“Oh, you must be giving Jacob an update. He worries about his patients,” Officer Matthews said, saving me from coming up with a lie myself.
“Yup. That's it.”
“You could have just called,” he remarked, giving me a sidelong look.
“Yes. I could have, but this is on my way home. That way I don't have to drive and talk on the phone or make him wait to get the updates,” I replied. It sounded ridiculous even as I said it, but I smiled and hoped it sounded believable. “Also, it's important for medical reasons.”
“Then I won't keep you,” Officer Matthews replied. He gave me a serious frown. “Turn on your headlights. You get a warning this time since it isn't your truck.”
“Thank you, Officer Matthews.”
He tipped his hat and walked back to his cruiser. My hands were shaking so badly I was afraid to drive. I did manage to find the headlights and turn them on.
Officer Matthews blipped his lights at me and left me hyperventilating on Jacob's street. This was a close call. Super close. My boobs were nearly falling out of my tank top and I'd barely managed to say why I was driving to Jacob's house.
Only when the police cruiser was completely out of sight did I have the courage to start the engine and finish the drive to Jacob's house. He lived in a cute little house on the end of a long dirt road. It had been in his family for generations, much as my house was in mine.
I pulled up to the front door and glanced around before getting out. When the porch light flicked on, I half expected his mother to come walking out. At least this time I had my scrub top back on and looked half way respectable.
Jacob opened the door as I walked up the wooden steps.
“Hey there,” he said softly, reaching out to kiss me. I took a step back and then darted into his house. Confusion crossed his face as he followed, shutting the summer night out behind us. The air conditioner hummed in the window. “What's up?”
I locked the door and then kissed him. He tasted like cold beer and apple pie.
“You okay?” he asked when I broke the kiss and leaned against him.
“Your dad pulled me over,” I told him. “On the dirt road.”
I felt him tense underneath me. This was the only house out here. It was pretty damn obvious where I was going if he pulled me over on this road. “He just showed up earlier. Walked right in. What did he say?”
“He thinks I'm giving you a report on how things went at the hospital,” I told him. “They went great by the way. No issues.”
Jacob let out a slow breath, his hands making slow circles on my back.
We both knew how close we came to getting caught. If his dad had come over while I was here, I wouldn't have an excuse. Especially if he walked in on us doing the horizontal tango. I was sure Officer Matthews wouldn't be pleased to find me under his “practically engaged” son.
I really wished that rumor would die.
“Remind me to start locking the door,” Jacob said after a moment. Apparently we were both thinking the same thing. I wasn't sure that the locks even worked on either of our doors given that no one in town locked their doors ever, but at least it would give us time if someone came over unannounced.
We would just have to say that it was a habit we picked up in the city.
I hated that I was coming up with preemptive lies. I wished that we could just date like normal people, but Jacob was my boss. He was also my boss that most of the town thought should marry someone else regardless of how he felt about it.
“You want some dinner?” Jacob asked. “I bet you’re hungry.”
My stomach rumbled as if on cue. “That would be great.”
He gave me an extra squeeze before letting me go and guiding me to the kitchen. He had grilled a large piece of salmon and lots of veggies. It smelled delicious.
“What'd you tell your dad about all the food?” I asked, getting a plate from the cabinet.
“I'm meal prepping. Left overs are easier on my schedule,” Jacob replied with a shrug. He took out a cup and poured me a whiskey. “And it's true. I don't think you're eating five pounds of salmon.”
“I don't know, I'm awfully hungry,” I teased, putting a big chunk of fish on my plate.
“If you eat it all, I will be super impressed. Not even mad, just impressed.”