She’d shown up for me when my “friends” had run for the hills. That might be pot/kettle too, considering I might’ve bolted from the scene of the crime had I been in their shoes. I narrowed my eyes and reconsidered. If I’d watched my friend crash his car and found him slumped over the steering wheel, blood oozing out of his head, I’d have stayed to make sure he was okay.
Tasha and I had that in common.
So, she’d hung out in my hospital room and had explained things to my dad in a way he understood, which made me like her more than I should. Life was simpler when she hated me. When I knew there was no chance she’d go to bed with me. Now there was a chance, but only because she saw me as fragile. Helpless. I never harbored a nurse/patient fantasy. That didn’t do it for me.
Worse, lately I’d been admiring more than her physical attributes. I could forgive myself if all I noticed were her bright blue eyes, the swells of her breasts, or her luscious hips. Now, though, I noticed the sadness that seemed to settle over her when she was quiet. The determination in the pleat between her eyebrows. The way she genuinely wanted to help people.
Which was dangerous to the nth degree. I’d fallen for a rich girl once before and that hadn’t ended well. What could I possibly offer Tasha Montgomery now? My future as a mute mechanic was dim. Though I supposed that was a step up from my regal station as busboy at Oak & Sage. Hell, I cleaned up after people like her.
I kept wondering if my goal of bedding Tasha had been my warped way of making up for failing with Brooke. Which, admittedly, would have been a total dick move. I was sort of glad she’d shot me down. But I’d found solace in her since then, which was messed up. Instead of using her for sex, I was using her to feel more like my old self.
Not that I was my old self. When I spoke, I sounded like a skipping vinyl record. Not ideal for taking pre-law classes, you know?
I slid back under the car. At least if it asked a question, my tools could answer.
I had no idea how long I’d been under the car. A few hours, I figured. I was in a zone. It had been a while since I’d been immersed in a project. Long-term or otherwise. Now that my days weren’t filled with studying and my evenings were devoid of drinking beer with my friends, I had a lot of time on my hands.
One more small adjustment, then I could scoot out, take a shower, and head to work. Or at least I thought I had time, until I heard my dad’s raised voice.
“Cade!”
“W-wait,” I said, trying to finish up.
“Cade!” He sounded frantic, but I wasn’t answering him again. When he palmed my tennis shoe, I pushed out from under the chassis.
“You left your phone in the house. Devlin called twice. You’re late.”
Shit. Shitshitshit.
“Do you need me to drive you? What were you doing under there, anyway? The car ran fine until you started messing with it.”
But I wasn’t listening. I tossed my tools into the red toolbox and yanked off my T-shirt as I ran upstairs to my new room.
“Let me know if you need a ride!” he called after me.
Dammit. I did. Which was unfortunate. The new guy with the new job his brother hired him to do needed his dad to drive him there as if he were a delinquent fourteen-year-old.
Shit!
I stripped off the rest of my clothes and spun the shower knob. I could spare thirty seconds, maybe. I was making each one count.
Tasha
My last patient for the day was taking his sweet time. And flirting with me. He gripped the poles on either side of his body as he took another shaky step. “You’re sure, beautiful?”
I grinned. “I’m flattered, Mr. Newman. But I don’t date my patients.”
Nor did I date men who were forty-five years older than me, but I suspected he already knew that. He’d taken a nasty spill thanks to a testy knee—“from the army,” he’d told me—and had broken his hip. His recovery was slow going, but he’d insisted his time was well spent with me. I felt the same way. Greg Newman was positive, funny, and the most respectful man in my life. I liked spending time with him too. He didn’t let little things stop him. He didn’t even let big things stop him.
Unlike a certain someone who had been fighting me every step of the way. I told myself I was being unfair. Cade had only been in recovery for a few months. Healing took time.
“Is there someone else?” Mr. Newman asked with mock concern.
“There’s no one else.” I encouraged him to take another step.
“I can tell.” Wobbling a little, he put one foot in front of the other. “You have a man on your mind.” He harrumphed. “A younger man, I’ll bet. I don’t blame you. Everything on me is falling apart. I couldn’t keep up with someone young and active.”
“You’re doing great. Better than most of the younger men I know.” One in particular. “These days, younger guys can’t hold their own the way you mature men can.”
He lifted his bushy eyebrows. “‘Mature’ is a nice way to say ‘geriatric.’”
I laughed.
Once his session was complete, my supervisor Veronica called me into her office. I was half worried I’d committed some infraction of which I was not aware. It was hard being a perfectionist.
“Close the door.” Her expression was bland, her skin flawless and smooth. I really needed to ask her what kind of moisturizer she used, but now wasn’t the time. Veronica was friendly, encouraging, and patient. She was also one of the most gorgeous women I’d ever seen. Like Beyoncé, but slimmer, her face more placid than fierce. “Have a seat.”
Uh-oh. This was starting to sound bad.
I eased into the chair across from her desk. A small cactus with a bright orange bloom sat cheerily on one corner.
“Tasha.”
I looked at her.
“I’d like to offer you a permanent position here after you graduate. If you’d like to accept it.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.” Veronica’s face broke into a smile. “Full-time employment would mean earning a paycheck. I talked to my boss and we agreed to make it retroactive on today’s date.”
I couldn’t believe my luck. A full-time position would mean an actual salary. Then I could relax about finding a job. I could stay here, in a facility I loved. It would mean less dependence on my father. I could pay my own way and he would no longer have a reason to lord his money over me.
I grinned, the possibilities stretching out in front of me into an infinite skyline.
“I take it that is a ‘yes,’” Veronica said with a soft chuckle.
“Yes. I’m sorry. Yes, yes!” Unable to sit still, I pushed myself from the chair and held out a hand. She shook it as I thanked her profusely. I appreciated her overlooking my gross overuse of the words “so much.”
At my locker, I collected my things, still grinning at my good fortune. I decided to buy a bottle of wine to celebrate. No! Sparkling wine. I wasn’t missing the chance to shoot the cork off my balcony. But the idea of celebrating alone didn’t appeal.
I could go to Oak & Sage. Share my good news with Rena while enjoying a sparkling, bubbly beverage. She was working tonight, which meant I’d be drinking alone, but she’d be there. And hanging out with her would be better than toasting my new job alone. My new permanent job.