by Rita Sawyer
“Jackie, are you working today?” She glanced over at Gage as she slid in behind the steering wheel.
He had his head resting back against the seat and his eyes were squeezed shut. Somehow she managed to get her seat belt on without dropping the phone.
“Yeah, I’m actually on my way in right now. Why?” her sister asked.
“That’s great. A friend of mine hurt his hand, and I’m driving him to the hospital.”
“You have a male friend? Does Nanny know? She called me about your horoscope. Is this guy the one you were supposed to meet?” her sister rambled excitedly.
“Concentrate. Gage is Lainey’s husband’s best friend. His hand got hit by a heavy glass door.” She pressed the speaker button on the phone and laid it on her purse.
“How’s it look?” Jackie asked.
“Swollen, and two of his fingers are bruising,” Dianne said as she backed out of the parking spot.
“Is he in a lot of pain?”
Gage nodded and Dianne said, “Of course he is. Can you meet us in the emergency room?”
“Yeah. I’ll call the desk in case you get there first.”
“Thanks. See you soon.” She ended the call and dropped her phone back into her bag.
“You know someone who works at the hospital?” he asked.
“My sister. She’ll make sure you’re taken care of quickly.” Or at least Dianne hoped she would.
Gage groaned when she hit a huge bump in the road. She had no idea how bad the damage was, but she would bet something might be broken. She slowed down as she took the next right, which would take them to the hospital. Dianne wondered if she should call someone else.
“Do you want me to call one of your sisters or Jace?” She figured Jace would know what to do.
He gave a slight shake of his head. “No. I don’t want to worry my sisters, and Jace would call them.”
“Okay.” She pulled into the emergency room parking lot and grabbed the first open spot she saw.
Gage let out another loud groan when she stepped on the brake hard enough to send him slightly forward. She didn’t bother to apologize as she reached over and undid his seat belt. Once she got out of the car she raced around to help him out. On the way across the parking lot, she saw her sister standing by the entrance. Her heart stopped racing and slowed to a still-quick but steadier beat.
“Gage, I’m giving you a fair warning. Your hand is hurting now, but your ears will probably be aching by the time we leave.”
“Why?” He turned and looked at her.
“My sister’s a talker. Like, nonstop.”
“Can we come back when I’m not hurt so I can dig up some dirt on you?”
She was glad his injury hadn’t affected his sense of humor. “Nope. Gage, this is my sister, Jackie. Jackie, this is Jace’s best friend, Gage Dillinger.”
They exchanged hellos as Jackie led them to an exam room. Dianne took a seat in the corner out of the way. Jackie opened a cabinet and pulled out an ice compress. With a twist and shake, the pack cracked and instantly turned cold. She helped Gage wrap it around his hand and asked what him what happened.
Gage flinched at her touch, but managed to explain. He started where he picked her up, and then going to the jewelry store. Right up to the point where the chick had whacked him with the door. Jackie wrote it all down. She’d probably call their grandmother and fill her in before the night was over.
“I need you to fill out some forms. My sister can help you with that. Do you have an insurance card?” she asked, still scribbling on the chart.
He nodded. “It’s in my wallet.”
“I’ll get it.” Dianne lunged to her feet and he started to slide off the exam bed.
He leaned to the side, and she reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. She flipped it open, feeling oddly intrigued about what she might find inside. Her fingers quickly flipped through his license and credit cards until she found the insurance card. She pulled it out and handed it to her sister, who was standing there smiling.
“I’ll go take care of this while you fill out that paperwork.” Her sister left them alone.
Dianne knew there would be questions later, but right now getting Gage’s hand taken care of was more important. “How are you doing?”
“I’m still alive,” he groused.
“Let’s hope you stay that way,” she teased, hoping for a smile, and he didn’t disappoint her.
They had just finished filling out the forms when Jackie returned with a guy dressed in scrubs and a long white jacket. Jackie took the chart from her and passed it to him, so Dianne assumed he was a doctor. He flipped through the pages then handed it back to Jackie.
He walked over to Gage. “Well Mr. Dillinger I’d shake your hand, but I don’t think you’d like me very much after that. So let me take a look at it instead.”
Dianne cringed as the doctor pulled back the ice pack. Just the guy’s touch had Gage hissing. The doctor turned Gage’s hand the slightest bit and Gage cursed. As the doctor moved each of his fingers, she saw Gage’s eyes water. Dianne fought the urge to tell him to stop. She knew the probing was necessary, but damn, couldn’t the doctor be a little gentler?
The doctor nodded at Jackie. “Okay, we’re going to need to send you down for some X-rays to be sure, but I think you may have a broken bone or two. I’m going to give you something for the pain that should kick in before you get down there.”
“Good!” Dianne and Gage said at the same time.
He looked over at her and she smiled. Just because she didn’t like seeing him in pain didn’t mean she was falling for him, or at least that’s what she told herself.
* * * *
Even with her sister pulling strings—which saved a lot of time—the trip to the ER took them about three hours. Gage had in fact broken not one, but three bones. His cast went from the middle of his fingers to mid-forearm. The doctor had assured her that the bruising and swelling looked worse than they were. Groggy from the pain meds they had given him, Gage probably wasn’t going to remember the doctor’s instructions, so he had written them down for him.
Dianne had assured the doctor someone would be there to care for him. For tonight, that someone was going to be her, though she didn’t dare say that in front of her sister. Jackie offered to stay with Gage by the door while Dianne went to get the car. She pulled up to the door and climbed out of the car. He walked the few feet to the car on his own, but they each walked by his sides, ready to catch him if he stumbled.
He caught Jackie’s hand when they reached the car and tugged her close. “You know, you’re beautiful, but your sister is a goddess. And she smells like sugar cookies. She makes me hungry.”
“Wow, you guys must have given him some really good drugs.” Dianne hoped her sister would chalk his comment up to drugged-up ramblings.
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow when you call me,” her sister said.
It took the two of them to get him into the passenger seat, where he leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes. In the short amount of time it took for her to get out of the parking lot, Gage had twice told her how pretty she was. When he didn’t say anything else, she looked over at him. He seemed to be dozing like her sister had said he would. She wanted to get him right home, but she needed to stop and pick up the pain relievers the doctor had given him a prescription for.
Her sister promised these would be much milder, but still strong enough to take the edge off his pain. She pulled into the parking lot for a strip of stores close to his house. Dianne spotted the pharmacy where her sister called in the prescription She hadn’t known there was a Chinese takeout in the same plaza, but she was thrilled to see it since she hadn’t eaten yet. Gage’s light snoring was filling the car, so she decided to take a chance. She parked in front of the restaurant, dashed inside, and placed a quick order for two.
Then she ran three doors down to the store and picked up his prescription. She peeked into the car
before going back in the Chinese place to pick up their food. Her plan was to feed him, then get him into bed.
Chapter Seven
Dianne tried to ignore the emotions that bombarded her as she slipped into the back of the cab. Last night, things between her and Gage had taken a major unexpected turn. She spent the night lying in his bed snuggled up to his side just listening to him breathe. It hadn’t gone the way she thought it would. Somehow it felt even more intimate than when they had spent the night making love, dozing off, then waking up and doing it all over again.
She sank back against the cold vinyl seat and gave the driver her address. Gage had insisted she take his car for the day since he wasn’t going to be using it, but she refused. As she unrolled the window to get some air that didn’t smell like stale cigar smoke, she wished she hadn’t. The problem was, even though she’d driven his car last night, she wasn’t comfortable driving it without him sitting right there next to her. Besides, if she did take his car, she was afraid it would mean more to him than it should.
She added inner turmoil to the list of unwanted feelings she was experiencing. Hell, it was her own fault she found herself in this predicament, though she’d love to find a way to blame Gage. It had been her choice to agree to his bargain. Again, she agreed to keep her word when she knew with a little pressure from Jace she could have gotten out of it. She’d been the one to allow things between them to get physical, and maybe even a little emotional, too. And last night it had been her decision to stay over, just in case he needed something.
No matter how hard she tried to assure herself that she was reading too much into things, she couldn’t deny that her feelings about him had changed. She thought she had enough walls built around her heart to keep him out, but the more time she spent with him, the weaker the wall got. Gage’s sexy looks only took him so far. She found out he had the personality to carry him the rest of the distance. Dianne was still searching for that big flaw she could use as an excuse to keep from admitting he might be the guy for her.
She had been using his playboy persona as a reason to keep her distance. Now that she gotten to see past that façade, she couldn’t use that as a deterrent. She didn’t know how he’d earned the reputation—and didn’t want to know, either—but it didn’t fit him at all. Not once when they were out did she catch him looking at, flirting with, or even acknowledging the looks directed at him from other women. No self-respecting playboy would focus on only one woman.
Then there were the other qualities he displayed. The way he loved his family showed her he wasn’t as caviler as he wanted people to think. Just thinking about how much time and effort he put into finding the perfect gift for his niece was a reminder that when he cared, he did it with everything he had. She’d thought her books and a poster or two would be a great gift, but she had to admit his idea was even better, since it was so personal.
The taxi pulled up in front of her building, and she couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. She walked around to the driver’s window and handed him the fare. A quick glance at the pink, rhinestone-encrusted watch on her wrist made her groan. She ran up the stairs and into her building. Luck must have been on her side or something, because the elevator doors opened just as she stepped into the foyer. Within minutes, she was in her apartment. She hoped that luck would last long enough for her to make it to lunch with her friends on time.
* * * *
Gage was tempted to ignore the pounding on his front door, but if it was one of his sisters, the knocking wouldn’t be going away any time soon. Of course, the only way it would be one of his sisters was if Jace had gotten word about why he was out today and called one of them. He lifted his hand off the stack of pillows, grimacing as he slid his elbow into the stupid sling. Dianne had told him the doctor said he needed to wear for at least the next three or four days.
When he balked, she threatened injury to a more vital body part if he didn’t follow the doctor’s orders to the letter. He opened the door and his three sisters brushed past him, leaving him and Jace standing there.
“You just had to call them,” Gage whined. It was manly of course. Still, he knew it was a pitiful sound.
Jace held up his hands in defeat. “Self-preservation. If they found out I knew and didn’t say something, I’d be wearing a body cast by the time they got done with me.”
“I don’t suppose Lainey would appreciate that.”
“No, she wouldn’t.” Jace leaned in closer as he closed the door and said in a softer tone, “I didn’t tell them everything. Like how you got to the hospital and who took care last night.”
“I’m guessing because you don’t want to have to answer any questions about what’s happening between me and Dianne,” Gage tossed back.
“You got that right. There’s no way I’m telling them you blackmailed her into dating you.” Jace plastered a smile on his face as they walked down the hall.
“Gage, why don’t you sit down and tell us what happened, since Jace seemed to be a little shy with the details.” His sister Natalie held the pillows in place while he lowered himself onto the couch.
“I went to the store to pick out Tabitha’s birthday present and as I was leaving, the lady in front of me whacked my hand with the door.”
“It must have been pretty hard to have broken a bone,” Tabitha’s mother Toni said.
“Three actually.” He instantly realized his mistake and rushed to fix it. “But according to the doctor they’re minor and should heal quickly.”
“Well, it was a good thing you weren’t alone when it happened.” Sarah, his oldest sister, always looked at things pragmatically.
“True. I was lucky that I was out with a friend.”
“You should bring your friend to Tabby’s party this weekend. I’m sure mom would like to thank him.” Toni’s offer was more of a challenge, and they all knew it.
“Sure, why not.” Gage almost laughed at the way Jace’s chin dropped in shock. “You and Lainey are coming too, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. Wait until you see the cake she’s making. I’ve only seen the sketches, but it’s going to be amazing. A true one-of-a-kind featuring The Stone Sisters.” Jace’s animated tone caught his sister’s attention.
“They’re her favorite. She’s going to be so surprised,” Toni said.
“Who are The Stone Sisters?” Gage wondered aloud.
“They’re characters in a very popular book series for kids.”
His sister Sarah’s tone made him feel like it was something he should have known. “And Lainey is able to make a cake with them on it?”
As always, when it came to talking about Lainey, Jace lunged right in, which was what Gage had been counting on. Gage figured Jace’s bragging should get his sisters off his case for a little while. About an hour later, Jace and Gage’s sister Natalie left to go back to work. Toni and Sarah, however, decided to stick around a little while longer to keep an eye on him.
He spent most of the time neatly avoiding talking about his love life. Unfortunately, it was a subject his sisters loved to converse about, with or without his participation. They didn’t bother to take his not-so-subtle hints to change the subject either. So he settled back on the couch and let them talk amongst themselves. Two hours later, when they finally left, he was exhausted. He closed his eyes, feeling he deserved a nap after the morning he’d just had.
* * * *
Dianne walked into the little café bistro Sadie had chosen for lunch this week. She wasn’t surprised to find her friends already there. She felt the heat bloom on her cheeks when they all turned and looked at her. If they hadn’t known something was up, they did now.
Lainey probably knew about Gage’s injury from Jace, but she didn’t know Dianne had spent the night taking care of him. Even if he had told everyone else and by some stretch of their wild imaginations they guessed she had been with him last night, she could honestly say nothing happened.
“You’re late.” Sadie’s accusation was delive
red in a happy tone.
“Sorry, I had a few things I needed to take care of this morning.” She dropped into the only empty chair at the table.
“Did any of those things have to do with Gage?” Jillian asked in her teasing tone.
Dianne decided to be completely honest. “Yes, but not in the way you think. Gage broke his hand last night and he refused to let me call anyone, so I stayed at his place to make sure he was okay.”
“Wow. He must have been in bad shape if you were willing to play nurse.” Amy was right.
Dianne was afraid there was more to it than that, not that she was ready to tell her friends just yet. “Well, it wasn’t like I could just leave.”
“I suppose not,” Karen said from behind her menu.
“Jace called a little while ago and said he stopped by to check on him, and so did Gage’s sisters,” Lainey informed her.
“That’s good.” Dianne felt an odd sense of relief.
“So will you be going back to his place after this?” Sadie’s question was one Dianne had been asking herself since she left his place this morning.
She shrugged in a noncommittal way. “I’m not sure. I have a lot of work to get done.”
“You know, Gage isn’t really as bad as we all thought.” Amy volunteered, without any one asking her opinion.
Dianne wasn’t sure what type of response her friend was hoping to get from her, so she chose not to give her one at all. Unfortunately, that left the door open for the rest of them to give her their opinions.
“He’s hot as the coals from hell.” Jillian waved her hand in front of her face for effect.
“You guys haven’t seen the sweet side to him yet,” Lainey said with a smile.
They went on and on, telling her things she already knew. She could have told them they were wasting their time, but it wouldn’t have done any good. At least they didn’t know how good he was in bed. That would have been a major topic for them to focus on. Then again, if she told them all the dirty details, maybe they’d be shocked into silence. She looked at each of their faces one by one and knew that wouldn’t work. Dianne sat there and listened to them basically sit there and brag about her boyfriend. The juvenile term didn’t seem to fit his temporary status. She racked her brain trying to come up with a way to change the subject. If they thought she was avoiding talking about him, they would press for a reason why.
