Almost a Family

“Our arguments never lasted long, though.”

His voice was strangely thick as he answered, “No.”

Her hands paused—her first mistake—as the words make-up sex raced through her head. Quickly, she grabbed the water bottle and applied it again. They had always made up, except for that one last time. And like that time camping, it usually had involved both of them getting naked.

As Jason threaded his needle again, she knew instinctively he was remembering as vividly as she.

He cleared his throat. “We’re almost done here. Why don’t you round up Sara?”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m just going to make this guy comfortable,” he said, rubbing the dog’s ears. “I’ll check on the rest of the crew in the back and we can go.”

Molly was part way out the door when his voice stopped her. “Mol?”

She turned, finally meeting his gaze.

It was a mistake. The instant that their eyes met she knew he’d been remembering, too.

“Thanks for your help today,” he said quietly.

“You’re welcome,” she answered and spun from the room before she could say something she’d regret.

Chapter Five

She hung her lab coat back on a hook and threw her gloves in the garbage before going to get Sara. She found the little girl sipping happily on a juice box as the end credits of the movie scrolled through.

“You’ve been good. You ready to go?”

“Yup. I had a powernap. I’m hungry.”

Molly laughed. “Let’s talk to Jason. Maybe we can convince him to let us have a treat.”

Together they tidied up the room so it was as neat as it had been when they’d arrived. When they went upstairs, Jason was coming out of the kennel room. “You ladies ready?”

“Uncle Jason, can we go to McDonald’s?”

His gaze darted to Molly, and she grinned widely. He sighed, clearly outnumbered. “Drive-thru only, kiddo. I’m too much of a mess to go anywhere. We’ll take it home, okay?”

Sara jumped up and down, tugging on Molly’s hand. “He said yes! Yippee!”

Molly angled an amused look at Jason. “Someone has lots of energy. She had a powernap.”

“Let’s go, then. She’s always quiet when she’s eating.”

They drove to the McDonald’s in Oromocto, and then went back to Jason’s house to eat. Molly set Sara up at the table and went to find Jason. She discovered him in the laundry room amid piles of sorted clothes awaiting his attention. Being a single guy with his own business obviously did not leave a lot of time for domestic chores. She could relate to that. Her laundry basket was constantly full, and there always seemed to be a layer of dust on her furniture thanks to fourteen-hour days. If she got her promotion, she was seriously considering getting a maid to come in once a week.

“Aren’t you eating?”

He blushed. “I’ve gotta change first. This shirt’s covered in blood and mud.” His dirty bottoms were sitting in a heap on the floor; he now wore clean jeans, but the scrub top had streaks of blood and mud in the pattern of doggie toenails. “I forgot to get a shirt.”

“Do you want me to get it?”

“Do you mind?”

She’d been looking for an excuse to snoop through his house. So far she’d only seen part of the downstairs. “Nope.”

“T-shirts are third drawer down in the dresser.”