Page 18 of Necessary Roughness

“I’m not getting fired because you’re noncompliant,” she said. She folded her arms across her chest.

“Nobody’s going to know if you don’t tell them about it,” Tanner said. Jordan wondered if he’d start pawing the tile beneath their feet with his cloven hoof.

“You’re going to elevate that knee, and you’ll need some medication. If you think I’m giving you extra because you were screwing around when you should have been resting, you can think again.”

“I’m paying for this?” Tanner said in disbelief.

“You bet you are,” she said. “Get in here.”

Jordan’s shock over Tanner’s house gave way to amazement. Most of the nurses she’d met were kind and caring professionals who focused on the comfort and recovery of their patients above all. Tanner’s nurse may have been great clinically, but her bedside manner left a lot to be desired.

Jordan’s rubber-soled shoes made no sound on the hardwood floor of the soaring entryway, which was bracketed by a curving staircase to the second floor. A rubbed-copper chandelier constructed of interlocking spheres and faceted diamond-shaped crystals illuminated by clear lights hung suspended from the ceiling. She trailed behind Harrison as she took it all in.

Tanner and the nurse were still bickering with each other in low voices, but she couldn’t make out what was being said. She wasn’t sure who’d win in hand-to-hand combat between them. His nurse seemed somewhat antagonistic.

She gaped at the two-story wall of windows that looked over the lake. A set of French doors opened onto a deck with painstakingly arranged outdoor furniture and a fire pit. Another set of stairs revealed a flagstone path to the lakefront, a wooden dock, and a speedboat tethered there.

“All this for one guy,” Harrison said into her ear.

She jumped a bit. “Oh! Oh.” She’d been lost in thought over how many days a year she’d be sitting outside on the deck if she owned this house, or relaxing on the cozy-looking living room sectional with a great book, a blanket, and a cup of tea if the sun wasn’t out.

“It’s a bit overwhelming, isn’t it? My place is a shack compared to this,” Harrison said.

“You’re full of shit. His place is bigger than mine,” Tanner said.

“It’s not on the Mercer Island waterfront,” Harrison said.

“It’s less than a mile away. Don’t whine.” Tanner reached out to pull one side of the French doors open. “How about we go sit down? My knee’s screamin’.”

“You have nobody to blame for that but yourself,” the nurse chimed in, but she followed Tanner onto the deck. He sat down heavily in one of the man-sized chairs flanking a love seat as she dragged an ottoman over to him and helped him prop his knee up. Jordan arrived in time to hear her say, “I’ll get you some ice and something cool to drink.”

“I like scotch.”

“You’re not having any until you’re off the pain meds, so you can forget about that, Mister,” the nurse said. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”

“How about a new knee?”

She flounced away as Jordan sat down in the chair next to Tanner’s.

Tanner could be an ass at times, but she’d seen a different side of him today. He’d probably be in a lot less pain right now if he hadn’t rocketed off the bench to stick up for a little girl getting bullied by a much bigger boy, not to mention showing up there in the first place. His attempts to blame Harrison for it were a bit comical. Maybe he thought people would think he was a pushover if he did something nice for other people. Who knew? Right now, though, she knew he was in pain. He was pale. There was the slight sheen of perspiration on his forehead and upper lip. He reached out to reposition his leg a bit, leaned back against the cushions, and let out a sigh. He seemed to be fresh out of wisecracks. He’d overdone it, and now he regretted it.

“Harrison said you have a wine cellar,” she said.

“Yeah. I’m more of a scotch guy, but I picked up a case or two whenever I’d visit one of the wineries in Woodinville. I didn’t want to look like a caveman when people came over for dinner.”

Harrison dropped into the chair opposite Tanner’s with a chilled bottle of white wine, a corkscrew, and two stemless wineglasses. “I found this in the wine fridge.”

“Someone has to drink it,” Tanner said. “I sure as hell can’t right now.”

The nurse put a glass of iced tea down within Tanner’s reach and slid a pill into his palm. “Let’s see if we can get that pain level down a bit.”

“If you insist,” he said, but he swallowed the pill and eased back into the chair. “Jordan, would you like some wine?”

“Yes. Thanks,” she said.

Tanner’s eyes were closed. She stared at the thick, dark lashes resting on his cheeks. She’d need four coats of mascara and eyelash extensions to approach what he had naturally. Dammit.

“Hey, man. Want us to leave? You might need a nap,” Harrison said.

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