Foundation for Three (12 page)

She couldn’t deny it. “You were shot.”

He gently shook his head and grabbed the remaining bag. “Come on, Miss Helper.”

Inside, the place was spacious but sparsely decorated. She loved everything about the comfortable looking living room except the flowered wallpaper. She bet Pete’s mom had picked it out and now he didn’t have the heart to change it.

A long hallway led off the living room to an open concept kitchen that was totally updated, a dining area that had a crystal chandelier in need of dusting, and a den of sorts that had a humongous television, above a fireplace. As for the furniture, it looked like the men had gone to a thrift store and bought whatever suited their fancy. They didn’t seem to care that nothing matched.

“We’re not home enough to worry about decorating,” Thad said, acting as if he could guess her reaction before she said anything.

“You don’t need to explain. I get it. I like comfortable.”

Once they placed all the packages on the large center island in the kitchen, she helped him unpack. She had no idea what her next step should be. Was he waiting for her to leave or should she hang out for a few hours to help him prepare dinner? Or would Pete be home by then?

Once more, Thad put the items away using his right hand. It was possible he wouldn’t have used his left even if his left hadn’t been injured.

Zoey inwardly sighed. The girls would be arriving for happy hour soon. Zoey had already called Jamie Henderson, the point person, to let her know she might not make it. She was pleased that Jamie, who was a hospice nurse at the hospital, had returned to her usual activities of organizing the group. It had only been three weeks since Ben, Jamie’s former boyfriend, had inadvertently shot Jamie while he was trying to kill Amber. The emotional toll had yet to sink in.

Thad seemed quite settled, so maybe Zoey could leave.
But do I want to?
No, but with all that had happened, she was equally excited to be with her friends and tell them about her day.

When she’d first encountered Thad, Zoey decided she wanted to get to know him better. He was really nice, but she never thought he was that interested in her. After their lunch today, and with the way he touched her during the dart game, just maybe he liked her back.

Zoey seriously needed help reading a man’s clues. “I guess I should be going. You seem to have everything under control.” She held her breath.

“You’re welcome to stay.” His lowered his chin and looked up at her, but no tension filled his face. It was as if her decision didn’t matter.

Adrenaline rushed through her, but the high was immediately blocked by an intrusion of common sense. She wasn’t ready yet. She needed space to think. “What time Saturday?” Being evasive was so passive, but her jumbled nerves would only muck up the great time they’d had together if she stayed any longer.

“How about Pete and I pick you up at four thirty? Dress warm. The barn can be drafty.”

“You bet.”

Saturday would be yet another adventure. For the last two years, she’d barely dated, and in the span of a week, she’d met two great guys. The problem was that she’d have to pick just one. Or did she?

Chapter Ten

“Y
ou played darts with the cop who was just shot?” Jamie asked. Her voice came out a tad loud, and a few people in nearby tables turned their heads.

Zoey leaned forward. “As for being able to throwing darts, Thad has healed quite nicely already. Or else he was pretending the wound didn’t hurt. The bullet hit here.” Zoey pointed to the fleshy part of her forearm.

Jamie winced. It was understandable she’d be sensitive around the topic of a shooting after her own gunshot wound. The worst part of the whole ordeal was that Jamie had no idea her boyfriend had been guilty of all the mercy killings in the hospital. So far, she’d been remarkably resilient, but there were a lot of issues they still needed to work out in therapy.

Melissa Williams, an OB-GYN nurse, set down her drink, her eyes looking wistful. “He was a real hero to protect you like that.”

Zoey sipped her refreshing wine. “I completely agree. I’ve never met a man that brave. He brought down my captor after being shot.” The group oohed and aahed.

Melissa snagged a handful of chips. “I wish I could meet someone like that.”

Except for Jamie, who’d thought she’d found her Prince Charming when she’d met Benny, and Amber Delacroix who’d recently landed her two perfect men, all of the women at the table had expressed that sentiment at one time—including Zoey.

Amber dipped the pita bread into the hummus. “All I can say is that I’d have been scared shitless if someone grabbed me around the throat like that.”

“Trust me, I was petrified.” Zoey was about to say Amber should know the feeling, but then thought better of it. Her friend had a gun pointed at her by Jamie’s boyfriend, which would be a hell of a lot worse in Zoey’s opinion.

Melissa wiped her hands on her napkin. “We’ve never had any of our patients come in with gunshots wounds, but wouldn’t any kind of surgery leave him woozy for days?”

“I would have thought so, too, but he’s tough.”

“And hot,” Amber added. If her good friend wasn’t engaged to two hunky men, Zoey might have told her to back off.

Becky Andrews, another nurse at LACE hospital, sipped her margarita. “You need to start from the beginning. I must have been spacing out because I didn’t even know this went down.” She waved her glass. “Where was I?”

Zoey could see the girls wouldn’t leave her alone until she gave them enough details. “I’ll give the short version for Becky here. I was walking down the hall intently reading my notes, when this guy grabs me.” While Zoey told them how she thought she might die, she left out a lot of the details—like nearly peeing in her pants. “After I got out of the ER and made sure Thad was okay, I went home.” She inhaled. All four of her friends seemed glued to her story. “I was shaken, but I was holding it together.”

Jamie’s lips were pressed together. “You sure you weren’t in denial? I know I would have been.”

They’d spoken about that in their session. “At the time, I was just mad and upset, mostly because of Thad. I had a mean headache from the gun butt, some of that man’s blood on me, and was hungry and tired.”

“Sounds just like PMS to me,” Melissa said with humor in her voice.

The crowd chuckled. “Trust me. It was worse. Remember I told you I was having my kitchen and bath redone?” The girls nodded. “They were supposed to be finished that day, but when I got there, the owner was in my bathroom cleaning the tub.”

“No way,” Becky said. “I’d have been pissed. When I’m upset, I want to be left alone.”

“I was a bit peeved. Having Pete—a stranger to me—where I wanted to be the most set me off. I lost it. I’m not proud of my reaction, but it’s what happened.” She told them how she’d cried and how Pete had held her hand, brought her something to drink, and listened to her tale.

“Aw,” Becky said, her frustration from a moment ago having all but disappeared. “He sounds so nice.” Becky was the dreamer of the group who yearned for love in the worst way.

“He was. He even ordered me Chinese food.” Everyone knew Zoey’s penchant for the stuff.

Becky placed both hands over her mouth. “Why can’t I meet someone like him?”

“You sound like Melissa. Don’t worry. When the time’s right, he’ll walk into your life.”

“I can’t wait.” Becky drew her glass to her lips. “You find a man willing to risk his life for you, and then meet a second man who’s equally wonderful in the same day. I should be so lucky.”

“She’s greedy,” Melissa chimed in.

Zoey shook her head. “It wasn’t like I planned it.”

Melissa leaned forward. “What are you going to do about being one woman with two men? Willing to pass one off?” Her brows rose.

“Not going to happen, lady.” Zoey sobered then finished her glass of wine. “That’s one of the reasons I needed to come. I’m torn.”

Amber smiled. “We’re all ears. But let me say that Thad’s a great guy. He worked with Cade once, who had nothing but good things to say about him. You can’t go wrong with a hero.”

“I know, but Pete was there for me, too.” Zoey stomach tightened at where this conversation was headed.

Jamie cracked open a peanut. “Seems to me like you have a real dilemma.”

Melissa waved her glass. “No kidding. Thad is this hunky cop who saved your life. You cancelled your entire day of appointments so you could drive him home. But you’re in turmoil because Pete was there for you in your most trying time.”

Melissa had nailed it. “You are so right. I like both of them.”

A twinkle shone in Amber’s eyes. “I remember when I barged into the room where you were consoling a pretend-to-be-sick Thad, and you and he were totally engrossed in what each of you were saying.”

That was what made it so hard. “We were. He’s deep. He seemed to understand me, too.”

Melissa chortled and Becky grinned. Melissa made the shape of a circle with her hands. “My magic ball says you’ll be boffing Thad within the week.”

Everyone but Zoey laughed. Her face heated instead. “Pete told me they shared.” She’d shone the light on the elephant in the room.

Amber grabbed her hand. “I’m so happy for you.”

“I am, too. Sort of. Here’s the problem. Pete hasn’t asked me out. What if he doesn’t? You don’t think it’s going to be awkward being at Thad’s house if Pete shows up?”

Jamie shook her head. “You know, for a self-confident shrink, you sure are one confused woman when it comes to men.”

Zoey laughed. “You got that right.”

Amber looked from one girl to the next. “I’ll play shrink here. It’s not that Pete won’t ask Zoey out, it’s that when he does, she’ll have to deal with both.”

Jamie leaned forward on her elbows and lasered a gaze right at Zoey. “I seem to recall that when Amber mentioned how she liked Cade and Stone that you warned her about ménage relationships. I believed you said they were doomed to failure.”

Zoey had said that. “That was before I could see how good Stone and Cade were with Amber. Since then, I’ve been reevaluating my opinion.”

“Amen,” Amber said.

Melissa picked up her glass and drained it. “If Pete asks you out, what will you say?”

“Let’s not be making any wedding plans for me yet. On Saturday, I’ll be going with Thad to his parents’ anniversary party. Pete’s invited, too.”

All the girls grinned. They acted as if her fate was sealed. She so hoped she was ready to delve into the world of ménage again.

*     *     *

After a fun evening with her friends, Zoey headed home. She was two streets away from her house when her cell rang. A quick glance showed the number, but not the person’s name.

Thinking it might be a distraught patient using a friend’s phone, she answered. “Hello?”

“It’s Pete Banks. Hope you don’t mind that I called. Thad gave me your cell number.”

Her right hand loosened her grip on the wheel. “Mind? No.” He sounded upbeat, so she assumed nothing bad had happened to Thad.

Was he asking her out or checking on whether she was happy with the renovations?
Stop guessing. Just listen.

“I wanted to touch base with you to see if you were okay, but it sounds as if you’re in a car.”

A bit of disappointment ran through her. It was a check-up call. The whine from the wheels on the pavement was rather loud. “I’m just returning from happy hour.”

“I won’t keep you then, but I was wondering if you might be up for a horseback ride at my parents’ ranch after work tomorrow. You mentioned how much you missed your horse from back home.”

He was too sweet. Zoey hadn’t ridden in such a long time. Growing up, she’d taken Scout, her Paint, out almost every day. “I’d love to. My last patient leaves at three. Does that work?” Normally, she had someone at four on Friday, but she’d cancelled.

“Perfect. How about I pick you up at your house at, say, four?”

She slowed as she neared the turn to her street. First Thad and now Pete. Her social calendar had gone from nothing to being filled up fast. “I’ll be ready.”

“See you then.”

She pressed the off button and smiled until she realized that Pete had just complicated her life, but hopefully in a good way.