~*~
He hadn’t succeeded. Nick knew when he had seen Jesse talking to her husband that he had to try and get her to leave the clinic. Because, by God, he wasn’t going to be able to bear it. His reaction to seeing her with Wayne Holbrook was primal rage.
The thought of that jerk putting his hands on Jesse made him want to take him apart with his bare hands. Break both his legs. Snuff the life out of him. Whoa. Okay that was harsh, but he definitely wanted to make the son of a bitch bleed. No, he couldn’t handle the happy couple on a daily basis.
So he had started his campaign of making her uncomfortable. Uncomfortable? Hell, he had been flat out mean. With a sickening feeling, he remembered the sheen of tears he had seen in Jesse’s eyes before she had pulled herself together. What was wrong with him?
He had been so angry at the sight of her with Wayne that he had struck out. Which only underscored how impossible it was going to be to work with her. Ah Christ, he was going to have to leave the clinic if he couldn’t get a grip. He rubbed his face with his hands in tired defeat.
Claire arrived and glancing at her brother’s face and Jesse’s empty seat she asked, “Where is Jesse?”
“Hopefully I’ve chased her back to her husband where she belongs.” And safely away from me, he added savagely.
“She’s not married, you idiot. If you bothered to have a conversation with her you would know all this. She’s single and has more class in her little finger than all the bimbos you’ve ever dated.”
“Not married?” Nick looked stunned. Then he glanced across the room at Wayne.
“Not married. Divorced. I don’t know what the story is with the slime ball over there, but they are not together.”
Nick eyes gleamed. “I’ll be back.”
Claire smiled to herself with satisfaction as she watched her brother striding away purposefully.
Write On Press Presents: The Ultimate Collection of Original Short Fiction, Volume II Page 46
