The Family You Make (Sunrise Cove #1)(22)

That had her looking at him again, her gaze softer now. “It’s not often people try to find me,” she said. “Usually it’s been the opposite.”

That effectively swiped the smile from his face, remembering what she’d told him, that she didn’t have family. His family was a huge pain in his ass, but he couldn’t imagine not having them. “Can we talk?”

Those sharp eyes assessed him, taking in the scar the stitches had left through his eyebrow. “I’m glad you’re okay. But I don’t know what there is to talk about.”

“Maybe I needed to know you’re okay too.”

“I’m fine.”

He smiled at his own usual mantra and his gaze settled on the bruise along her jawline. Very gently, he ran a finger along it. “I’m sorry about what happened that night, Jane.”

She swallowed hard, then shook her head. “None of it was your fault. And I’m sorry, but I’ve really got to get back to work. So unless you’ve got another of your fascinating facts for me, I’ll see you around—”

“If you burned all the new data from just one day onto DVDs, you could stack them on top of each other and reach the moon—twice.”

She blinked, then looked impressed. “Okay, that’s a good one.”

“Also, I brought you something.” He reached into his pocket.

“At least you didn’t ask me to get it out for you this time.”

He grinned, and that felt good. Too good. He held his hand out to her, palm still closed, and her eyes narrowed. “What is it?”

“Suspicious much?” Reaching for her hand, he dropped her necklace into her palm. “One of the search-and-rescue guys found this that night, but they missed you at the hospital. I promised to get it back to you.”

She stilled and stared down at the necklace, her eyes going shiny before she closed her fingers around the locket and brought it up to her chest. “Thank you,” she whispered, voice thick. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

Looking at her stare at the necklace again, he thought maybe he did. “I’m just glad you have it back. Jane . . .”

She lifted her face.

“Do you want to talk about it? About what we went through?”

“No. We’re both okay, there’s no need.” She took a step back. “But I owe you one.”

“Actually, you saving my life trumps me getting the necklace back to you. Can I buy you lunch on your break?”

“I’m not hungry.” Then her stomach growled and she grimaced, looking embarrassed. “Okay, fine. I’m starving. After I finish with my patient, I get a break. Meet me at the hospital cafeteria. It’s in the next building over, ground floor.”

He smiled. “It’s a date.”

“It’s not a date. I don’t date.”

“Never?” he asked.

“Well, maybe once in a blue moon.”

His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Then here’s hoping for a blue moon. See you in the cafeteria, Jane.”

She nodded, then watched him walk out of the urgent care—which he knew because he looked back and caught her at it.

With another grimace, she vanished into the back, and he smiled all the way to the hospital cafeteria.





Chapter 7


Fifteen minutes later, Jane walked into the hospital cafeteria. This was a bad idea. Like, a really bad idea, mostly because while she could say she wasn’t interested in starting anything with Levi, she seemed to conveniently forget that when looking in his eyes.

Stupid, sexy eyes.

Sandra, a fellow traveling nurse, caught her at the entrance. “Jane! Hi, what’s new?”

“Not much,” she said neutrally.

“You sure? ’Cause there’s a really hot guy waiting for you.” Sandra tilted her head in the direction of a table off to the right and waggled her eyebrows.

“And?” Jane asked.

“And . . . there’s a really hot guy waiting for you.” The unspoken question was clearly Where did you find him?

The medical network here in Tahoe was impressive, but behind the scenes, it was like high school. High school with really smart kids who practically lived the job, so they were all far too tangled up in one another’s lives.

And Jane didn’t plan to be the latest watercooler story. A quick peek over her shoulder revealed Levi leaning back in his chair, scrolling through his phone. And damn, Sandra was right. He was sexy as hell, maybe even more so now with that new scar line through his right eyebrow.

“Are you really going to give me nothing?” Sandra asked. “Come on, my day’s sucked so far.”

Jane laughed but shook her head. “Did you really come all the way down from Labor and Delivery to get gossip?”

“No, actually I came looking for you. I was wondering how long you’re staying at Charlotte’s this year. The hospital offered to extend my contract by another couple of months, but there’s no available housing. And you’re always saying you’re going to be gone soon, so I guess I’m wondering if that’s true?”

Jane had spent the first part of her life being asked to move along. It was always done in a roundabout way, starting from when her grandpa hadn’t been able to take care of her on his own. She’d been handed off from one distant relative to the next. Jane, wouldn’t you like to go stay with cousin so-and-so for a while . . . ?