Maybe the wine had magical powers or something. Then again, she’d had only half a glass. Those types of insights didn’t typically happen until one had had at least half the bottle.
“So the nurse is camping out in your bedroom for a few weeks, your mom and dad aren’t visiting—you’ll be rattling around here, won’t you?” Harrison said.
“What are you getting at?” Tanner pulled himself up a little and tried to glare at Harrison. It wasn’t working.
“You have a guest suite in the basement that’s nicer than my house.”
Harrison grinned at Jordan like he’d had the greatest idea known to mankind. She felt the hair rise on the back of her neck. Oh, hell no. She’d told Harrison about her housing dilemma. He’d said he had a few possibilities for her, but he was making no move to open his laptop. Her deadline was coming up, and she’d found nothing yet. She could still call her mom and dad and ask if she could stay at their house for a few nights. She’d like to avoid that if she could. Her parents were great and would welcome her with open arms, but this was the problem. She enjoyed her independence.
“Get to the point, or I’m going to go take a nap,” Tanner said.
“You were asleep over there anyway.” Harrison’s eyes twinkled as he turned to look at her. “Jordan’s looking for a place to live on short notice. Want to stay in the Taj Mahal during his PT, Jordan? He can get downstairs via the elevator. You can use the equipment in his gym so you can get in a few more PT sessions a week. You could also keep him and the nurse apart. How about it?”
Jordan’s mouth dropped open. She wasn’t sure where to start with Harrison’s idea, but she blurted out the only words that came to mind: “I don’t think so.”
“You haven’t seen the guest room yet,” Harrison continued. “He has a whirlpool tub in that bathroom too. There’s a media room downstairs with a fully stocked bar and a kitchenette. It’s Disneyland for adults.”
“I never invited her,” Tanner said.
“I have my own place. I have other clients,” Jordan said.
“You’re twenty minutes or so from Eastside PT. You’re traveling against traffic in the morning and evenings, so you can zip right over there and back. You need to find a place.” Harrison took a sip of wine. “I think it’s an excellent idea.”
“No it’s not,” Jordan said.
“What if I don’t want to live in a house with two women telling me what to do? Did you consider that?” Tanner said to Harrison.
“I’ll be fine,” Jordan said. “I can find another place, and if worse comes to worst, I can move in with my parents. It’s not that big of a deal.” She didn’t want to discuss her weirdo roommates in front of Tanner or their ridiculous time limit. It was a little embarrassing. Even more, she didn’t want him to think—again—she couldn’t handle her own life, either.
Harrison was pretending like he hadn’t heard her. “A couple of months won’t hurt. You’ll get better, and you can find something else to do besides stay home and binge on Netflix,” he told Tanner.
“I hardly ever watch TV—” Tanner said.
“I’ve never seen you with a book in your hand, and the only people who visit these days besides me are your family,” Harrison said.
“This isn’t a good idea,” Jordan said.
“I’m shocked you’re not jumping on this,” Tanner said to Jordan. “I think my feelings are hurt.”
“You don’t want me living here. I can’t afford this place,” she said.
“If you’ll work with me a few times a week, maybe stretching or something, I won’t charge you a dime. We’re in Amazon Fresh’s delivery area. There’s every video game known to mankind downstairs, and I also have all the pay TV channels. Free Game of Thrones and Veep.” He raised one eyebrow. “I also own a boat. What more could you want?”
“I don’t like you that much.” She seemed to be the only one who noticed the note of desperation in her voice. She was running out of reasons to turn him down besides the fact he could be the worst roommate of all time. Then again, the house was so big she probably wouldn’t see him more than once a day.
“If I was so horrible, you wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”
“It’s a professional thing,” she said to Tanner. “Harrison had to drop you off and make sure you got in the house safely.” Harrison had texted something about going out for a drink, but he’d never said another word about it. “Weren’t we going out for a drink?” she said to Harrison.
She tried not to think of the dismal little basement she was living in or her stuff out on the lawn if it wasn’t packed and gone by the end of the month. It was a little weird that Tanner had suddenly decided he actually wanted her here too, but this entire evening had been something else already.
“I think this solves all of your problems, T. You can work with Jordan here when we’re done with the kids and after her workday at the PT practice. Think of the bright side. In the meantime, we’ll get you a number for Lyft so someone can pick you up and bring you home from your appointments.”
The nurse appeared at Tanner’s elbow again. “There’s not going to be any problems here. He’ll do what I tell him to, and that’s final.”
“I’m calling the nurse people. They must have sent the wrong one,” Tanner said.
“Oh no, Mister. Your reputation precedes you,” the nurse said.
“What does that mean?”
“I’m your last chance. Get used to it.” She glanced over at Jordan. “Why don’t you go look at the downstairs guest suite before you tell His Royal Highness to piss up a rope? I can’t stand him, either, but I’d live with Satan himself for the summer if I got to hang out in a place like this for free.” The nurse must have been listening in on their earlier conversation, which was a bit weird.
“I don’t think so. She’s paying for something,” Tanner said.
“You’re paying her, Tanner. Get used to it.” Harrison settled back against his chair with a smug smile. “I’m going to enjoy watching you get bossed around by two women.”
***
TANNER WAS IN hell, population one. Maybe it was the pain meds. Maybe he was hallucinating or something. He was wondering why everyone in his house was conspiring against him, or seemed to be.
He thought he didn’t want DP living downstairs, but he’d changed his mind. He’d rather deal with her than Nurse Barb. He’d decided in the last minute and a half that having a physical therapist in his house could mean he’d heal faster from additional sessions with her. The house was big enough that she could do her thing, he could do his, and they’d stay out of each other’s hair. He’d gone from somewhat happy solitude to two roommates in less than three days.
So much for his attempts to do things himself.
Tanner managed to force his eyes open again. The painkillers were really kicking his ass today.
“Weren’t you and DP supposed to be having a drink somewhere else right now?” Tanner said.
“This is pretty enjoyable,” Harrison said.
“We could leave,” Jordan said. “Stop calling me DP.”
“More wine?” Harrison held up the bottle.
“No, thank you. I need to drive home,” she said. She glanced out at the lake again, which shimmered in the early evening sunshine. The blue sky was accented with delicate clouds. A sailboat glided past as she took the last sip of wine in her glass. “How does he stand to leave this place?”
“Gotta work, or at least I did. I had to pay for it all,” Tanner said.
His voice was sleepy. It was her cue to leave. She put the empty wineglass down on the table surrounding the fire pit and got to her feet. She reached out to shake his hand.
“Thanks for the drink. Your house is beautiful.”
“You haven’t seen the rest of it,” he said.
“Maybe another time,” she said.
He didn’t let go of her hand. His hand was big, warm, and, oddly enough, comforting. She reminded herself again that they didn’t
like each other and she needed to get the hell out before she decided she was staying. To her surprise, he shoved himself to the edge of his chair, grabbed his crutches, and hauled himself to his feet.
“Come on. Let’s go see the guest room.”
“You need to sit here and relax. I’ll go home.”
He gestured toward the living room with one crutch. “Elevator’s in there.”
“I thought you were kidding about that.”
“The people who sold me the house had a mother-in-law that had a tough time with stairs. She was a nice lady,” he said. He nodded at a black-lacquered wooden door with the same type of glass and wrought-iron inlay as his front door. “The elevator’s right there. Want a ride?”
The elevator was smaller than a coat closet and didn’t look like it would fit both of them. “I can walk.”
He gestured for her to precede him inside. “Go ahead,” he said as she pulled the protective door open.
Smaller than a coat closet? It was smaller than a shoe box. Even worse, she was wedged into one corner while Tanner maneuvered his way inside. He hit the button to close the elevator door, and she was hit by a wave of his scent. He smelled like soap, and aftershave that smelled like water, only better—a fresh, clean smell that she wanted to keep breathing in. If they got stuck in this elevator, she might get her wish. He hit B.
“This should take about a minute. You okay back there?”
“I’m fine,” she said.
She was not going to lean forward, bury her nose in his clothes, and breathe deeply. How could someone she wanted to get away from smell so good? She clasped her hands behind her back before she gave in to the urge to wrap her arms around his waist and lean into him.
Tanner let out a grunt as he shoved himself out of the car. “Let’s go.”
Jordan trailed Tanner as he moved through a huge combination family room and media room. It was dominated by another large flat-screen TV, a red sectional couch covered with fluffy, colorful throw pillows, and a wooden coffee table. A fully stocked kitchen and bar area with seating took up the opposite wall. She followed him into a short hallway as Tanner opened a door at the far end.
The guest room was a pale shade of aqua with clean white molding, warm gray hardwood flooring covered with an area rug in shades of blue, and a tray ceiling with recessed lighting. The king-size bed was draped in white—white sheets, comforter, and an excess of fluffy pillows. The bed skirt was embroidered with aqua thread, and a canvas painted with an Impressionist beach scene hung over the bed.
She turned to see a small seating area with two patterned slipper chairs in front of a gas fireplace.
“There’s a connecting five-piece bathroom over there,” Tanner said. “Jacuzzi tub.”
Every reason why she should not live in a house with a guy who worked her last nerve for the summer came to mind. She’d already had a collection of the world’s worst roommates. She’d like someplace to retreat to when her workday was over that did not belong to a tall, handsome client with an attitude problem. Her resolve weakened as the seconds passed.
She glanced around again at the beautifully decorated, luxurious bedroom. Maybe she should check out the bathroom before she made up her mind. Maybe she should get her ass in the car and leave before she did something stupid.
Tanner raised one eyebrow and gave her a smile. “The price is right. There’s no damage deposit. You can move in tonight too. How about it, Jordan? Want to live in my guest room for a few months?”
Before she could bite the words back, she said “I’ll do it.”
***
JORDAN WENT HOME to pack a couple of bags. She didn’t need much. A few changes of clothes, another pair of shoes, some socks and underwear, her laptop and her toiletries. She could get the rest of her stuff on Friday after work. She was rolling the dice, but more than a chance to save some money this summer and live in Tanner’s beautiful house in exchange for a few extra PT sessions during the week, she had to admit she was curious about him. Who was he—the grumpy guy she’d met the first time he came to the clinic, or the warm, kind of funny guy he’d been lately?
She was tempted to chalk up his change in disposition to painkillers. She had to admit she enjoyed the verbal sparring. He really needed to quit calling her DP, though.
She glanced around her basement apartment to see if she’d forgotten anything she’d need before Friday. There wasn’t a lot in her refrigerator, so it wasn’t like she was worried about rotting food or wasting stuff.
Twenty minutes later, she drove through the open security gate at Tanner’s and parked in front of the garage. The early evening sun painted everything gold as it sank slowly on the horizon. The sparkle of sunlit water was so bright, she shaded her eyes with one hand. She stared at the garage door as she muttered, “What am I doing here?” She’d had only one glass of wine earlier, so it wasn’t like she could blame this decision on being drunk. She couldn’t blame it on anything rational, either. She’d always been somewhat anal-retentive about having a plan. It was a hell of a time to decide to take a risk.
She shoved her keys into her pocket and got out of her car.
“He’s in his room sleeping,” the nurse called out from the front doorway. “The coast is clear.”
In for a penny, in for a pound, as her grandma would say. Jordan popped the trunk of her car and pulled out her suitcases, her purse, and her laptop bag. She dragged her stuff to the front door. The nurse reached out to grab the rolling suitcase handle.
“You don’t really hate him, do you?” Jordan said.
“I’ve worked with guys like him before. He’s an ass. I won’t be responsible if someone shoves him into Lake Washington one of these days,” she said.
Jordan stifled a laugh. She came to a stop halfway across the huge entryway of Tanner’s house.
“Maybe we should introduce ourselves if we’re both going to be living here. I’m Barb.”
Jordan reached out and gave Barb’s hand a brief shake. “I’m Jordan. Nice to meet you.”
“Same here.” Barb took Jordan’s purse, her laptop bag, and the rolling suitcase and stashed them in the open elevator. “You can take them downstairs later. Let’s talk about how this is going to work.”
Barb led Jordan into an airy, open kitchen with a center island and a breakfast bar.
“This is gorgeous,” Jordan said.
“It is,” Barb said. “Would you like something to drink? There’s water and ice in the front of the fridge. The glasses are in the first cabinet on your right.” She sat down at the wooden kitchen table.
“Would you like some too?” Jordan said. Barb nodded. It was a little weird that Barb thought Jordan was in the house to wait on her, but maybe that was part of the discussion Barb wanted to have.
The old-fashioned round table and high-backed chairs were made of wood and painted a glossy cider color. Jordan was surprised to note a blue-checked cotton tablecloth. Most guys (in her experience) didn’t care about stuff like tablecloths. She filled two glasses with ice water and put one down in front of Barb.
Jordan sank into the chair across from Barb.
“I’m here five days a week,” Barb said. “I don’t clean. I don’t cook. I don’t do his laundry. I’m not here to wait on him.”
“Got it,” Jordan said.
“I have to make sure he doesn’t kill himself in the shower, but I don’t sleep with him. Are you planning on sleeping with him?”
Jordan spent a few seconds pondering exactly what Barb meant by “make sure he didn’t kill himself in the shower,” but it finally dawned on her that she’d been insulted. “What?” popped out before she could stop herself from speaking.
“I’m not dealing with the bullshit that goes along with it if you’re making a play for him. If that’s your plan, you need to leave right now.” Barb looked across the table at Jordan. “Do I make myself clear?”
“I’m not interested in him,” Jordan said. “Why would you think I was?”
/>
“You were quick enough to decide to move in here.”
“It wasn’t my idea. He still can’t drive—”
“Doesn’t matter.” Barb waved one hand in the air. “You’ll have to work the cooking and cleaning out with him, in any case. Good luck with that.” She chugged the rest of her water, got up from the table, and walked out of the kitchen without another word.
Jordan stood up and reached out for the glass of half-melted ice Barb had left behind. She wasn’t going to spend the next couple of months cooking for and cleaning up after two other people, either. Barb’s behavior was weird. Come to think of it, the entire situation was weird, and she was obviously missing something. She glanced out the window and noted Harrison’s car was gone too. Maybe she should text him and ask what the hell was going on.
Jordan dumped the leftover ice into the sink and put the glasses into the top shelf of the dishwasher. Somebody was doing housework around here; the house was too clean for a guy who had spent the past six months hanging out on the couch, according to him. She reached out to open the refrigerator door. It was full of fresh fruit and vegetables. No science projects anywhere.
Speaking of science projects, she heard the unmistakable sound of someone walking with crutches and heading toward the kitchen. There wasn’t anywhere to hide. He’d see her if she dashed down the hall past him. Best to get this over with.
Tanner appeared in the doorway with a pillowcase crease on one cheek. His hair was a tousled mess, and he gave her a somewhat dazed smile. “You’re still here.”
“I’m thinking I should leave.”
He lowered himself into one of the kitchen chairs and leaned the crutches against the table. “Why?” He nodded at the chair across from him. “Have a seat.”
She’d rather poke herself in the eye, but she approached the table once more and pulled out a chair to sit in. Silence fell as Jordan folded her hands on the kitchen table. Tanner leaned back in the kitchen chair.
Necessary Roughness Page 6
