“We’re in, buddy. Did you have a good time?” he said aloud.Ford tilted his head, making his eyes appear even more crossed. “I mean, how could you not with Annie lickingyou all over? Too bad you don’t have all your parts anymore.”
The dog seemed unaware of what he was missing because helooked as though he were grinning, his big pink tongue hanging over pointywhite teeth.
T.J. snorted. “Just go with that. You’re God’s gift to thebitches. A total badass stud muffin.”
Ford disappeared from view. “Yeah, go ahead and lie downwhile I’m trying to prop you up. Man’s best friend, my ass. What the hell am Idoing talking to a goddamn dog anyway?” Not to mention paying someone a lotof cash to watch said dog. For not the first time, T.J. shook his head atthe convoluted house of cards he was building.
When—not if—would it come crashing down?
CHAPTER 14
A Fine Mess
The next morning started well, andit showed in Natalie’s step. Her bank account wasn’t on life support, Tyler haddropped Ford off promptly, and she’d been able to text him that his dog hadbeen great company on her morning rounds—without lying. Now she was right ontime to see Kevin, and a bright winter sun illuminated an azure backdrop sovivid it nearly hurt to look at. Life was blissful perfection.
Natalie slid out from behind the steering wheel and shut thedoor. Ford whined. The windows were cracked open, and she wiggled her fingersthrough a gap. “I know you don’t want to be left alone, but it won’t be long, Ipromise. So no honking the horn or joy riding, okay?”
With a few furtive backward glances, she hurried toward thehospital’s entrance, her last view of Ford promising. He sat in the driver’sseat, ears up, and was looking around with great interest.
Approaching Kevin’s room, uproarious laughter surprised her.She stepped inside to find the TV on, and the laughter was coming from him. “Whatcha watching?” she ventured.
Seated in an armchair, he didn’t spare her a glance. “Somestupid game show.”
She pecked him on the cheek. “Funny, huh?”
“Just look at the idiot in a dog suit, for Christ’s sake!”he wheezed between chuckles.
Natalie darted her eyes to the screen, baffled by what hefound so amusing. At least he was seeing clearly today.
They cut to commercials, and he finally swiveled his headtoward her. And frowned. “You’re all bright andcheery. What’s going on?”
Should she not be cheerful?
“I have a new dog-sitting client, and he referred me to apossible new bookkeeping client. I’m meeting with her tomorrow.” Giddiness overthe meeting began percolating in her bloodstream. “And funny coincidence, she’smarried to Beckett Miller, who plays defense for Arizona.”
“I know who Beckett Miller is,” Kevin snapped, startlingher. His attention returned to the TV. “What’s the asshole’s name?”
Bewildered, she asked, “What asshole?”
“Your new client.”
“His name is Tyler Johnson, and he’s not an asshole,” she bitout.
Kevin’s eyes remained fixed on the TV, and another overblownlaugh came from him. When she looked, a gray-haired man with a laser-whitesmile was urging viewers to call an eight-hundrednumber for life insurance. This was funny?
“Guy’s probably a phony setting you up,” Kevin grumbled.
Right. Moving on. “Depending on how long theinterview lasts tomorrow, there’s a chance I won’t make it in, unless Kriswon’t be here in the evening and I can swing by then?”
“Kris hasn’t missed a visit, and she hasn’t been late. Notonce.”
Ouch! Yeah, and Kris doesn’t have to work because yousupport her! Not that Natalie expected him to support her. Nor didshe want that. But the stinging rebuke was patently unfair because thecomparison was skewed. Part of Natalie wanted to lash out, to tell him howpretzel-twisted-complicated her schedule had become while she juggled him andher other obligations. Did he even give a shit?
The other part of her was plain tired, emotionallyexhausted. The happy bubbles she’d brought with her this morning had allpopped, and it wasn’t like she got that many these days to begin with. Even so,she held her tongue. No pity parties. This is about Kevin healing. TeamKevin is on the job.
Seeking benign ground, she asked, “What show is this?”
Kevin clicked off the TV and looked at her, now with acharming smile. “What’re you doing way over there?” He patted his thighs.
Natalie was in Whiplash Central, her head spinning atblurring speed as she tried to keep up with Kevin’s strange shifts. “Give me aminute. I need to check on the dog in my car.” Without waiting for hisresponse, she hurried from the room and straight into Colin.
“Hey there,” he said cheerfully. “Where’re you hurrying to?”
“I need to check on a dog.”
“May I walk with you?” Dressed in street clothes, Colinlooked like a rumpled college professor, complete with a kind, patient smile.He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
“Of course.”
He fell in beside her, and they walked in silence until theywere beyond the hospital doors.
“Natalie, there’s something I’ve been wanting to say toyou.”
The smile was still on his face, but warning bells went offin her head.
“You’ve been … so good to my brother, in spite of hiserratic behavior, and I can’t thank you enough. I understand how difficult thismust be for you. You’d just started dating when he wound up here, and you’reprobably wondering what you got yourself into, yet I’ve never heard a singlecomplaint from you.”
A mirthless laugh. “If you listento the gossip, I’m only in it because I’m a gold digger.”
Beside her, Colin nodded. “The people who matter know thatif you were in fact a gold digger, you’d have ditched him and moved on tosomeone with a more promising future.”
An alarming statement. “So hisfuture isn’t promising?”
He gave her a cautious look. “Unclear. TBIs areunpredictable. But any way you slice it, Kevin’s got a long road ahead of him.And at his age …”
Colin didn’t need to finish the sentence. At thirty-three,Kevin was already old by NHL standards. And by the time he got throughrehabbing and training to get back to the level he’d been
