah. I guess,” Mason said.
“How long do you plan on staying?” I asked.
“I’m not sure yet. Enough talk about me. What is it you do, Sara?”
I grabbed three beers from the fridge and took them over to the table.
“I’m a doctor.”
“Really?” His brow raised. “Any kind of specialty?”
“ER.”
“Good choice. Like Mason here, you also save lives. You two are a good fit for roommates.” He gave us a wink. “Are you from New York?”
“No. I’m from Connecticut. I moved here to be closer to my mother. She’s in a care facility for Alzheimer patients.”
“Gee. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“And your father?”
My heart started racing as I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“I don’t have a father as far as I’m concerned, and we’ll leave it at that.”
“Okay. Got it. Thanks for the dinner and the beer. It was all very good. You two have made my stay here welcoming and I appreciate that. I better get going now.”
He got up from the table and headed towards the door.
“Jack, I’ll be at the station the next couple of days if you want to stop by. I’ll give you a tour.”
“I’d like that, Mason.” He gave him a small smile. “You two enjoy the rest of your evening.”
As soon as he walked out the door, Mason sat back down at the table.
“Well, what did you think?” he asked.
“Something is up with that guy.”
“Oh, come on, Sara. He’s a good man.”
“You don’t even know him, Mason.”
“And neither do you to say that,” he spoke with irritation as he collected the beer bottles from the table.
“Why are you giving me an attitude abou
t it?”
“Because you’re being rude. The guy was nothing but nice and polite, and instantly you think something is up with him.”
“What is your fascination with this guy? For fuck’s sake, you just met him twenty-four hours ago, and it’s like he’s your new best friend. You asked me my opinion, and I gave it to you. You didn’t think it was odd how he was asking you about your family?”
“Not at all. He’s a lonely man, and he’s trying to get to know me. And to answer your question about my supposed ‘fascination’ with the guy, I find him interesting and easy to talk to,” he spoke with an abrupt tone. “And by the way, jealousy isn’t very flattering on you.”
“Excuse me?” I placed my hand on my hip.
“The way you’re behaving, you’re acting like you’re jealous of him or something.”
“Really? That’s what you think?” I spoke in anger.
“Yeah. It’s exactly what I think,” he shouted.
I put my hands up.
“Fine. Think whatever you want. I’m not discussing this any further. It’s obvious if someone doesn’t agree with you or see things the way you see it, they’re automatically wrong. I’m going to my room.”
“You’re bat shit crazy, Sara,” he shouted as I walked away.
“So I’ve been told.” I rolled my eyes and slammed my bedroom door shut.
Chapter 26
Mason
“Dammit,” I said as I gripped the counter and inhaled a deep breath.
Grabbing my keys, I headed towards the door. Placing my hand on the knob, I stopped, then turned around, threw my keys on the counter and headed straight to my bedroom. I had no idea what the fuck her problem was with Jack, but I wasn’t having it. She had no right to judge him the way she did.
I got up from the bed, walked to her room and opened the door in an angry manner.
“Excuse me!” she shouted.
“You have no right to judge someone before you even get to know them.” I pointed at her. “I thought you would have learned that already since you did the same thing with me.”
She picked up a pillow from the bed and threw it at me, hitting me square in the face.
“Get out of my room!”
“Real mature, Sara. Just think about what I said.” I shut the door.
This was ridiculous. Why was I even arguing about it with her? I didn’t give two shits what she thought.
I got up early and headed to the gym to meet my brothers. When I walked in, I only saw Elijah sitting on the bench.
“Hey bro,” I said. “Where’s Nathan?”
“He’s on his way. I guess Ruby was up all night with a fever.”
“Oh shit. I hope she feels better today.”
Just as I said that, Nathan walked over and joined us.
“How’s Ruby?” I asked.
“She still has a fever of 102. Allison is going to call the doctor today and see if she can get her in.”
“I know how worrisome it is when your child is sick. She’ll be okay, bro,” Elijah said as he patted Nathan’s shoulder.
I grabbed two plates and started warming up.
“So, how was dinner last night with your new BFF.” Nathan smirked.
“Who? What?” Elijah asked.
“Our little brother here has a new BFF. He met him at Rudy’s a couple days ago and had him over for dinner last night.”
“Shut up, douchebag.” I shot him a look.
“Who is this guy?” Elijah asked.
“He’s just a guy I met. He’s a crab fisherman from Alaska.”
“Damn. That’s a pretty dangerous job,” Elijah spoke as he did some bicep curls.
“He sat down next to me at Rudy’s and we just started talking. He’s an easy guy to talk to.”
“How old is this guy?” Elijah asked.
“I don’t know exactly, but I’d say sixty-ish.”
“Damn, bro. He’s older than Mom.” Nathan laughed. “What are you doing, looking for a father figure?” He laughed.
As much as I wanted to punch him, I couldn’t do it in the middle of the gym. Elijah raised his brow at me.
“He’s a nice guy and I feel sorry for him because he’s alone. He has no family and no friends from what I can tell. I was just being nice.”
Nathan laid down on the bench and gripped the barbell.
“Bro, you really need to add some more weight. I can lift more than what you’re lifting,” I said.
“Then put another plate on,” he said.
Elijah looked at me with furrowed brows, for he knew what I was about to do. I grabbed two forty-five-pound plates and put them on each side and stood behind to spot him.
“Come on, bro. You can do it.”
He grunted as he struggled to lift it.
“Bro, I’m losing it,” he said. “Grab it.”
“Take back what you said about a father-figure, douchebag,” I said as I stared down at him.
“What the fuck, dude! My arms are going to collapse.”
“Take back what you said!”
“I take it back. I take it back!”
I grabbed the barbell and put it up. Nathan sat up, trying to catch his breath as he slowly shook his head at me.
“You wait, bro. You wait.” He pointed his finger at me. “And you.” He pointed at Elijah, who stood there with a smirk on his face. “You were just going to let me get hurt?”
“Hey, this is between you and him. I’m staying out of it.”
We finished up our workout and left the gym.
“Are you working today?” Elijah asked me.
“Yeah. I need to be there in a couple hours.”
“Maybe I’ll swing by later and we can have lunch,” he said as he placed his hand on my back.
“Sure. Sounds good.”
By the time I got home, Sara had already left for work. I wouldn’t be seeing her for the next couple of days, which was good. It would give us both time to cool down. After I showered, I repacked my bag and headed to the fire station.
I had just gotten back from a rescue and headed to my office to do some paperwork when Elijah came in.
“Do you have time to have lunch with your brother?” he asked as he stood in the doorway holding up a plastic bag.
“Hey, bro.” I smiled as I got up and gave him a bro handshake. “Yeah. I’m starving. What did you bring?” I asked as we walked to the kitchen.
“Subs from that deli you love by the office.”
“Shit. Tell me you got me the Dagwood?”
“Of course.” He smiled as he took it out of the bag.
“You’re the best, bro.”
Walking over to the refrigerator, I grabbed a couple bottles of water and set them down on the table.
“Tell me about this guy friend of yours.”
“Is that why you wanted to have lunch?” I asked as I bit into my sub.
“No. It’s been a while since just the two of us talked.”
“Elijah, he’s just a guy. I don’t know why everyone is making a big fucking deal about it.”
“Who is everyone besides Nathan?”
“Sara for one. We got into a fight last night.”
“Over Jack?”
“Yeah. I asked her what she thought about him, and she said something is up with him. It was as if she doesn’t trust him.”
“So you got into a fight over her opinion?” His brow arched.
“Yeah. Because she shouldn’t judge people she doesn’t know. She only talked to him for a couple of hours and she already made her decision about him.”
“Let me ask you something. Why do you care so much what Sara thinks about him? Is something going on between the two of you that you haven’t told us about?”
Shit. If I lied to him, he’d know. He always knew when people were lying. It was the lawyer in him.
“We have an arrangement.”
“What kind of arrangement?” His eye narrowed.
“Friends with benefits type of arran
gement.”
“You two are still sleeping together?”
“Yeah.”
“That explains why you haven’t been forthcoming with your one-night stands like you usually are.” He smirked. “So how is it working out?”
“Great. She’s just as horny as I am all the time. We have rules.”
He sat across from me and slowly shook his head.
“You two and your rules. Anything else about her I should know about?” A smirk crossed his lips.
“If you’re looking to get the answer that I’m madly in love and can’t live without her, the answer is no. That is yours and Nathan’s weakness, not mine. No offense. Don’t get me wrong, I love Aspen and Allison to death, but you know where I stand as far as relationships are concerned.”
“But you let some random stranger cause an argument between the two of you. If you didn’t care about her, you wouldn’t care what she thinks. Just saying.” He brought the bottle of water up to his lips.
“It’s the principle of the matter. He gave her no reason at all for her to feel the way she does.”
“I will admit, I am concerned how you took to this guy so quickly.”
“Come on, Elijah. Fuck.”
Suddenly, the alarm went off, and a call came through about a shopping plaza fire.
“I have to go, bro. Duty calls,” I spoke as I quickly got up.
Chapter 27
Sara
I loved my job, and I loved being a doctor, but I didn’t feel complete or satisfied. There was a need deep down in my soul. A need that wasn’t being met.
I was at the nurses’ station doing some paperwork when Madeline, one of the nurses, walked over to me.
“Sara, Nathan Wolfe is in room six with his daughter. He’s asking for you.”
“Really? I’ll be there in a second.” I placed my pen in my pocket and headed to room six.
“Nathan, Ruby, what’s going on?” I asked sympathetically as Ruby laid on the bed, not looking so well.
“Ruby was up all night with a fever and a sore throat. Allison called the doctor when she got to work this morning, but they couldn’t get her in until tomorrow. I took her temperature again, and it was up to 103.9. There was no way in hell I was waiting until tomorrow, so I called Allison and told her I was bringing her here.”