Page 105 of Sloane

Moving from my little apartment to the beautiful house on the Pacific was an easy transition. The guys were laidback, and they divvied up the chores without complaint. They were also incredibly supportive when it came to me taking care of Millie, to the point where if they heard her start to fuss through the monitor even a little, they’d insist we stop what we were doing so I could tend to her.

On Thursday afternoon, Jeff came for his second visit that week, which seemed to surprise the three men.

“Twice in one week, Doc?” Crash exclaimed when Jeff appeared in the living room where he and Scotty were playing video games. “That’s a first.”

I thought Jeff had told me he came to the house a few times a week. Maybe I’d been mistaken.

“Since Scotty is leaving Sunday, I wanted to get one more visit in.”

Scotty paused the game and looked at Jeff with furrowed brows.

“Won’t I see you at the VA?”

That seemed to fluster the doctor. “Well, yeah, but… this is a more comfortable setting.”

Just then Millie’s soft cries let us know she was awake, so I said, “If you guys don’t need me…”

“Go!” Stu said. “We’re fine. Dr. Connolly can babysit us while you take care of Millie.”

I rolled my eyes.

“He’s not babysitting.”

“You know what I mean.”

As I sat feeding Millie, I thought about the guys being surprised that Jeff had come twice in one week and wondered if Jeff had made a special trip because of me.

It seemed like I wasn’t the only one wondering that because the three military men seemed more vested than usual in the doctor’s and my conversation when I reappeared. And the three pretended not to perk up when Jeff motioned to the door and said to me, “Walk me out?”

He opened the rear passenger door of his Porsche Panamera and put his brown leather doctor bag in the backseat, then closed it and asked, “Are we still on for dinner tomorrow?”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Should I pick you up at six?”

“Why don’t I meet you there? I have to drop Millie off at my mom’s, and besides”—I motioned toward the house with my head—“I think it’s better if we kept our plans to ourselves.”

That made him grin. “You’re probably right. But I’d feel better making sure you got home okay at the end of the night.”

“I can send you a text.”

“Okay. I’ll meet you at Evangeline’s then. Our reservation is for six thirty.”

“I’ll see you then.”

He opened the driver’s door and slid behind the wheel, giving me a flirty wink when he said, “I can’t wait.”

His car’s engine roared to life, and I gave a final wave before walking back to the front door.

Jeff really was a catch. I wish I felt the littlest spark of attraction.

~~~~

Tammy came over on Sunday afternoon just as the last box of Scotty’s was loaded into his new landlord, Theo Rowan’s small SUV.

Scotty waved at my friend as she got out of her car, then opened his arms wide as I walked toward him. Wrapping me in a warm embrace, he kissed my cheek and murmured, “Don’t forget, we have an appointment at the VA on Tuesday afternoon.”

“I’ll be there! And I can’t wait to hear all about your new place.”

---