“Don’t you want to do the tub with me?”
“Nah. Too much hassle tonight. Let me take care of you?”
Rain was too tired to put up much of an argument and the offer was too damn tempting. “Okay.”
But that empty feeling persisted through his shower, the weird energy he’d had all day, especially since his conversation with Bosler. And now the feeling seemed worse, here where he wasn’t precisely needed but was always welcomed by the sweetest guy ever, who was right now cooking for Rain while Rain floated in the center of the hot tub.
He could take it. Take that chance at a hotshot crew. Nothing holding him here. Except maybe for everything.
Splash. He narrowly avoided sinking to the bottom of the tub. Fuck if that thought didn’t scare him, make every muscle in his body tense. Could he really pass up the chance? Should he even tell Garrick? Hell. He hated that there wasn’t a blueprint for him to follow. People like Lark had it so damn easy. He’d known he wanted to be a nurse practitioner forever, been in love with Harper several years now, probably had a plan in place for their future too. But not Rain. All he’d known was a passion for adventure and a restless soul. Could he live with himself if he stayed?
“Baby, the tub is supposed to relax you. Not make you ready to do battle.” Garrick laughed as he wheeled out onto the deck, plastic plate balanced on his lap. “You look so damn fierce.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” Garrick set the plate on the nearby picnic table. “Grab a towel. Come eat. Your shift go okay?”
“Yeah, it was fine.” Rain ducked his head, not wanting him to see the half-truth in his eyes. He wasn’t telling him about Bosler. Not yet. Maybe not ever, not with Garrick looking at him so tenderly. His eyes were soft, mouth open and inviting as he motioned for Rain. He was every damn thing Rain had ever wanted. Only a fool would walk away from this, but the question remained, the one he’d had all damn week—could he trust it? Trust himself? Trust Garrick? He simply didn’t know and that fucking sucked.
Chapter Seventeen
Garrick had been trapped before, true no-win situations in the midst of a fire, had had midair malfunctions, and knew how to keep his cool in all manner of scenarios. So he had no reason to be freaking out right then. Except he totally was.
“Cookie? Want a biscuit? Cookie? Come on, girl!” He kept his voice light and encouraging even as his mind raced. One second he’d been adjusting the wheelchair leash and the next Cookie had been sprinting away from him, top speed, like this was some fun new game. Except it wasn’t and Garrick seriously didn’t know what he’d do if he couldn’t catch her.
Rain was working late, so he’d thought he’d do him a favor and give Cookie her exercise. However, they still hadn’t worked out all the kinks with the leash system. She wasn’t used to walking that close to the chair or on that short of a lead, and he wasn’t used to the extra pull of her as he wheeled himself. He was confident they’d eventually work it out, but first things first, he had to get her back.
Funny how life could change in a few short months. He couldn’t imagine life without Cookie now. He counted on her company on the nights when Rain wasn’t around. Hell, he’d been talking about putting in a strip of some sort of grass for her out back, getting opinions from Linc and Jacob about what they did for their pack of beasts. Talking dogs had been a nice way to smooth over the tension after his abrupt exit from the party. He’d really rather not call them or his dad to come help him catch Cookie, but he might not have a choice.
Damn it. He’d lost sight of her now. They were at the park but near the edge, by all the houses. Crap. He patted his shirt for his phone and—
Fuck it all. He’d left the phone on his dining table as he’d been adjusting the new leash.
“Cookie? Cookie?” he called again to no avail. Damn it. No choice but to head back now, have Shirley put a red alert on the neighborhood board, and call someone to come help him. He raced back, wheeling hard, glad he’d remembered his gloves at least. Almost home, he narrowly avoided crashing into Rain in Shirley’s driveway.
“Damn. What’s up with you?” Rain jumped out of the way. He was still in work clothes and had tired eyes, but right then, all Garrick cared about was help getting Cookie back.
“Cookie. Got away from me. At the park. Need help. Please.”
“Okay. Okay.” Rain clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ll get her back, promise. Let me tell Grandma—Wait. Look!”