by Emily Childs
Dot snickers and nudges Olive in the side. “I told you.”
“Told what?” I ask, rushing into the bathroom.
“Oh, nothing,” Dot calls out. “Nothing at all.”
“What?” I lean out of the bathroom. “You have a tone.”
Jace is the one who answers. “Dottie might have mentioned something about an impressive hug with a certain man at the shop.”
I groan. “That was a hug of gratitude. The insufferable man did something nice.”
“Insufferable,” Lily croons. “Sounds like a woman hiding compliments behind regency insults.”
“Regency insults? I haven’t heard that before. It’s a good word.”
The others are halfway out the door by the time I grab my wallet. Olive smiles and crooks her arm through mine, like we’ve been friends for years. “What we’re saying is perhaps there might be an opinion that’s changing about a certain bearded auto shop owner.”
“I know what you’re thinking.” I look to the entire group. “And no. Just no. I think nothing more of Zac than I did when I first came here.”
“Sure,” Dot says.
“I mean it. He did something nice, but it doesn’t mean I like him as a person.”
“Whoa,” Lily says. “We were just talking about a hug. You’re getting so defensive. What are you thinking about Zac?”
“Nothing,” I say, but a smile is desperate to break. “There’s nothing like that going on.”
“Whatever you say, Jo,” Dot teases and slips on her sunglasses. “Whatever you say.”
14
Zac
I should stay in. An abysmal amount of calls came in last minute, and after going through the schedule, payroll, and customer needs, I still have a to-do list that would carry over into the weekend. August helped, but as the owner most of the work falls to me. After a glimpse at life with an office assistant, I think it’s time to fill a full-time position.
I almost stayed in, but when I catch her eye across the diner, I’m glad I didn’t. And that thought unnerves me to my core. I scoot over in the booth with Will, Rafe, and August, so their wives can fit. Jace squishes next to Olive to avoid Will’s slug to her shoulder.
“We aren’t five, William,” Jace says.
“Come sit by me, Jo,” Dot insists.
I swallow a knot in my throat. Dot pats the space between me and her on the bench. Jo hesitates, then slithers over Dot’s lap and settles in the middle, because that was clearly the easiest seat to take. Her leg brushes mine and Dot is beaming like she won the Powerball. That woman is up to something, but I can’t say I mind sitting by Jo. The day was weird without her there.
I wipe my damp palms over my jeans. I’m an idiot, like a kid nervous to hold a girl’s hand for the first time. “How is the clinic?”
“Amazing,” she says with a grin. One of the sincerest statements I’ve heard out of her mouth.
I take a swig of water and lean back in the booth. “Huh. Sounds like someone did you a big favor.”
“Shocker that you’d find a way to make yourself the hero.”
“Did I say it was me? I was talking about the judge.”
Jo’s smile is quickly becoming one of my favorite things. “Oh, the judge?” She shifts in her seat, so her shoulders squared with me. “I’ll be sure and thank him. I was going to agree with you, Zachariah, and say thank you, but you’re right. You didn’t have anything to do with setting up the clinic.”
I laugh, heat prickles up my neck. “I’m glad you like it Jo. Although, I’ve made the decision I’ve been spoiled the last week, and it’s time to hire an assistant.”
“What are you talking about?” August calls down the table. “I’m your assistant, and I think I do a perfect job.”
Jo flashes a smile at Lily and August who sit closer than normal since these gatherings were one of the few nights they go out without little Brin. Zac scoffs and glances back at Jo. “I’m still going to look for an office assistant.”
The table laughs, Rafe shoves August in his shoulder and teases him about applying for the position permanently. Jo eases into the seat, like she’s always been part of the group.
“So, Jo, what does your boyfriend think about the change of employment?”
An innocent question, but I held my breath unsure how heartbroken Jo is over Doctor Dumb. She talked big at my place, but now she’d had some time to process. Her smile fades for a moment, face hollow, but then her smile returned in another breath.
“Uh, he wasn’t happy about it.”
Dot snorts. “Why the heck not? Did you tell him how amazing the clinic is?”
“Yeah. He thinks I’m better off specializing.”
I clench a fist over my knee beneath the table. This guy . . . who does he think he is? I just don’t get why he’d deliberately stand in her way.
“Oh,” Dot says. “I thought he’d be glad you weren’t at Zac’s smelly shop with all these dashing men around tempting you.”
“Ah, thanks Dot,” I say.
Jo grins. “I thought so too. I guess that’s why I, uh, well I broke up with him.”
Rafe and August and Will don’t stop talking, but the women at the table home in like Jo dropped a bomb.
“Come again?” Jace says.
Jo flicks her eyes to me and I offer a reassuring smile. What else am I supposed to do?
She blows out a long breath. “Yeah, I think it’s been a long time coming, but I felt like we needed a break.”
“Oh. My. Gosh,” Dot says, eyes wide. “Tell me everything. I wallow in breakups.”
“What?”
“Don’t mind her,” Olive says. “She’s still desperately in love with her ex and it eats at her.”
Dot tossed a piece of bread at Olive’s head and laughed. “It does not eat at me. I’m entirely over the whole thing.”
“Uh oh,” Jo says, seeming a little relieved the attention is off her. “What happened? Is he still playing with you?”
“I wish he was, he was that dreamy,” Dot says. “And I wish I could tell you what happened. One day I’m ready to wear the man’s ring, then the next he’s calling to tell me it’s over. In his stupidly, sweet way, of course.”
Olive nods. “I hate to say it, but Sawyer is terribly polite.”
Dot scoffs. “Tell me about it. I convinced myself he stepped out, you know?” Now Rafe chokes into his water. Dot flashes him a narrowed gaze. “Excuse me, something to say, Rafe?”
“Nah, Dot,” he shakes his head. Olive pinches her mouth tight. I know what Rafe’s probably thinking, and I agree. I met Sawyer, Dot’s ex, once, and he was not who I pictured for a princess like Dot. He was down to earth, chill, and ridiculously nice to everyone. Cheating would be entirely out of character. Then again, I didn’t really know him.
“That’s what I thought,” Dot says then turns back to Jo. “Anyway, I don’t think he was a scoundrel, but there was still something strange about the entire thing. He sounded angry with me.”
“With you?” Jo wrinkles her nose, and I discover I like that look on her as much as her smile.
“Tell me what an angry Sawyer sounds like,” Olive says. “Seriously Jo, this guy probably had butterflies for pets, he was like—”
“Okay, we don’t need to talk about his perfection,” Dot snaps. “Geez, y’all are supposed to be on my side.”
“We are, Dot,” August says, lifting his glass. “Never met him, but I bet he’s a total tool.”
Dot laughs. “Thank you.”
“Think it was a misunderstanding?” Jo asks.
Dot only shrugs. “Who knows? Never got that far in our conversation. He just kept saying ‘I think you know why’, or ‘This is for the best’ and nonsense like that.”
“And you didn’t ask more?” Jace presses.
Dot shrugs. “I think part of me didn’t want to know. Anyway, we haven’t spoken for awhile now. Doesn’t matter.”
“Well, sometimes boyfriends are the worst,” Jo sa
ys. “You may wallow with me whenever you want.”
Dot chuckles and clinks her glass against Jo’s. “That’s all well and good, but I’ve got a feeling I’m going to be single longer than you.”
I’m pretty sure Jo kicks Dot under the table, but it’s the moment Jo meets my eye that stops my breath. These feelings are foreign to me. I don’t know why Jo fueled whatever this was inside me. Our relationship has hardly been cordial, yet there’s something different about Jo Richards that ignites a desire inside I can’t deny.
Later, on The Battery, Olive leans her head on Rafe’s shoulder. Even Lily yawns, ready to curl up on the grass near the bustling walks as gilded lights of the streets brighten the silky night.
“I think we’re going to call it a night,” August says. “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 says. “I’ve got a meeting in the morning.”
“You’re not still talking with that Irish company are you?” Will groans.
“Yes, William. I am. They’re interested in the property and the new youth center.”
Will rolls 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 says, ruffling Will’s darker hair.
“I’d better get going,” Jo whispers, following after Jace and Dot.
Before I think, the words tumble out. “I can drive you.”
“It’s okay,” she says. “I came with Jace.”
“I know, but she lives in the opposite direction. I can take you. If you want.”
Jo studies me for half a breath, the space between her eyes furrows, and I’d like to know what she’s thinking. I’m an idiot.
“Okay,” she rasps, facing the two women stalking toward the street. “Jace I’m going to go home with . . . Zac.”
Jace beams and wiggles her fingers in a wave. “Oh, we figured. Bye now.”
“What does that mean?” Jo shouts back.
Zac rolls his eyes when Dot and Jace lean their heads closer and snicker down the street. “Who knows with those two? Come on, I’m this way.”
Waving goodnight to the others, I shove my hands in my pockets, suddenly untrusting of myself around Jo. I laugh when she gives me a pointed look as I open the truck door for her. “Jo, don’t start this again. I’ll win.”
“Just be glad I’m tired, Zachariah, or I’d certainly start this again.”
I point at the seat when she dawdles. A silent nudge to get her butt inside. She laughs and slips into the truck.
Normally I don’t mind driving in silence, but this quiet is causing me to sweat. Her arms are crossed over her chest, eyes straight ahead. We’re being weird, the both of us, and I don’t know why, or even how to act anymore. Nothing happened. We had dinner at my place. We were sort of civil, that’s it, but something has shifted. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or not.
I can’t stand the quiet anymore. “So, you really like the clinic?”
“Yep,” she says. “It feels great to be there.”
I tap the steering wheel with my thumbs. “Why do you sound sad about it then?”
“I’m not.”
“That isn’t true, but if you don’t want to say why, it’s fine.”
Jo sags against the seat. “I’m not sad. You don’t know me well enough to know my sad face.”
“Maybe,” I say with a laugh. “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.”
Jo laughs, sweet as honey. Then she smiles the smile I can’t get enough of. “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. Breakups can be hard.”
“You don’t want to hear about it.”
“Why not?”
“Because you don’t like me.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth, Jo,” I say with a firm look.
Jo meets my eye and adjusts in her seat so her back is against the door. “Fine. You asked for it. I find it annoying that I get more support from strangers than my boyfriend. My ex-boyfriend, I guess.”
“I see,” I say in my best shrink voice. “Care to elaborate?”
Jo snickers and curls a lock of hair around her fingers. “Emmitt was all I had back home, his opinion meant a lot to me. I guess I’m a little frustrated at myself, though, for not sticking up for what I wanted sooner. I also think the cause for our breakup is pretty lame.”
“What do you say the cause is?”
“Basically because I took a temporary job at a place he didn’t approve of. Sounds lame to me.”
“What is it with this guy and the medical facilities down here?”
“Oh, there’s a lot there,” Jo says, her voice softer than before. “It’s hard to explain everything. But all that doesn’t matter, I just wish he’d supported me when I say I enjoy something even if he didn’t understand why. That’s all.”
“You’re not wrong, Jo,” I tell her. My jaw pulses as I gather my words, but she doesn’t interrupt, so I barrel on. “Look, the person who is supposed to care about you should have your back. That’s my opinion.”
“Thanks,” she says, her fingers lace in her lap. “I was in my element there, Zac. I meant what I said at dinner, it’s like I found a place to belong.”
I pull into the motel parking lot too soon, but I put the truck in park and spin in my seat to face her. “What do you mean?”
Jo relaxes her head on the headrest and stares at the flickering neon vacancy sign. “In New York 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,” I finish for her.
Jo releases 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.”
I shut off the engine, Jo doesn’t protest. Resting my head against a fist propped on the window, I take a minute to respond. “You feel this way, but you’re going to go back to it when you get home?”
Jo’s lips part, she hesitates. “Yeah, I guess. What else would I do?”
“Work where you want,” I say.
She sighs. “It’s not always so easy. I mean, I know I asked for the break, but Emmitt—he is smart, he’s confident, and I’m sure all he wanted was for me to feel the same.”
I groan. “Yeah, but he’s an idiot because he’s missing that you’re miserable. Even after you told him, he still tried to make you feel guilty for something. Don’t make excuses for this guy, Jo. You don’t need to. Not with me.”
A twitch teases a smile in the corner of her mouth. “Thanks. He wasn’t the easiest to admit things to, I guess.”
“How long were you together?”
“Almost three years,” she whispers.
The tightening in my chest isn’t from jealousy—because that’s impossible, right? “Okay, that’s a long time. But, by now, don’t you think you should’ve been able to tell him how you feel?”
Jo stares out the window. “It wasn’t always his fault. I don’t . . . open up easily, and I’m pretty good at conforming to other
s.”
I can understand that in a way. There are things I keep inside too. I tap her shoulder, drawing her gaze from the window. “Stop conforming, Jo. You’re . . . awesome all on your own. You don’t need his approval, or mine, or anyone’s.”
She lowers her voice. “Do I have your approval, Zac?”
My tongue feels too big for my mouth. I run my hands along the steering wheel, if only to keep them busy. “You haven’t tried to impress me, Jo, but I have a feeling you’ve been more you with me than you have with people back home. You won my approval a long time ago.”
My world tilts and my palm heats when Jo rests her hand on top of mine. Our eyes meet and the pressure in my truck is about to blow the top off.
“Thanks, Zac,” she says. “I don’t know why, but it means a lot coming from you. You have some decent qualities, you know.”
“Yeah, well, don’t tell anyone.”
Jo laughs and opens the door. Her palm leaves mine and I want it back. She smiles at me once she’s out of the truck. “I’ll keep your secret. Thanks for listening. I feel better.”
“Good,” I whisper. “I meant all of it.”
We could be friends. That’s all I want. Another friend like Jace and Dot.
Except I don’t believe that’s all I want with Jo for a second.
15
Jo
I fork soggy lettuce into my mouth and scan the file. The desk is empty but smells new even though the clinic has been open for over a year. I know Dot and her family had a difficult time keeping the place staffed, and that’s a shame. There are a few ideas that keep mulling in my head on how to attract more staff, but I’m not sure if I’m in the best place to be giving advice.
Tossing the plastic container into the trash, I take the file into the room where a nurse and assistant record the vitals of a three-year-old. I smile at the mother whose eyes give away her sleepless night.
“Mrs. Whitmore, I’m Josephine Richards, I’m a physician assistant helping out at the clinic.” I beam at the boy who clutches a toy race car as if it were his source of life. He’s pale and has his neck cocked to one side. I lean down, so we’re eye to eye. “Hi, Tyler. How fast can your car go?”
