She turned to him and smiled. “I always have the worst luck.”
Cocking his head to the side, he asked, “Worst luck? How so?”
“I waited too late to come out tonight. I was trying to get some work done and thought I’d grab a drink. And as I walk in, I see the best-looking man in the place saying goodbye and getting ready to leave. I’d call that bad luck.”
“I’d say you have plenty to choose from,” he replied smoothly.
She swung her gaze around the bar before settling back on him. “Maybe plenty to choose from but none that caught my eye other than the one I’m talking to. I don’t suppose I could convince you to stay for a drink with me, could I?”
“A drink?”
She leaned a little closer. “A drink. Maybe a dance. And if you’re feeling it, maybe something more.”
Her delicate scent hit him, and he opened his mouth, ready to agree. He had nothing against a few hours of consensual fun. Hell, that was all he had time for anymore, as Rachel had pointed out earlier. The woman was beautiful and willing. But, instead of agreeing and taking her hand, he shook his head slowly. “I’m all kinds of sorry, but I’ve got to go. Hope you find what you’re looking for.” With that, he turned and walked away, her sigh following him.
As soon as he climbed behind the wheel of his SUV, he sat for a moment before starting the engine. Not one to spend a lot of time analyzing his decisions considering he was generally firm once he made up his mind, he still wondered why he’d turned her down.
He thought of Mace and the multiple visits he’d made to LSI in Maine. He’d respected Mace when they’d served in the Special Forces together, and that respect had only grown over the years. Mace was focused, dedicated, and worked harder than anyone to make sure LSI was successful. The last trip he’d taken to Maine, he’d been introduced to Mace’s wife and son. He chuckled, shaking his head. For some reason, he’d never thought he’d see Mace settle down, but now that he thought about it, that was so like the iconic leader. Mace also knew what he wanted and wasn't afraid to go after it. When protecting the beautiful Sylvie had moved from being a mission to a romance, Mace gave her that same dedication. Hell, Mace had talked to him about the kind of woman it would take to capture the heart of a Keeper. And while it might not be fair, he instinctively knew the pretty blonde from the bar looking for a good time wasn’t it.
He was heading home when Jeannie slid to the forefront of his thoughts. Wondering if the beautiful nurse had made it back home, he drove to the compound and let himself in.
Firing up his computer, he tapped into the security at the Santa Maria airport, seeing the Garzas’ plane land. Met on the runway by someone in a suit pushing a wheelchair, Jeannie assisted Maggie into the chair. She then followed them to the front parking area where she bent low to hug Maggie goodbye. The man drove away with Maggie, leaving Jeannie waiting out front. After a moment, a taxi pulled up, and she climbed into the back seat.
A growl erupted from deep inside, knowing it was from watching her take a cab when the Garzas could have easily paid for a limousine. And yet, combined with his irritation was an ease that she didn’t appear to be relying on them. Glancing at the time on the airport security feed, he tapped into the security feed at the front of her apartment building. Backtracking the time feed quickly, his chest completely eased when he saw her alight from the taxi, pull her luggage from the trunk, pay the fee, and disappear inside her building.
“So, it seems you truly were hired just to be Margaret Collins’ private nurse for her time in Mexico,” he said aloud. Why that realization made him happy, he still refused to ponder. Stretching, he looked at the time. Shutting down the computer, he secured the compound before walking into his house. Maybe now I can put Jeannie Carnes out of my mind.
Crawling into bed an hour later, Jeannie was still filling his thoughts, not the blonde he’d left back at the bar.
5
“The money you were making at LA Community was amazing. Are you sure you want to walk away from that?” Susan asked.
Her closest friend wasn’t asking anything that Jeannie hadn’t already asked herself dozens of times over the past several months. It was hard to explain to someone who was not in the same profession how stress could build up over time until the thought of getting out of bed seemed like a struggle and a good night’s sleep was a distant memory.
“No, I’m not sure I want to walk away from it,” she replied for what seemed like the dozenth time. “That’s why I took the Red Cross volunteer job, for a few months to give myself a chance to step away.”
“Yes, but you’ve been back for a week.”
She didn’t reply and heard Susan’s heavy sigh.
“Jeannie, I’m sorry. You know I love you no matter what, and I’ll support any decision you make. It’s just that for as long as I’ve known you, you’ve wanted to be a nurse, even joining the Army to get them to pay for nursing school.”
“That’s still true,” she insisted. “It’s not the career I’m questioning, it’s the workplace. But I have another few weeks of my leave of absence. I’ll probably take a trip up to see my mom, and I promised my brother I’d come for my nephew’s birthday.”
With plans to get together for a drink later in the week, she disconnected, then tossed her phone onto the sofa next to her. Leaning her head back, she stared at the ceiling for a moment, then snorted. I hardly think this old popcorn ceiling is going to provide any answers to my questions.
Standing, she walked over to her window and stared out. Susan was right. She’d wanted to be a nurse for as long as she could remember. Her father had died when she was in high school, and her older brother had just finished college. There was little insurance money, just enough for the funeral cost and for her mom to pay off what was owed on their home. She’d watched helplessly as her mom tried to figure out how to pay for Jeannie’s college, and then the answer came when she’d talked to an Army recruiter after she graduated. Desperate for nurses, the Army had paid for her RN loans with her commitment to serve. With the college classes she’d taken in high school, she’d managed to graduate as a nurse in three years, served in the Army for four years including two tours in Afghanistan, and had been an ER nurse at LA Community Hospital for over three years.
Now, she was almost thirty years old, had no social life, and felt like she’d been spinning on the hamster wheel of life since she was eighteen years old. Isn’t there more out there? Is it wrong to wish for time for me? Time for a relationship? Wincing, she thought about Thomas. She’d known from the start he wasn’t right for her but had allowed them to keep seeing each other for two months. Looking back, she realized part of her had just wanted to have something special. But, as soon as she realized it wasn’t him, she’d broken it off. Thank God, he’d finally stopped calling! No more desperate dating. Next time, I want it to be real!
Her phone vibrated, jolting her from the musings that clogged her mind. Checking the caller ID, she smiled widely. “Maggie! How are you?”
“I’ve been back in the states for a week, and I miss you so much,” Maggie said, her voice bright.