Chapter 4
Karma had a funny sense of timing and Kinley had a knack for catching it — often. With her eyes on Jace, ducking ever so slightly, she had put her foot on the gas, intending to sneak out of her parking spot undetected, direction opposite the good doctor. With the benefit of being half a dozen cars down, slipping out should have been a cinch…if only she hadn’t mistakenly put her car in reverse. The pole she backed into didn’t help matters either...
Her attempt at a clandestine move under the radar ended in a crashing clatter, drawing the gathered crowd’s attention. Kinley was now one of those unfortunate souls who managed to wreck her car in a wide-open parking lot. Lucky for her, the crowd from the other fender bender already had their phones out, documenting the previous excitement. Now they were all on her, and she was probably already trending on Facebook. Thank you, small town USA.
Jace noticed Kinley sitting in her car as he passed the general store on his way to Reading Grounds for a coffee and pastries for the ladies in his office. He contemplated knocking on Kinley’s window to check on her and see that she was okay, but she had made things clear the previous night. She was just sitting there, staring, looking as lost as she had the night before at the bar.
Thinking better of it, he left her to her thoughts and continued into the coffee house and bookstore. Jace was respecting her decision to keep things informal and just that one night. Less than twelve hours had passed since he left her at her door, their sweet, meaningful kiss still tingling his lips and distracting his every thought. Kinley was intoxicating — all the more reason to move on. He didn’t know if he could leave her twice.
How he ended up in the dance studio in the middle of the night with the beautiful stranger was beyond him. He knew better — he was a doctor for God’s sake — and the risks involved were enormous, yet he did it anyway. Jace had been in a bad way, lonely, and Kinley was the muse that pulled him from his low-key pity party.
Though he agreed it was just a one-time, scratch-an-itch meet-up, Jace could quite easily be convinced to scratch that itch as often as Kinley called on him. Jace knew little about Kinley, just the few details she had shared and what he could find sleuthing through her Facebook account. Yeah, he did that.
He understood Kinley’s insistence to keep things simple, and no relationships, after thirty or so minutes of roaming through her page. Kinley was a sharer — with a broken heart. Jace knew about her injury and what it meant for her career, but Facebook told him there was more fallout to that ankle injury than losing her career. She lost her fiancé too.
Social media was great that way. Not only did it show a change in relationship status from engaged to single, it also told him who the newly single gentleman in New York was: her boss. From what Jace could gather, Kinley was no longer of use for the Broadway production, therefore she was no longer of use to him. Asshole.
Jace didn’t regret being Kinley’s rebound or revenge guy, whichever she was aiming for. There was something intriguing about her — sweet and pure. Late night hook-ups didn’t usually earn a person such accolades, but this was different. Despite the loose nature of their entanglement, Jace couldn’t help but be drawn to Kinley.
Everyone knew everyone in Pine Valley, at least by a single degree of separation. It was easy to find out about those you may not know or had only heard of. The town bragged about its celebrity dancer off in New York making a big name for herself. Kinley was painted as a town favorite, America’s sweetheart, if you will. It was unfair, almost, giving her such praise and cementing an expectation she could no longer sustain.
Kinley had referred to herself as washed-up, and her expression and body language combined with a newly broken heart made it pretty obvious no one was holding her to that expectation more than she was. The more he learned about Kinley, the guiltier he felt. She was the kind of girl you took home to mom and planned forevers with — not took to the closest dark place to rock her world.
What had he been thinking? What did that say about him? Jace thought he could pull off the one-night stand deal, but clearly, he couldn’t. As much as he wanted to say he was committed to the single life, it wasn’t for him, especially after Kinley. Was it possible to be so attracted to someone after a thirty-minute conversation in a bar and a quickie next door? A hot quickie…
He obviously had some old emotional crap to sort through. He could reclaim his man card when he was finished. Jace was feeling like a vulnerable sap, full of sensitive feels, and that just wasn’t him. He felt like punching himself in the face and saying, man up, pussy! That should do it.
A loud crash of metal on metal pulled him from his thoughts as he completed his purchase at Reading Grounds. By the time he made it outside, a small crowd was forming in front of the store…and a fender bender. Jace’s first reaction was see if everyone was okay — that was the doctor in him — but he was met with laughter and handshakes instead of injuries. Crisis averted.
Jace stood there longer than necessary, his sights loosely on the fender bender in the front of the store, using it as an excuse to spy on the beautiful brunette still backed into a parking spot and sitting in her car. What could Kinley be thinking about? Was it him? Them? Why did she seem so distraught — was the previous night that bad for her? He began to feel a bit insecure and self-conscious when he saw her look in his direction and duck down.
His ego got completely shot when her urgent desire to get the hell out of there became obvious. In her rush to leave unseen, she backed right into the pole anchored behind her parking spot before tearing out of there like a bat out of hell.
Yep, Kinley was avoiding him.
“Poor thing can’t seem to catch a break.” A sweet voice he’d recognize anywhere came from behind him. “After what Evelyn put on that computer face thing of hers — you know, where she puts all the pictures she takes with her phone? I’m surprised to see you out here, Doctor Detweiler.”
Cady O’Reilly, one of the elder ladies in town, leader of the old bitty brigade and chief of mischief, stood behind him, a sympathetic look thrown his way. Cady and her gray-haired lady friends had a finger on the pulse of Pine Valley. If it was happening within a hundred-mile radius of town, the ladies knew it, and were probably behind it. The prying ladies were always good intentioned and respected by the town’s people. The exception being Evelyn Shirley. The town feared her.
“I’m sorry…did I miss something, Cady?” Jace was trying to piece things together with the little bits of information shared. He already had a nervous chill. Evelyn, and her Facebook habit, mingling with his and Kinley’s names couldn’t be good.
Cady chuckled, seeing the wheels turn and anxiety fester. She let him off the hook quickly like a ripped off Band-aid. “You’re all over that Facebook, dear. Evelyn has pictures of you and Kinley posted for the whole town to see.”
Pictures. Facebook. Evelyn. Jace did a face palm sigh, less embarrassed for himself than he was worried for Kinley. Were they pictures of them at the bar? Leaving the bar? God forbid, in the dance studio? Was that even legal to post? Jace’s morning just went to shit in a hot second. No wonder Kinley didn’t get out of her car. She was the talk of the town again — and not in a good way this time. So was he.
“I have to say, Doctor Detweiler, you do make a mighty handsome couple. You would be quite perfect together in fact,” Cady said with a wink. “Good choice, she’s a sweet girl. The ladies and I are cheering for you.”
“Wait. What? Cheering for what?” Jace gave Cady a sideways look. “I’m not sure you saw what you think you saw…”
Cady offered a knowing grin. “Oh, c’mon, Jace.”
Oh, it was Jace now.
“It’s plain as day,” Cady went on, wrapping herself in a daydreamy embrace. “You and Kinley in a sultry embrace, lip-locked, and clearly enjoying each other. Good for you, go for it! She’s a dear girl, you’ll be excellent for each other.”
“Really? You think so?” Jace questioned. This had to be a sign from the
universe…or she saw them the night before. “Wait! No, don’t do that!”
“Do what? Jace, darling? Are you okay?” Innocence was Cady’s plea, but Jace wasn’t buying it. Especially when she rested the back of her hand to his forehead, feeling for a temperature.
“That! You’re doing that…thing you do.” Jace started flailing a free hand around as though painting a picture. “You like Kinley, you like me, and you think we need to be together so you’re…doing that thing!”
“Oh, Jace, honey. I had nothing to do with you and Kinley being together in front of the dance studio in the middle of the night. That was all you, dear.” Cady gave Jace a wink and pat to the shoulder before walking away.
Touché…
Chapter 5
A long day already of not quite runny noses, unfounded fevers, and an abundance of flirty moms — even married ones — in low cut tops and short skirts generated Doctor Jace’s currently overbooked schedule. Like full moon craziness, Dr. D’s office was pure chaos. Jace knew he was well liked by team mommy and me — they found him more desirable than elder docs — but this was out of the norm.
Jace was always flattered, but his goal wasn’t to meet mommies — it was to heal sick children, so he took it all in stride. Today, however, it was like an army of curious moms after something, and he hadn’t a clue what. It was like they were all standing in line and left disappointed when they didn’t get whatever it was they were after. He thought about suggesting the new pole dancing class to a few of the women as a way to redirect their unwavering advances. Though a few husbands might have thanked him, he thought better of it. It could be misinterpreted.
There must have been something in the air, perhaps a few local poker tournaments leaving the town’s wives lonely? Who knew, but it was enough to get him out of the office mid-day for a bit of fresh air and an infrequent sugary treat and fluffy coffee drink to distract his nerves. Reading Grounds was a quick walk, and exactly what he needed.
The delectable scent of freshly brewed coffee and sweets welcomed him at the door, as did the rowdy giggles from the far corner of the seating area. A handful of women sat at the table with books in their hands — a book group, of course — but one of the lady’s in particular had his attention. Kinley.
Kinley’s face was buried in her hands while the others snickered. What could that be about? he asked himself sarcastically. Jace’s cheeks felt warm, and he imagined the shade matched Kinley’s blushing expression. Why was he blushing?
Jace caught Cady’s eye, flanked by her gray-haired bitty brigade. They also seemed to have an eye on him. Cady’s knowing grin and wink tinted his cheeks more pink at the realization that this did indeed have something to do with him. Great.
Brady O’Reilly hollered his way with a surprised yet satisfying look, confirming his suspicion. “Hey, Doc McSteamy! How’s it going?”
Kinley’s body stiffened at the mention of Jace’s name…or his inferred name. Slowly lifting her head from her hands, Kinley eventually turned her stiff body his direction. Her eyes were wide with shock, cheeks rosier with embarrassment, and her jaw fell to the floor when she finally met Dr. McSteamy’s stare. Had they been talking about him?
Quick to her feet, Kinley gathered her things and tossed a few hushed words at the women around the table before charging off. She briefly stopped in front of Jace with a look of anxiety that met his happy to see you smile. Her mouth was moving, but nothing was coming out as Kinley looked left then right, as if searching for the words she had lost. Or maybe it was to see who around them was watching the encounter. Why would she care, though?
“Hey. You okay?” Jace let her off the hook by talking first. He tossed a glance at the table Kinley came from. They were still snickering. Interesting.
“Oh, yeah. They’re just…just…teasing me a bit. It’s what they do,” Kinley finished with a half assed chuckle that wasn’t convincing anyone. “Look, I have a class in a few, so I, uh…gotta go.”
“Right,” Jace said, before lowering his voice, “have…fun.”
Kinley gave him a weak smile and nod before she looked down and started to speak. It seemed she thought better of it and walked off while shaking her head. Jace watched her all the way to the door, unsure what to think.
Kinley seemed upset, or maybe it was just awkward considering the night before. Even so, that seemed like more than a morning after encounter. Either way, Jace wanted an excuse to see her again. To talk to her. Who knew exactly why, it just seemed like the right next move. He decided he’d follow up with her. Things didn’t need to be awkward.
“Hey there, Doc,” Molly, the owner of Reading Grounds, interrupted Jace’s thoughts with a forced cheerful greeting. “Twice in one day, how’d we get so lucky? What can I get for you?”
Jace nodded at her. “Yeah, it’s just…” he turned back to the door where he last saw Kinley, then to the corner table still full of eyes on him, before finishing his thought, “one of those days, I guess?”
“You can say that again,” Molly fired back as more snickers came from the corner.
“Hey, am I missing something? The giggles, McSteamy comment, then Kinley seemed…I don’t know.” Jace really didn’t know. How could he reconcile her behavior and determine whether it was normal or not? He really didn’t know her.
Molly’s puzzled expression was full of confusion. “You really don’t know, do you? Have you seen…it?”
“It? Should I know what we’re talking about here?” Jace looked around. “This it…does it have a name or…?”
A slight pause rested between them as Molly did some reconciling of her own. “Come with me,” she said.
Jace reluctantly followed Molly straight to the hornet’s nest in the corner that began to hush the closer he got. Walking into that circle of ladies felt like walking into certain death in the bowels of hell. A fearful chill struck him. Being the only man in the proverbial hen house couldn’t play out in his favor. No matter how nice each of the women were individually. When in a pack, they acted like a pack. Wolves, hens, women…it was never good to go in alone.
One woman in particular had him sweating. It was the old woman, their pack leader, the one who had already cornered him once today. Cady O’Reilly. She had her stare stuck on him with a grin that was either friendly or menacing, he didn’t quite know which. Cady was the type to bring you cookies and wine just because, as much as she was a pushy meddler. She was the one Jace didn’t entirely trust, especially given their previous encounter in front of the market. She was in match maker mode.
Molly spun the iPad that had been resting on the table around to where Jace could see it. A few swipes of the screen and Facebook popped up. With an ounce of hesitation, Molly handed it to him followed by a deep, disappointing sigh that instantly made Jace’s gut sour. He knew he wasn’t going to like this.
Evelyn Shirley’s face and name headed the screen — yep, definitely wasn’t going to like this. #RumorHasIt was the name of her Facebook page. Showing up on there was worse than your mug shot popping up in the Daily Chronicle. Jace looked at the recent posts of random town slander that included a city streetlight that had gone out and the increased traffic as the town readied for the upcoming Drunk and Dirty Days Crawl and Fall Fling event.
Drunk and Dirty Days Crawl was how Pine Valley celebrated fall harvest. It was the biggest event all year and drew in tourists galore. The event was made up of all local wineries from across the Willamette Valley, each competing for the highly sought after, highly prestigious Cork King or Queen title. Oregon was already known for its wine, but adding that award was gold. Not only did the event expose wine makers to a voting public and potential new wine drinking fans, but also wholesalers and collectors.
There wasn’t anything out of the norm. Just a list of events for the week and what Evelyn thought of said events. Her comments weren’t exactly enthusiastic, but nothing about the old broad was enthusiastic. So, he kept scrolling.
Then he saw it.
> A post about Seth and Molly caught in the act of something with a less than flattering picture and tagline. Ouch. No wonder her smile was so forced. That would ruin anyone’s day. What Jace wasn’t anticipating was the sting that would follow with the next post. It was him and Kinley. In a heated kiss. And a tagline just as unflattering.
Rolling his eyes with a deep sigh, it all began to make sense. He thought back to Cady’s comment in the early hours in front of the market — pictures all over Facebook, handsome couple, sultry embrace. Cady had told him about the post and it went right over his head since he was so distracted by Kinley.
The mom mob. No wonder his schedule went from manageable to over the top with every kid in town suddenly sick. Speaking of tops, low cut — it all made sense. Had they interpreted this post as some sort of dating advertisement? Were they wanting their tonsils checked — as Evelyn put it — too?
Kinley’s awkward behavior was adding up as well. Sitting in her car and avoiding the grocery store. Backing into the pole in the parking lot in an effort to get out of there quickly and ultimately trying to avoid him. Not to mention Kinley’s inability to make eye contact and need to get the heck out of dodge the minute she saw Jace in Reading Grounds.
“This is…” Jace began to say.
“Hilarious!” Brady snorted. “First Molly and fire boy. Now you and twinkle toes herself. This is getting good.”
“Good? How is this…” Jace waved his hand over the iPad, indicating his reference to the Facebook post, “good! This brought every kid in town to my office today — no one was sick!”
Laughter broke out amongst the group. They were enjoying his predicament far too much. Deep down, Jace assumed they were really just glad it was someone other than them on the receiving end of Evelyn’s Facebook antics.
Bed Buddies Page 3
