Page 19 of Necessary Roughness

“Don’t go. That nurse has it in for me,” Tanner said. He took a sip of his iced tea. “Plus, I hate to drink alone.”

“Tonight the nurse, tomorrow the physical therapist,” Jordan said. Tanner let out a groan.

Harrison handed her a perfectly chilled glass of wine as they looked out at smooth blue water. She took a sip. She typically didn’t care for Chardonnay, but it was evident this wasn’t the cheap stuff. She sipped a little more. Citrus fruits with a hint of oakiness burst on her tongue.

“I don’t know if my man told you this, Jordan, but he’s got a fully outfitted gym downstairs. He also has a massage table.”

“What doesn’t this house have?”

Tanner’s words sounded like they came from a distance. “I still have to get in the car to go to Dick’s Drive-In.”

Jordan took another sip of wine and watched a yacht sail by on the lake. If she lived here, she wasn’t sure she’d ever leave. She’d have to have clients come to the house or something. Then again, she’d have to kick the guys out. Harrison and Tanner bickered like an old married couple. She might have to leave sometimes to maintain her sanity. The thought crossed her mind that if Harrison liked him, Tanner must not be all bad.

Maybe the wine had magical powers or something. Then again, she’d had only half a glass. Those types of insights didn’t typically happen until one had had at least half the bottle.

“So the nurse is camping out in your bedroom for a few weeks, your mom and dad aren’t visiting—you’ll be rattling around here, won’t you?” Harrison said.

“What are you getting at?” Tanner pulled himself up a little and tried to glare at Harrison. It wasn’t working.

“You have a guest suite in the basement that’s nicer than my house.”

Harrison grinned at Jordan like he’d had the greatest idea known to mankind. She felt the hair rise on the back of her neck. Oh, hell no. She’d told Harrison about her housing dilemma. He’d said he had a few possibilities for her, but he was making no move to open his laptop. Her deadline was coming up, and she’d found nothing yet. She could still call her mom and dad and ask if she could stay at their house for a few nights. She’d like to avoid that if she could. Her parents were great and would welcome her with open arms, but this was the problem. She enjoyed her independence.

“Get to the point, or I’m going to go take a nap,” Tanner said.

“You were asleep over there anyway.” Harrison’s eyes twinkled as he turned to look at her. “Jordan’s looking for a place to live on short notice. Want to stay in the Taj Mahal during his PT, Jordan? He can get downstairs via the elevator. You can use the equipment in his gym so you can get in a few more PT sessions a week. You could also keep him and the nurse apart. How about it?”

Jordan’s mouth dropped open. She wasn’t sure where to start with Harrison’s idea, but she blurted out the only words that came to mind: “I don’t think so.”

“You haven’t seen the guest room yet,” Harrison continued. “He has a whirlpool tub in that bathroom too. There’s a media room downstairs with a fully stocked bar and a kitchenette. It’s Disneyland for adults.”

“I never invited her,” Tanner said.

“I have my own place. I have other clients,” Jordan said.

“You’re twenty minutes or so from Eastside PT. You’re traveling against traffic in the morning and evenings, so you can zip right over there and back. You need to find a place.” Harrison took a sip of wine. “I think it’s an excellent idea.”

“No it’s not,” Jordan said.

“What if I don’t want to live in a house with two women telling me what to do? Did you consider that?” Tanner said to Harrison.

“I’ll be fine,” Jordan said. “I can find another place, and if worse comes to worst, I can move in with my parents. It’s not that big of a deal.” She didn’t want to discuss her weirdo roommates in front of Tanner or their ridiculous time limit. It was a little embarrassing. Even more, she didn’t want him to think—again—she couldn’t handle her own life, either.

Harrison was pretending like he hadn’t heard her. “A couple of months won’t hurt. You’ll get better, and you can find something else to do besides stay home and binge on Netflix,” he told Tanner.

“I hardly ever watch TV—” Tanner said.

“I’ve never seen you with a book in your hand, and the only people who visit these days besides me are your family,” Harrison said.

“This isn’t a good idea,” Jordan said.

“I’m shocked you’re not jumping on this,” Tanner said to Jordan. “I think my feelings are hurt.”

“You don’t want me living here. I can’t afford this place,” she said.

“If you’ll work with me a few times a week, maybe stretching or something, I won’t charge you a dime. We’re in Amazon Fresh’s delivery area. There’s every video game known to mankind downstairs, and I also have all the pay TV channels. Free Game of Thrones and Veep.” He raised one eyebrow. “I also own a boat. What more could you want?”

“I don’t like you that much.” She seemed to be the only one who noticed the note of desperation in her voice. She was running out of reasons to turn him down besides the fact he could be the worst roommate of all time. Then again, the house was so big she probably wouldn’t see him more than once a day.

---