Page 75 of Luck Be Mine
Quaid gaped at her. “I do. Hospital, here, home. You’re grumpy.”
Cait huffed. “I’m grumpy because I got flowers from my husband and was hoping for a day and some definite one-on-one, and he disappeared. I’m getting less and less tolerant of him going black.”
“Marital hazard when married to a SEAL, I imagine. I’m advocating for you to drop something from your schedule. No burn out allowed.”
“Which would it be? My surgery, my care of our QM people, or my husband?”
Quaid smirked and shoved off the beige door frame. He dropped into the navy-fabric covered chair beside her desk. “Your husband?”
Cait barked out a laugh. “Not a chance. I hate all the time he’s gone. But when he’s home, it really means something.”
“Are there more women out there like you?”
“Jackie?”
Quaid shook his head. “I like Jackie, but no. Not going to Texas.”
“What happened with Carly?”
“Carns. She threw flowers in my face – not sure they were even sent by me – and said I wasn’t puppy dog enough. Her exact words. What does that even mean?”
“Well, you do tend to follow the SEAL example. Woo them and go dark. Does she know why?”
Affronted, Quaid straightened his sleeves, showing his serious GQ fetish. “I’d have to know her longer than five minutes to explain my work.”
“But sleeping with her is okay?” Cait gave him the doctor’s stare that suggested he was stuck in a trap of his own making.
He ignored her. “Her idea.”
“One you didn’t fight.”
“I’m not stupid.”
“Men. So, she thought you were a playboy.”
“The cover works and keeps the wannabe Mrs. Daniels types away from me.”
She dipped her head towards his when Quaid avoided her gaze. He gave in finally and looked at her. His blue eyes were bloodshot and strained. She patted his arm. “Guess what, hotshot? It’s not working. Case in point: Carns.”
“You and Hunt spoil it for the rest of us. You’re devoted. You don’t look at other men except as a doctor or fellow veteran. You’d never cheat or let him down.”
“He never lets me down. But I don’t recommend trying it the way he and I did. Besides, it’s ongoing. We lean on trust when things get bad.”
“Yeah, we could leave out the getting blown into a brick wall, scaring the shit out of us, and hiking through the mountains, too. But at least you understood a great deal about what Hunt did before you married him.”
She slapped his arm. “This is why your playboy scenario never nets a good candidate. You aren’t being authentic with these women, and they know it.”
“They only want my grandfather’s money and my inheritance.”
“You’re going to need to change who you hang with.”
“Oh, like you? I heard you were here for football two Sunday nights ago.”
“Husband gone. Freezer is full. I cook so much when he’s gone, and he’s never home to eat it. I need company, not silence. I did win twenty bucks off Remy.” Remy St. Claire was the security they always sent to her when protection was necessary. They’d become fast friends.
“Remy has lost to everyone. He should stop betting.”
“True, but not sure he isn’t doing it on purpose. I also noted you hired a woman this time around. Alanna Williams? Where did you find her?”
