said vaguely, "Things."
He nodded and quickly consulted the GPS unit on his dashboard. "We're almost there, I think."
* * *
Pete was both tired and invigorated when they got back to the office that evening. The sun was far from going down, despite the late hour, and he wanted to be out in it. While Jackie puttered about in the front office—Willa long gone as her shift was over—Pete gathered up his laptop and some charts and headed toward the backdoor, intent on setting himself up at the patio table outside.
He smiled at his nurse as he paused by the front desk. "You should be heading home, Jackie."
"Yeah. I guess." Her dark eyes were downcast. She seemed at odds with herself.
"Something wrong?"
She shrugged. "No."
"Spit it out, young lady."
Her head popped up and she glared at him. "Don't call me that."
The vehemence of her reaction took him aback. "Excuse me?"
"Don't call me 'young lady.' I might be young, but I'm a full-grown adult woman, not a teenager."
He didn't like being reprimanded, but something had obviously gotten her into a bad mood and she was taking it out on him. Pete tried not to take it personally. "Okay," he said, drawing the word out. "You're not a young lady. Got it."
"Don't forget it either."
His temper flared. " That certainly sounds mature."
At first her brows came down into a frown, but soon they eased again as her shoulders drooped. "I'm sorry. I'm not being very nice."
"Maybe you're tired," he allowed.
"Yeah, but I'm not ready to go home yet."
It was Pete's turn to frown. "Why not?"
She shrugged again. "I dunno. I'm not, that's all."
A debate raged in Pete's head for a few moments, but he went with his gut instead of his brain. "Well, you can come outside with me for a while. I have some charts I want to update. You can help, if you like."
Her face brightened. "I can?"
"I don't see why not."
"Okay."
Jackie gathered a few things and followed Pete outside. He could smell her perfume on the breeze as they moved across the patio. He'd been entranced by it all day. She was charming and gentle with the patients, and he could easily see how she'd fit in his life. But there was an age difference to consider, and his workaholic nature was not a fact he could ignore. He didn't know if he could offer a young woman like her anything she'd be interested in. She probably had a handful of young boyfriends poised to lavish attention on her.
They sat at the table, warmed by the sinking sun and cooled by the late spring breeze. The work was engaging and it took longer than Pete had planned. Or maybe he didn't want the evening to end. The light was too dim to see the files well so he put his pen down and leaned back in his chair.
"Hungry?"
Jackie closed a chart and gave him a soft smile. "Getting there."
"I have some steaks in the 'fridge. Would you like to stay for an impromptu barbeque? We can work on these charts some more after dinner. Or are you too tired?"
"I don't mind working late. I like helping."
"Well, I can't keep you here and not feed you."
She laughed and Pete's heart beat harder. "Steak sounds good."
"Okay. Do you mind if we eat at my house? I think the mosquitoes are going to chew us to death if we linger out here."
She didn't think about it for more than a second. "That's fine."
He stood and gathered up his files and computer. This might be a huge mistake, but it was only dinner. Food and more work, that's all. " Come this way," he said in his best Bella Lugosi voice.
Jackie giggled and followed right along.
It turned out that Jackie was adept in the kitchen. She didn't know many fancy dishes, but the simple fare he intended for supper didn't faze her at all. As they cooked, they talked about Texas. He told her some stories about his childhood in Lubbock, and she told him more about her family's ranch. She was animated and proud talking about her kin . Family was obviously important to her.
As they sat down to eat in his kitchen, around 9:00 PM,