Summer on Lovers' Island (Jewell Cove 3)

“Yeah, but I just couldn’t get around him and—” He yelled as Josh deftly put the kneecap back in place. “Holy shit!”

Lizzie laughed and patted Shawn’s hand. His face had gone white for a few seconds, but the color was coming back now. “You’re still going to have to have it checked out, and no weight on it. We’re going to wrap some ice around it and carry you off the field. But everything’s back where it’s supposed it be. Say ‘thank you, Dr. Collins.’”

“Yuh, thanks,” he mumbled, but then turned his gaze back on her. “You’re a nice distraction—”

“Dr. Howard. And thank you. Now stop flirting. I’m old, remember?”

He blushed and she laughed, then stood up. She’d worn cutoff denim shorts and a blue T-shirt today and the rusty-brown dirt of the field stuck to her knees. She brushed it off as Josh wrapped the ice pack around the leg and he and a couple of the guys carried Shawn off the field as the players and spectators clapped.

She didn’t get a chance to speak to Josh again until after the game was over. The Pups won, but only by a run, and the Old Dogs were looking a little less spry than the kids, who were already talking about heading back to a teammate’s house for a barbecue and then picking up girls for the fireworks later in the evening. The older guys were ready for cold beers and some downtime.

Charlie was starting to really feel the heat and Dave had taken her back to the car in the middle of the ninth so she could sit in some air-conditioning. Lizzie was making sure everything was in her tote bag when Josh, his gray pants streaked with brown from a slide into second, made his way over to her.

God, he looked good. His tanned skin contrasted with his dirty-blond hair, which curled out from beneath his cap just a little bit. Then there were his eyes. It seemed like all the Collins kids had inherited the same clear, blue eyes.

“Hey, good teamwork out there, huh?” he asked.

“It was okay. You still lost.” She kept her tone nonchalant, deliberately misunderstanding his meaning.

He laughed. “I meant you and me.”

“I know you did.” She couldn’t help but smile now. “That probably really hurt. Hitting Tom had to feel like hitting a brick wall.”

“He’s a big lad.”

She chuckled. “When I signed the lease on the cottage, I was like, holy cow, who is this lumberjack dude?”

Josh really laughed now. “Hold up. Dr. Howard, did you just say ‘dude’?”

“So?”

“So, I didn’t know such vernacular was in your vocabulary. It’s not … um…”

She shouldered her tote. “Not, um, what?”

“Never mind.”

She had a feeling she knew what he was going to say. “Are you saying I have a stick up my ass, Collins?”

He looked shocked that she’d suggested it. “Of course not! Just that you’re very … uh…”

She knew she’d been short with him at times. Stupid truth was that when she felt awkward she reverted to her professional self. Ian had told her once that she sometimes seemed cold. She wasn’t, not really. She was just … unsure. Of course she’d never admit that to Josh. She didn’t like people knowing about her weaknesses. Especially capable, hunky people she had to see every day.

“Good thing you’re a doctor,” she teased. “Your vocab sucks.”

“I was going to say ‘professional,’” he finished.

“‘Uptight.’”

“Maybe.” She was playing with him a bit, and what was more, she was enjoying it. She let him off the hook. “Hey, I’m new, still figuring out the dynamic and stuff. Cut me some slack.”

He grinned at her. “You surprised me today. You seemed more easygoing than usual.”

“I take my work seriously. But after hours I like to be more chill. It’s how I balance things out. My day is organized and efficient. My outside-of-work life is more spontaneous. The game was fun. I do know how to have fun once in a while. I can tell you stories that’ll curl your hair.”

His eyebrows went up. “Really? Like what?”

She tilted her head to the side. ?