LANA
It’s like the moment we had a few days ago where Joseph finally broke down and felt something for a change, hadn’t happened. Everything I do just doesn’t seem to work, and Joseph’s pissed.
“You’re trying to cut me completely off, cold turkey!” he spits at me, a vein throbbing on the side of his temple.
“No, I promise you, I’m not. That would be highly irresponsible of me, Joseph, but you are building up a tolerance to the medicine.” Which to me, only means one thing.
“You’re lying! It doesn’t work like that. My body can’t do that this quickly,” he shouts again, panic rising in his voice. I understand why he’s freaking out, but I’m damn sure not about to let him treat me like this. Gorgeous face and sexy body, or not.
“Don’t you call me a liar. I have never lied to you. You’re only lying to yourself, denying the fact that you know I’m right!” Unable to take any more, I storm off, nearly smacking right into Michael as I head into the living room area.
He’s holding his briefcase, full of papers for Joseph to sign, no doubt, tilting his head to the side. “Everything all right?”
I resist the urge to whine about Joseph and quickly nod. “It’s fine.”
But Michael is a smart guy. “I’m sorry about my brother. He’s, well, like I told ayou in the beginning, he can be difficult to deal with sometimes.”
“It’s all part of the job, don’t worry. He’s getting into a new phase of the healing process, and it’s a painful one. He’ll have to start physical therapy very soon, and it’ll only get worse.”
I can almost see the gears turning in Michael’s mind as he sets the briefcase down. “You’ve been a huge help to him, and me, for that matter. Perhaps a break would do you good? There’s a full-service resort-style spa downstairs. I can book you an appointment this evening.”
That sounds amazing but it wouldn’t be right to let him treat me like more than the employee that I am. “That’s okay. I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you, plus there’s still things I need to do…”
“I insist,” he says with a polite smile. “You’ve been working hard and deserve a little R and R. Trust me, you’ll feel much better afterward.” There’s a finality to the way he says it as though effectively ending the discussion on it.
I rub at my wrists unconsciously. After hefting Joseph up to help adjust him and his solid muscled body, they’re sore from the effort.
When Michael takes another step closer, his blue eyes searching me over, I can feel his cool breath on me. “Are you okay?”
I try to wave him off. “I’m fine, really.”
But he’s not put off in the slightest, and in fact, takes my hand in his, flipping it over and examining it. As he presses on my pressure points I bite my lip. “Look, I need you to stay in good health, for my brother’s sake. Take the time and let me cover the pay, call it furlough if you wish. You don’t even have to go to the spa, you can go wherever you’d like—”
“But, uh, I um, it’ll throw me off my routine. I’m not used to taking time off,” I manage to stammer lamely, trying but failing at keeping myself calm under Michael’s amazing touch. Even without the pleasure running through my veins, pulsing down to my core, I’ve never had a man seem so genuinely interested in how I’m feeling. I don’t know if it’s the intensity in his blue eyes or his soft touch that’s ramping up my heart, causing it to race.
He doesn’t seem to notice, taking my other hand in his and starting to massage it. “Routines are overrated.”
I look away from the way his long, thick fingers move along my sensitive palm. “What if something happens to Joseph while I’m gone?”
An amused smirk takes over Michael’s handsome features. “Is my brother in some kind of imminent danger I don’t know about?”
I struggle to respond. Inside, all I can think about is the kind of danger I’d be in if I let the Wrights know what I really think about when I lie in bed at night. “Well, no. But, uh…”
He chuckles. “I get it—you care. I like that about you, Lana. But let me ask you this—when was the last time you and Olivia had some mother-daughter bonding time? And I’m not talking about helping with homework, or anything like that. Just hanging out together, I mean.”
“Well, it’s been a while,” I admit.
That same polite smile forms on Michael’s full mouth. “Then it’s settled. I’ll call down to the spa and make sure they have everything in order for you two.”
The door behind us opens, and I jump back, yanking my hand from his grasp as I hear Olivia come out of the bathroom.
“Did someone say something about a spa?” she asks. “Are we going to a spa, Mom? I’ve always wanted to get in one of those cool mud baths.”
I’m quick to shake my head. “No, and besides, you’ve already had a mud bath. In our backyard. When you were three.”
She plants her hand firmly on her hip. “It’s not the same thing, though, and I don’t even remember that.”
Before I can say another word, Michael chuckles, catching my eye. “Looks like it’s two against one.”
Feeling the pinch from both of them, I throw up my hands. “Fine. We’ll go.”
“Yes,” she hisses under her breath, cautiously giving Michael a high-five once he sticks his hand out for her. He winks at her, grinning back over at me.
“I’m going to go change into something nicer,” says Olivia, dashing around the corner to our apartment.
I fold my arms across my chest, unable to help myself as I laugh softly. “I suppose I should thank you.”
Noticing the way his eyes crinkle in the corners as he watches Olivia leave, I start wondering to myself just what kind of father Michael would be. I never thought I’d see a man like him seem so at ease around a child. “No need to thank me, it’s my pleasure, Lana.” My name in his mouth rolls right off his tongue like syrup, and I find myself wishing he was massaging my hands again, so I shove them into the pockets of my blue scrubs.
He smiles one more time before leaving me standing feeling completely overwhelmed. I have to remind myself not to get all worked up. It’s like Rita said before, he wants to make sure his employees are well taken care of. There’s nothing more to it than that. I’m Joseph’s nurse, and that means something to me, as it should. I can’t just let my unrequited and silly feelings cloud everything else and leave me delusional about Michael and his intentions. I’m just the help, and I need to remember that.
--
Once Olivia and Iare in the elevator, she turns to me and smiles. “I think I like Michael and Joseph. They’re pretty cool.”
I find myself smiling too. “They’re good people, yes.”
“Do you like them?” She puts a little more emphasis on the word ‘like,’ than necessary, and I raise my eyebrows.
“What do you mean?”
Olivia just shrugs. “They’re nicer than Papi, that’s all.”
The elevator dings, alerting us as the doors open, and Olivia goes right through them. She’s got a good point, there, but that’s the troubling part.
This is only a temporary job. We won’t be here much longer than three months, and my fears about Olivia getting too attached seem truer than ever and my heart aches for more than just myself. Both of us carry a little bit of emptiness that is just longing to be filled, but as much we might like them, Michael and Joseph Wright are not the men for the job.