Page 44 of Book Boyfriends
“Not complaining.” One of the men offers a salute before returning to his card game.
“Don’t be pervy, Mr. O’Donnelly, or I’ll make sure you get Judith for PT.” Shaking her head at the older man, Pilar turns her focus back on me. “What were you doing?”
“Checking out the fountain.” I smooth down my skirt, suddenly questioning its tightness over my shapely figure.
“Why?”
“Uh….” I flick my gaze between her bemused expression and the fountain. “I was curious about the stone. I don’t think I’ve seen stone like this.”
“It’s called wishing stone.”
“It’s what?” I say, my voice high-pitched.
“Wishing stone.” She juts her chin toward the fountain. “The uninterrupted line in the stone is calcite. Amateur geologists identify it as a wishing stone. The stones are supposed to grant wishes.”
“How do you know this?”
She shrugs. “One of the OG nurses from when this place first became a rehab/hospice facility told me. She was here as a patient the first year I took over for Doc. She had lots of crystals and stones.”
“It’s made out of wishing stone,” I say out loud, but it’s more to myself than to Pilar. Slipping my phone out of my blazer pocket, I immediately pull up my new best friend, Google. “Did she know anything else about the fountain? Like?—”
“Like does it actually grant wishes?” she almost snorts.
I look up, the dismissive smile slanting Pilar’s lips cautions me to not proceed. As close as we are, Pilar isn’t my “this could happen” friend. Ever the doctor, she’s about what she knows to be true, not whatcouldbe true.
With a shrug, I push my phone back into my pocket. “I was just curious about the stone. It’s…pretty.” The word comes out like a question.
“Pretty?” A silent laugh smooths her features. “How about we focus less on the fountain’s rock and more on theveryattractive man with a rock-hard body who dropped this off for you.” She hands me the to-go cup and bag.
“Now who’s being pervy?” Mr. O’Donnelly snarks.
“Judith,” she threatens playfully, causing him to grimace and turn back to his game.
“What man…” ThePeachscrawled along the to-go cup teases with an answer to my not-fully-asked question.
Belly swooping, I place the cup on the fountain’s edge and open the bag. Tucked inside is a small envelope on top of aplastic-wrapped muffin. Pulling out the envelope, I open it and read the card.
Peach,
This is such a small thing for all you did yesterday. Thank you for taking care of Pop and Nan. Captain Picard would approve.
Best,
Davis/Kenny/Whatever you want to call me
p.s. The muffin is from Meghan’s Munchies and is rated the number five GF pumpkin muffin in the US.
An obnoxiously large grin kicks across my face. Meghan’s Munchies is one of my favorite GF bakeries, which I mentioned to him last night at the brewery. Lifting the cup to my nose, I inhale the distinct aroma of Earl Grey tea.
“Just like Captain Picard.” I beam, thinking of our favorite Starship Enterprise Captain ordering it through the ship’s replicator.
“What’s with this starry-eyed look?” Pilar snaps her fingers, yanking my attention back to her. “Is there an actual contender for your heart? Someone to take you to your cousin’s wedding?”
“Uh…. No,” I say, my tone unsure.
Despite the flutter in my chest the gift caused, and Pilar’s suggestion of Davis being a contender, I have three actual contenders to deal with. Three men who are here specifically to date me. Three men who I owe happy endings to. Either one with me, or to help them get back to theirs. Whatever that looks like or how I’m going to do that, I have no clue.
“Sure,” she says, unconvinced. “Can you at least tell mewhothis man is thatyousay isn’t a contender, but who makes you look like Pedro Pascal just strolled into the courtyard?”
