by C J Marie
Everyone chatted more about her new comfort at the clinic, but he’d heard something deeper. Zac caught the tremble in her voice, the frustration as she’d spoken about the Doctor Dreamy in Boston. He didn’t like the forced smile, and throughout the meal, Zac determined he’d like to be the one to keep her sincere grin on her face permanently.
And that was an unnerving truth he wasn’t sure he should dare accept.
Chapter 10
Olive leaned her head on Rafe’s shoulder as they walked the edge of the battery. Even Lily seemed ready to curl up on the grass near the bustling walks and fall asleep as gilded lights of the streets brightened the silky night. Zac laughed as Jace and Dot yawned in unison, Jace’s pale eyes red with fatigue.
“I think we’re going to call it a night,” August offered. “Sounds like Brin woke up for mama, and as much as she lies and says it’s fine, we better go save her.”
“Me too,” Jace said. “I’ve got a meeting in the morning.”
“You’re not still talking with that Irish company are you?” Will groaned.
“Yes, William. I am. They’re interested in the property and the new youth center.”
Will rolled his eyes. “Whatever Jay. Let them know that they should call you on our time once in a while so you don’t need to wake up at the crack of dawn to run a meeting.”
“Such a protective big brother. It’s fine as long as I don’t need to deal with their jerk of an engineer. The man complains about every idea I have.” she said, ruffling Will’s darker hair.
“I’d better get going,” Jo whispered, following after Jace and Dot since Jace was the ride.
Before he could stop himself the words were tumbling over his tongue like an overflowing spillway. “I can drive you.”
Jo glanced over her shoulder. “It’s okay. I came with Jace.”
He nodded. “I know, but she lives in the opposite direction. I can take you—if you want.”
Jo studied him for half a breath, the space between her eyes furrowed and Zac found a seeded desperation to know what she was thinking. He was pathetic.
“Okay,” she rasped, facing the two women stalking toward the street. “Jace I’m going to go home with…Zac.”
Jace turned over her shoulder, beaming against the dark night. She waved and nodded. “Oh, we figured. Bye now.”
“What does that mean?” Jo asked out loud.
Zac rolled his eyes when Dot and Jace leaned their heads closer and snickered down the street. “Who knows with those two. Come on, I’m this way,” Zac muttered.
Waving goodnight to the others, Zac shoved his hands in his pockets, not trusting himself around Jo. He wouldn’t be so bold as to take her hand, but it was better safe than sorry. Jo rolled her eyes when he opened her door, but he suspected it was more to tease him about their earlier conversation over their definitions of chivalry. He pointed into the seat, silently telling her to get her rear end inside.
Zac didn’t mind silent drives, but the quiet settling between him and Jo caused perspiration to bead across his forehead. She kept her arms crossed over her chest, and her eyes focused ahead. Running a hand through his hair, he glimpsed at her a few times before keeping his eyes trained on the road.
“So, you really like the clinic?”
He knew she was staring at him by the movement from the corner of his eye, but he didn’t glance over. “Yes,” she breathed. “It feels great to be there.”
Zac tapped the steering wheel with his thumbs, finding her face in the dark of his truck. “Why do you sound sad about it then?”
“I’m not.”
Zac shrugged. “That isn’t true, but if you don’t want to say why, it’s fine.”
Jo huffed, and sagged against the passenger seat. “I’m not sad. You don’t know me well enough to know my sad face.”
With a laugh he ran a hand over his trimmed beard. “Maybe. I know your angry face, and happy face, so I assumed the way you talked about it meant you were a little sad about something. I know you miss the shop, but I think this is best, Jo.”
Causing Jo to laugh was invigorating. She smiled, the real smile he liked so much, and sighed as she stared at the racing trees and cars next to them on the highway. “It’s nothing about the clinic, it’s more things back…home.”
“You know, I do have ears and can use them, if you want,” Zac pressed when she didn’t go on.
“You don’t want to hear about it.”
“Why not?”
“Because you don’t like me.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth, Jo,” Zac added with a firm look.
Jo met his gaze with her own challenge. She smirked and rotated in the sea so her back leaned against the door. “Fine. You asked for it. I find it annoying that I get more support from strangers than…my boyfriend.”
“I see,” he said in his best shrink voice. “Care to elaborate?”
Jo snickered, and wrapped her hair around her fingers. “Emmitt and I got into an argument over working in the clinic.”
“Again?” Zac snapped. “What is it with this guy and you working in medical down here?”
“There’s a lot there,” Jo replied, her voice softer than before. “It’s hard to explain everything. But all that doesn’t matter, I just wish…I guess I want him to support me when I say I enjoy something even if he doesn’t understand why. That’s all.”
“You’re not wrong, Jo,” Zac answered boldly. His jaw pulsed as he gathered his words, but Jo seemed expectant for him to continue. “Look, I don’t know the details of this weird argument between you two, but if it makes you happy then as I said before, the person who is supposed to care about you should have your back. That’s my opinion.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled, her fingers lacing in her lap a few times. “I was in my element this week, Zac. I meant what I said at dinner, it’s like I found a place to belong.”
He looked across the truck once he pulled into the motel parking lot. Putting the truck in park, Zac shifted so he faced her too. “What do you mean?”
Jo relaxed her head on the headrest and stared at the flickering neon vacancy sign. “In Boston I work so hard to keep up. The clinic I work at is connected to the cardiac unit at the hospital. I work with amazing cardiologists and surgeons, but they run circles around me. Even when I’m home, I’m usually studying, or researching so I can keep up with their endorsements—with their knowledge. It’s exhausting sometimes. I love my patients, and I find the heart fascinating, but…”
“It isn’t your passion,” Zac finished for her.
Jo released a rattling breath. “I know Emmitt doesn’t like general practice, and maybe it isn’t a good place for me to be, but I can’t help but feel so…sure when I’m in family clinics like Dot’s. I walk into every room, and it’s like I know what to do, I know how to act. If I’m stumped, I don’t get the panic like I do when I can’t figure out why blood pressure is rising or something.”
Zac shut off the engine, Jo didn’t protest. Resting his head against a fist propped on the window, Zac considered how to respond. “You feel this way, but you’re going to go back to it when you get home?”
Jo met his knowing gaze, her lips parted and it seemed she was at a loss for words. “Yeah, I guess. What else would I do?”
“Work where you want,” he stated. “Jo, no offense but this guy sounds like a tool.”
She glared at him, but Zac was pretty sure he saw the corners of her mouth twitch. “He is not. Emmitt is certain, confident, and wants those same things for me.”
Zac groaned and scrubbed his face. “Yeah, but he’s obviously missing the truth that you have all those things too—just not in the same field as him. Why doesn’t he like you working in family clinics?”
Jo shook her head. “It’s really difficult to explain, and honestly, I’m not sure I have the energy to dig into those things right now. I have a history that Emmitt would rather I not dredge up, that’s all. Family practice lives in that history.
It’s probably for the best.”
“You sound like you’re convincing yourself.”
Jo closed her eyes, her slender fingers massaging her forehead. “Maybe I am.”
“Then tell him that. How long have you been together?”
“Almost three years,” she whispered.
The tightening in his chest wasn’t from jealousy—because that was impossible, right? He blew out a breath and nodded. Zac still didn’t understand—but he found he wanted to know. “Okay, that’s a long time, Jo. By now, don’t you think you should be able to tell him how you feel?”
Jo stared out the window, her head tilted toward the sky. “I hoped so. It’s not his fault, Zac. I don’t…open up easily, and I’m pretty…good at conforming to others.”
Zac could understand that. There were things he kept inside too. He tapped her shoulder gently, drawing her gaze from the sky and back toward him. “Stop conforming, Jo. You’re…awesome all on your own without taking on the likes and dislikes of someone else.”
She met his eye, unblinking, and her neck pitted when she sucked in a long breath. “You don’t know me,” she whispered.
“You haven’t tried to impress me, Jo. I have a feeling you’ve been more you with me than you have with people back home.” Jo swallowed with effort, but stayed silent. It wasn’t confirming what Zac said, but at least it seemed he’d gotten her considering the idea. He clapped the steering wheel again, and sighed. “All I can say is you deserve to have someone support you like it seems you support your doctor. He wants to work in cardiology, that’s great. I think he should see that you don’t and be okay with it, that’s all.”
Zac’s head spun, and his palm blazed into flames when Jo rested her soft hand over the top of his. Their eyes met and pressure built in the cab of his truck. Jo smiled. “Thanks, Zac. I don’t know why, but that means a lot coming from you. You know, there are some decent qualities about you.”
“Don’t tell anyone.”
Jo chuckled, and opened the door. Her palm brushed off his, and Zac was left slightly emptier than before. “I’ll keep your secret.” She hopped out of the truck, but turned over her shoulder. “Thank you for listening. I feel better.”
“Good, Jo,” Zac whispered. “I meant what I said though. You deserve someone to have your back.”
She smiled politely, and Zac had a feeling Jo would need some convincing on the matter, but he was up for the challenge. He’d been up for Jo’s challenge since they’d met. In the friendliest way. No one should get any ideas there was another reason he wanted to help her see what she deserved. Purely friendship—acquaintance really.
Zac didn’t think anyone would believe that, since he wasn’t sure he did either.
***
Jo forked soggy lettuce into her mouth as she scanned the file. The desk was empty, but smelled new even though the clinic had been opened for over a year. Jo knew Dot and her family had a difficult time keeping the place staffed, and that was a shame. Jo had a few ideas on how to attract more physicians and various medical positions. She made a mental note to speak with the Gardener’s before leaving for Boston.
Tossing the plastic container into the trash, Jo took the file and stalked down the hallway where the nurse and assistant were recording vitals on a three-year-old boy. Jo knocked once before stepping into the room. She smiled at the mother, whose eyes relayed her sleepless night without question.
“Mrs. Whitmore, I’m Josephine Graham, I’m a physician assistant helping out at the clinic.” She beamed at a boy who clutched a toy race car as if it were his source of life. He was pale, and cocked his neck to one side. Jo leaned down so she met his eyes. “Hi, Tyler. How fast can your car go?”
“So fast,” he rasped.
Jo grinned. “I bet you can run faster.” He offered a weary smile. “Tyler can you show me where your neck hurts?”
The boy pointed to the swollen spot, and Jo palpated the area. She ran through a few stretches and visual throat exams before giving little Tyler a high five, and turned toward his mother. “Well, his strep test came back positive, but it looks as if some of his lymph nodes are infected as well. I’m going to prescribe some antibiotics, but if it continues to swell over the next twenty-four hours, or if his fever returns, or he complains of more pain, I need you to go to the emergency department at the hospital, alright? Sometimes the infection can fester and create an abscess. The antibiotics should prevent that, but just in case, please keep an eye on it.”
She nodded, the worry still painted on her face. Jo smiled with confidence. “He’ll be alright, Mrs. Whitmore.”
“Thanks,” she whispered.
Jo left the room once the prescription was in hand and Tyler had a sucker that he insisted made his throat feel better.
“I’m still going to talk you into staying.”
“Sometimes I wish I could, Abby,” Jo chuckled, plopping into the office with the lone nurse for the day.
“It’s nice to have regular hours, and you have a way with patients. Doctor Raymond is great, but sometimes his bedside manner is lacking, especially if his regular office is busy. You make everyone feel at ease.”
“You’re good at the sweet talk, maybe I will stay.”
Abby grinned. She was a tired mother of three, but Jo could easily see how much she enjoyed her job too. “Well, it’s nice having another woman around here. Raymond and I don’t have much to talk about sometimes, and Chelsie over there, well she’s more interested in what’s happening on her cell.”
Jo snickered. Chelsie was a senior in high school and worked in the afternoon. She planned to be a nurse too, but Jo found herself more at ease around Abby. Her phone buzzed on the desk, and the collision of both guilt and excitement sent her head spinning. Why was Zac texting her? And why did her body react on a chemical level? Yes their talk two days ago was nice, pleasant and friendly, and maybe he smelled delicious, but this emotion was inappropriate. Jo wasn’t unfaithful, the idea of sneaking behind Emmitt’s back sickened her, but she couldn’t deny the softer, considerate side of Zac Dawson caused a few flutters in the pit of her stomach.
“Well, someone likes that message,” Abby teased.
“Oh, no…it’s just a friend.”
“Girl, I know Zac—he changes my oil, and I can read that name plain as day.”
Jo narrowed her gaze. “Then you know why I’m here in the first place, and how Zac and I are destined to be mortal enemies.”
Abby laughed, and Jo found teasing about her truancy was more fun than she thought it might ever be. “Well if my enemy got that sort of reaction, I can only imagine what might happen to the people I liked.”
Jo rolled her eyes. “Like I said, maybe Zac could be considered a friend.”
“Well, good. He’s a decent guy who gives my wild things free popcorn when we take the cars in. I’m surprised a woman hasn’t scooped him up yet, not for lack of trying of course.”
“He gets around, huh?”
Abby scoffed. “Oh, there’s been a few women with their eyes loaded on Zac. Guess he hasn’t found that one I suppose. So, what did he say?”
Jo widened her eyes, her mouth gaped. “What a…oh, I better not say out loud.”
“Josephine you will spill this instant. I need it—Ralph has been out of town for a week, I need something saucy.” Jo’s cheeks heated when she laughed and showed Abby the text. Abby’s eyes brightened to a summer blue before her shoulders slumped forward. “That’s it? He found some cardiac book of yours?”
Jo snorted. “Yep, sounds like he’s going to drop it off. Nice and saucy, right?”
Abby rolled her eyes, and stole from the supply of suckers on the empty bookshelf. “That was the most anticlimactic moment of my day. I’m leaving, are you heading home?”
Jo nodded. “In a little while, I have some paperwork and now I’m waiting for my book, right?”
“Oh, maybe I’ll hang around and see what happens after hours.”
“Get out of here,�
�� Jo laughed, tossing a wrapper at Abby. The nurse waved and Jo was left with a feeling of inclusion. Abby was born and raised in Honeyville—like Zac—and she made fun of Jo’s accent as much as Jo teased about her drawl. It seemed she might be finding…friends. Boston was her home, yet she had colleagues, not friends. Jo and Emmitt spent too much time at the office to really socialize with other couples unless it was for work. The warmth spreading through her chest was strange—a forgotten feeling she’d long buried since life had flipped upside down.
Jo checked her reflection in the bathroom mirror. It didn’t matter what she looked like when Zac stopped by, yet she found herself tousling her ponytail, and wiping mascara streaks from beneath her eyes.
Perhaps even more unnerving was when her phone rang and Emmitt’s name filled the screen, Jo didn’t even smile. “Hi,” she chirped after battling whether she should let the call go to voicemail.
“Jo,” Emmitt croaked. Clearing his throat it sounded as if he might be shifting around where he sat. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest and her fingertips tingled the longer he waited to speak.
“Emmitt, is something wrong?”
He cleared his throat again. Something was definitely wrong. “Yes,” he said. “I uh…there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Emmitt,” she whispered, gripping the phone. Emmitt never stammered. “You’re scaring me, what’s happened?”
“Listen, I felt I needed to be the one to tell you…”
“What?” she cried after another maddening pause.
“Um…Joseph Garcia passed away.” Emmitt took a deep breath, and his voice changed tones as if the words brought him a sense of relief.
“What? When?” Jo gasped, clutching her chest.
“A few days ago.”
“How?” she said, desperate to keep her voice steady.