afternoon.”
“You should go. Have a bit of fun.” She thought I didn’t see the slight grimace as she stood up straight.
“Mir…” She gave me a blank look. Apparently, I need to work on my chiding tone. “You need to rest. You can’t be chasing Anna again all day.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “I’m fine. You should go.” When I just continued to look at her, she sighed. “If it makes you feel better, you can take Anna all next week. I’m behind on inventory as it is, and that would give me a chance to catch up.”
“You’re sure?” I reached to brush her cheek with my fingers. Her skin was so incredibly soft.
She caught my hand, kissing my fingers. “I’m sure. Go.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And you still have to go shopping for your mother.”
“I’m off tomorrow. Anna and I can spend all day finding a birthday present for Grandma.”
“If those storms move in as they’re predicting…”
“Then we’ll improvise.” I kissed her nose when she stood up. “Thanks.”
She smiled and shook her head at me. “If I ever collect on all the things you owe me…”
“I looooove you,” I called down the hallway, heading to call the guys back.
“I love you, too, Jess. Goddess only knows why.”
Amidst making arrangements to meet Marty and Will, Mira and Anna slipped out the door and headed to the shop. I was a little hurt that they didn’t even tell me good-bye, but it kept me from having to distract Mira from my limping again.
Once I was sure they weren’t coming back for any forgotten items, I dialed the phone again, flopping onto the couch to get the weight off my sore leg.
“Dr. Smith’s office, how can I help you?”
“That you, Bridget?”
The doc sighed. “Yeah, Kim’s still out sick. That’s what happens when you have children in daycare, you know.”
“If you’re busy, I can call back.”
“Nah, you caught me before my first appointment. What’s up?”
“Well, what if… and this is hypothetical, mind you… What if some guy slipped and fell on a wet floor, and then his leg hurt really bad? What might that be?”
I could picture the incredulous look on her face. “You slipped and fell? I just saw you yesterday!”
“No no! Just… hypothetically.” There was no way I was going to see her again, barring visible bone or spurting blood.
“Well… it could be a sprain. Is there swelling at the knee or ankle?”
I eyed my offending appendage thoughtfully. “No, no swelling. And it would be mostly the calf that hurt, not the joints.”
“Your right calf, Jess? You need to come in and let me have a look at it.”
“Hey, I didn’t say it was me. I said hypothetically.”
“Yes, and you’re a shitty liar.” There it was, that gritting-the-teeth voice. “It sounds as if it could be something as simple as a badly pulled muscle. Or you-no, no, your hypothetical klutz-could have torn a muscle, or a ligament, or something else that may require surgery. Only a doctor’s examination could tell for sure.”
“So what treatment do you recommend for a pulled calf muscle?”
“Well, rest of course. Occasional ice packs for the first forty-eight hours. Then you can start trying moist heat and gentle exercise. The key is to stop if it hurts.”
I made agreeing noises as if I were taking careful notes.
“Hey, Jess? Did you happen to send a new patient my way?” Papers shuffled in the background, the good doctor multitasking up a storm.
“Um… no?”
“I didn’t think so.” There was a definite grumble in her voice.
“Why, what’s up?” I eyed my offending leg, idly wondering if I should skip the ice packs and go straight to moist heat. I was a fast healer, usually. That should count for something, right?
“Had a guy in here yesterday afternoon. Said he was new in town and that you’d recommended me as a doc. He started off asking questions about the practice and all, but it turned into asking more questions about you. I finally got pissed and threw him out.”
She had my total attention, suddenly, leg be damned. “Let me guess. Young looking, suit and tie, clean-cut, slimy?”
“Yeah, that’s him. Did I do wrong?” She suddenly sounded uncertain.
“Oh hell no. He comes back, you call Cole and get his ass arrested for trespassing. He’s just… a jerk giving me some trouble.”
“Oh good. I didn’t think he seemed like the kinda guy you’d be friends with.”
“As usual, your instincts are spot-on, Doc.” I managed a smile, hoping Bridget wouldn’t hear the barely contained anger in my voice. Verelli had officially stepped over the line. “Did you tell him anything? About me?”
She snorted into the phone. “What do you take me for, Jess, a rookie? Patient information is privileged.”
There was a small bit of relief there. I don’t know what Skippy the Chihuahua could have learned from her, but I didn’t want to chance it. He was being a bit too persistent.
“Jesse, you know I’m going to tell Mira about your leg, right?”
Aw crap. Distract and evade. “No, you’re not. Doctor-patient privilege, remember?”
“I hate you sometimes.”
“You love me; you know it.”
“Please come in and see me?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I’m not hurt.”
“Argh! You’re impossible.”
“No, I’m incredible.” I grinned as I hung up the phone. Bridget was so going to make me suffer at my next appointment. The smile faded, though, as I pondered the latest developments.
Verelli had to have followed me. I wondered briefly if he was the culprit in the blue Escort, but I dismissed that quickly. Men like Verelli didn’t drive Escorts, and even if he was going to kill me, he’d hire someone professional to do it. I’d worked with professionals, and the guy in the car wasn’t one.
Dear God and Buddha, how many people did I have tailing me? I was going to need a parade permit if this kept up.
And if Verelli had followed me to my doctor’s appointment, had he also followed me to Seventh Sense? I toyed with the phone, debating whether or not to call Mira and warn her. I finally decided against it. Mira was a she-wolf in a den, fierce when provoked, and Dee… Well, rumor had it that Dee had played middle linebacker on her high school football team. I don’t know if it was true, but I believe she could have if she wanted. The ladies could take care of themselves. If I hadn’t been so pissed, I might have even felt sorry for Verelli.
In fact, I had gone past mildly annoyed and straight into freaking livid. It was one thing to be a pain in my ass, but it was entirely another to start accosting my friends and associates-especially those who had no idea what I did in my secret life. Mr. Verelli and I were going to have a long and intimate conversation about boundaries and personal space.
The only outlet for my anger at the moment was exercise, and I headed out to the backyard for my usual morning workout. I wasn’t sure if my katas counted as “gentle exercise,” and you will notice that I didn’t ask the good doctor. Ignorance is bliss. I went through them as best I could while favoring my right leg, and I convinced myself it did feel a bit better. I just needed to limber up some. That was it.
I attempted to meditate afterward, but my mind kept wandering in other directions. I lingered under the nagging suspicion that I was in the doghouse with Mira, and even if I wasn’t, I probably ought to be. She should be home resting, not chasing Anna around the store. Not for the first time, I wondered if I should so easily take her at her word.
Maybe I’d get her something, too, while I was out shopping tomorrow. I had no idea what, though, and asking her seemed counter to my purpose. The puzzle of that, on top of my sheer pissed-off-edness at Verelli, kept me from concentrating, and in the end I gave up, frustrated.
