Second First Kiss

Chapter 27

Jasher

This was not how Jasher saw this night going—at all. Nor was it how he’d envisioned telling Sage about closing the deal to sell Parrish Medical. Not with yelling and clenched fists and a family quarrel.

What the heck was going on with Tate? He looked apoplectic. And poor Sage. She was Jasher’s first priority here.

“You didn’t, Sage.” Jasher placed a hand on her back. “I don’t know why it’s suddenly verboten for me to speak the name of the guy who’s buying Parrish Medical.”

“Buying Parrish Medical!” Tate jumped to his feet. “You’ve got to be freaking kidding me! Really? Your mom wasn’t mistaken?”

Jasher stood, too. He had to diffuse all this tension. Sage was going to be scared off. He couldn’t afford to let that happen. Not now, not when everything could potentially fall into place.

“Tate, you’re going to have to tell me what’s got you so riled. I’m missing a vital piece of information.”

“Yeah, you are, dude!” Tate threw his soda can in the grass and stomped on it. “Zephyr Quennelle. He’s buying Parrish Medical for—correct me if I’m wrong—his brother. So his brother can have a medical practice.”

No correction necessary. “So what?”

Tate let out a primal yowl that raised the hair on the back of Jasher’s neck. Jasher reached for and took Sage’s hand, then carefully stepped between her and Tate. The guy looked ready to shapeshift into a werewolf.

“So what? So what!”

Sage and Tyanne stood up. Tyanne touched Tate’s shoulder. “Honey. He doesn’t know. How could he? We didn’t tell him. We didn’t tell anyone.”

“We should have told the state medical board. We should have sued for malpractice!”

“Go walk it off, hon.” Tyanne took Tate’s face in both her hands. “What’s done is done. Go. Breathe a bit. Come back when you’re calmer. Sage’s here, remember?”

Tate glanced Sage’s way, suddenly an apology in his eye. Then he stomped off into the cherry orchard.

Tyanne sat back down on the blanket and started picking at blades of grass.

“Do you want me to go … walk somewhere?” Sage asked. “So you two can talk?”

“No, it’s okay.” Tyanne heaved a heavy sigh. “You can stay.”

Jasher hadn’t seen her like this. Fun-loving Tyanne never heaved sighs.

“Sage is a medical professional.” Tyanne’s tone hovered between pain and anger. “Chances are she’s already heard about the guy’s reputation if she spent time working in Reedsville.”

Sage didn’t speak, but she grabbed Jasher’s hand. Something about her touch—he felt ready to hear whatever might come barreling down the track at him.

“Go on.” Jasher sat down beside Tyanne, setting a hand on her arm for a second, and Sage settled in beside them. “It must be important.” Clearly, Tate felt strongly about it, understatement of all time.

“You’ve probably noticed Tate and I don’t have kids yet.”

Oh. That’s where this was going. Jasher just nodded. There was never a good response to someone’s childbearing decision discussions.

“That’s not by choice.”

“Oh.” Oh. Jasher hadn’t considered this possibility. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Not as sorry as you’ll be to know that Dr. Rudolph Volmer may deserve some blame for that.”

Who was Rudolph Volmer?

“I’ve heard of that man.” Sage straightened. “Wasn’t he sanctioned by the state medical board?”