Page 113 of Distant Shores
I tried to smile, but it was barely a twitch of my lips.
She watched it.
I watched her.
And then, with a brief nod, she reached over and pulled the passenger door handle.
Keeping my hands on her hips, I helped her out of the car, but I made no move to follow.
No way my legs were sea ready, not to mention the extreme lack of breathing room in my scrubs pants that would definitely get me fired.
The door shut softly, and I held back a noise of distress at her sudden departure.
I took off my glasses, scrubbed a hand down my face, and rested back against the seat, my muscles going lax.
I didn’t even bother trying to untangle what’d just happened. Not yet.
Then the door clicked open again, and my head whipped toward it just in time to see Ireland’s blurry form as she pressed close to me, stamping a kiss to my lips.
Before I could even react, she retreated, and the door closed again.
My lips, still parted from her sudden kiss, turned up in a slow smile.
Lordy.
30
ADAIR
“Quick pinch.”
The phlebotomist put the needle in my vein with expert precision and started filling multiple collection tubes of my blood.
I’d placed more IVs than I could even begin to remember over the years, but I still sighed in relief when she found my vein without issue. I’d seen rookie EMTs botch it enough times to be low-key traumatized by the possibility, but this lady had it on lock.
It was lucky that Zinnia House had a dedicated phlebotomist because once I called Dr. Patel, things started moving fast. Really fast. Appointments, scans, a chat with Live Oak’s HR rep. So, popping over here on my break for the blood draw saved me a hassle.
“So brave,” the older woman cooed, a slight mocking smile on her face as she pulled the rubber tourniquet off my upper arm.
“Thank you,” I said seriously. “If I hold back my tears,can I get a treat?”
She pressed gauze over the puncture and wrapped it in a deep-blue self-adhesive bandage.
My smile was instant and huge. What a perfect color.
She discarded her gloves and materials, washed her hands, then presented me with a plastic container full of Dum Dum lollipops.
I’d been joking, but even a tiny sucker made my stomach grumble. I had to fast for the blood draw, which meant no breakfast this morning.
I’d still gone to the local cafe to get Ireland her cappuccino, and luckily, they’d just pulled out a batch of mini quiches from the oven as I ordered, so I grabbed one each for her and Delly. I left them on the table when I got back to the house, then retreated to my room until it was time for me and Delly to go to work.
Ireland boarded over most days, usually leaving before or after us.
Finding the sucker with “blue raspberry” printed on the wrapper, I scooped it up.
“Ma’am?” I asked as I twirled the sucker between my fingers.
“Yes?” she said, raising her eyebrow.
