Page 12 of All I Need

“Doesn’t matter if you’re looking or not when the right person gets dropped right in your lap.”

“Doesn’t matter if I’m looking if the other person isn’t looking either,” I remind her.

“Nah,” she disagrees instantly. “It just means that maybe the two of you need to have a more open mind.”

“Polly,” I groan. “She’s not even been here for twenty-four hours. And she’s passing through after what looks like she got her heart broken. How can you possibly think this would be a good idea?”

“Hush. Indulge an old lady for once. You’re always fighting me.”

I bark out a laugh. “I far from fight you on anything.”

She looks toward where I know the bathrooms are before raising her eyes to mine. Her face softens and her voice drops to barely above a whisper, “Walker, I love you like you’re my own son. You know this. But you need a life. You’ve devoted your days to caring for others, whether they’re children or pets and don’t you sass me, you know it’s true,” she rushes out when I open my mouth to explain that it’s not a burden I’ve taken on, but rather what makes me happy. “I know you’d do anything for that boy. There’s nothing wrong with that but you deserve happiness beyond giving up your life to others.” She stops talking as her eyes find Ellie. With a small shrug she continues, “Maybe all those prayers I’ve been sending up have finally been answered.”

She leaves me standing and joins a group of ladies from her knitting circle. Willow is introducing Ellie to a friend she works with at the hospital and Grayson is chatting it up with a group of friends. It dawns on me when I see a couple of my friends standing around talking as their kids of various ages dance around them that maybe Miss Polly has a point.

My sister is in the middle of some story with one of the ER doctors, Jonathan, Ellie is standing off to the side not looking entirely comfortable but not hating life, either. My eyes narrow when I see Jonathan shift closer to Ellie then turn his full attention on her. He’s not a bad guy, but he’s what Miss Polly would call, a skirt chaser, and I know him well enough to see that he’s about to try and turn his charms on Ellie. She must feel my gaze on her because she looks in my direction and offers up a small smile. The breath in my throat catches from that tiny look—combined with the fact that I was a minute away from pulling her away from Jonathan like some caveman who has any right to stake his claim on her—I know I’m in way over my head already.

What am I thinking? She’s here for a hot minute and won’t be staying around. I must be hard up if all it takes is a simple smile to make me want to go all caveman. The need to get out of the building is strong so I spin on my heels and push through the door without looking back.

---