Diamond (Rare Gems #2)(5)
Diamond must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake. Twice she tried to push the person away, and both times she was told to wake up. When she finally did open her eyes, she was staring at Thad. He was smiling at her like he knew some secret.
“You snore.” She pushed at him when he spoke. She most certainly did not snore. “You do. It’s sort of a soft purr, but I don’t think you’re much of a cat. I don’t know why, but I see you more of a…I don’t know, something that would tear a man apart if he pissed her off.”
He had no idea. Blair and Sapphire had decided to tell Thad what they were but hadn’t as yet. It’s not that they didn’t trust the man; he’d paid them when he said he would and had given them the best contract that Blair said he’d ever seen. Everyone was happy with him. Diamond hadn’t met him until today and now she wished she’d been able to postpone that event for a while longer…like forever.
“Would you mind backing up? I can’t get out with you hovering over me like some sort of stalker.” He laughed but moved out of her way. She looked over at Blair when he chuckled at her too. This was becoming the worst day of her life. She got out of the truck and moved to the house, ignoring the men, and only stopped in the kitchen long enough to give her grandmother a kiss on the cheek and tell Allen, Blair’s father, hello. She needed a bath and a long night’s sleep. She was nearly to her room when she heard her name called. Turning to look at Thad, she wondered what it was about him that made her want to lash out at him every time he said anything.
“Do you need someone to scrub your back?” She nearly went back down the stairs and showed him a thing or two about what she needed, but turned on her heel and moved the rest of the way up the stairs. She was going to need therapy after this was finished.
She was pulling her hair up into a thick ponytail when she heard the knock at the door. She groaned and nearly told the person to go away when she realized it was her grandmother.
“I brought you something light to eat. Blair said you had some ice cream, but it’s all melted. I’ll get you some tomorrow if you want.” She nodded at her grandmother and picked up the slices of cheese and some crackers. “I’ve been fielding calls too. Doctor Jan Talley has called here several times begging to speak to you. What would you like for me to tell her?”
“Tell her I’ll call her tomorrow. I’ve been thinking I was stupid in quitting like that anyway.” She walked to the tub that was filling and turned off the taps. “I shouldn’t have let myself get exhausted like that. It’s my fault, not hers.”
“I don’t think so, but then you’re the one that has to work with her.” She stood up and left her the tray. “Sleep until you wake, dear. You’re off for the next few days and you should enjoy it.”
Diamond soaked in the tub for nearly an hour, refreshing the water occasionally just to keep it warm. By the time she rolled out of it, she was as limp as a rag and had eaten all but one cracker and two slices of cheese. After drying off, she crawled into bed, wondering if she needed to set her alarm, but closed her eyes and let sleep take her before she even picked her phone up to set it. Her last thought was of the arrogant ass Thad and whether or not he was going to be all right in the morning.
~~~
Thad discovered three things his first morning in the big house. First, and probably most importantly, he was not used to women in large groups. The Erickson women, including the grandmother, were not a group he’d want to deal with on a daily basis, especially not in the morning. Secondly, they didn’t drink coffee, and no matter how much he begged them, no one would help him get a cup. Third, and now that he thought of it this should have been first, he was not in as good of shape as he’d thought he was. There were five flights of stairs to any point in this house to get to a bathroom and five more to come back down. He was dying and decided that a treadmill was in order. And where the hell was Diamond?
“Would you like to go into the office with me now or when Sapphire comes in after she takes care of her clients?” Blair leaned down to him and whispered in his ear. “I’m going to Tim Horton’s on the way into work, and Sapphire won’t.”
“You. I’m going with you.” He glanced up at the door when it opened and was disappointed not to see Diamond. All the other women were there, but not her. He had some major teasing to do, and she wasn’t there for him to have his fun. He was hobbling toward the door when he heard one of the sisters say her name. Thad tried to look like he wasn’t eavesdropping, but he was, and he was pretty sure Emerald knew it when she winked at him.
“I took her phone last night after I knew she was asleep. She didn’t even stir. I did cover her up though. I didn’t think sleeping naked without at least a sheet was such a good idea, as tired as she was.” Thad tried not to swallow too loudly, but the thought of Diamond naked was nearly too much for him to imagine. “She’s going to go back to work for that bitch, I just know it.”
Thad knew that Emerald didn’t care for the doctor. In fact he got the impression that none of them did. Especially Ruby, who was only going to be a nurse as long as it took her to get out of med school and become a doctor.
“Well,” Jade said as she pulled on her boots, “she’ll do what she feels is right and not what we think. Diamond needs to be a nurse as much as I need to work outside. And today is the big day.”