“Can it, Case.” Jax’s stomach turned sour at the thought of Casey “Romeo” Thomas and Risa together. The guy had a different woman every week, and he thought of them as nothing more than a fun distraction.
“What? All I’m saying is she’s pretty and I wouldn’t mind getting to know her better. Not my fault your mind went straight to the gutter.” Casey sat back and smiled. “Of course, if you’ve already called dibs, I’ll stay clear.”
“Dibs? No.” Jax looked for guidance from Mike, who closed his eyes and shook his head. “What are you, twelve?”
“Just trying to respect a buddy, that’s all. Besides, unlike some people I know, I actually prefer the company of two-legged females.”
“I give up.” Mike turned toward the door to leave.
“Hey Senior, you never responded about the night shift with Bella.”
“Fine. You can take it, but as soon as she doesn’t need twenty-four-hour care, you turn her over to Moore and let him take the day shift. I need you in here overseeing things.” With a wave of his hand, Mike left, muttering something under his breath that sounded like “two more years of this bullshit.”
Neither Jax nor Casey said anything in response. They both got it: the frustration that came with the job, as well as the need to needle each other to let off stress. Not everyone saw it that way.
“So back to the pretty vet,” Casey said.
“Aren’t you seeing someone? Sherry? Brandy?”
“Not anymore. She dumped me last night to go back to her ex. So I’m free to pursue new interests, and the lady vet interests me very much.”
“If you spout off about how you prefer two-legged company over four, you won’t be scoring any points with Dr. Reynolds.”
“Know her that well already, do you?”
“Maybe…” Jax followed Casey’s frown to the doorway, where Kelly, their administrative assistant, stood with shiny eyes and pinched features. “Hey, Kels. What’s up?”
She gave a little sniffle and smiled. Probably had a summer cold, it was going around. She should be home in bed, but not their Kelly. She was there every day taking care of all of them and making sure they kept on track.
“Here are last night’s reports.” She gave Casey his first, then turned to Jax. “How’s the job search?”
“Slow going.” He took the reports and dropped them in his in-box. He didn’t know why she insisted on printing them out and bringing them to him every day. He could easily access them on the computer. “But there’s time.”
“If you need any help, just let me know. I could even come over and help you tonight after work. There’s this great site—”
“Thanks, Kelly. That’s nice of you to offer, but I’ve got to keep an eye on Bella tonight. Can’t take a chance that she’ll try to get up and move around with that busted hip.”
“Oh, no worries, and I’m sorry about your dog. Well, Bella. Not really your dog, but you know… I know how much she means to you. I’ll whip up some of my special dog treats and bring them down to the kennel for her.”
“Thanks; that’d be nice.”
She hedged away from the desk and stopped. “Jax, I’m sure Bella will be just fine. Dr. Lagasse is the best.”
“He is, but he’s on leave and the new veterinarian is treating Bella.”
“If she wasn’t any good, the doc wouldn’t have left her in charge. Right?” She didn’t wait for him to respond before she turned to the door, waving her fingers. “Okay, if you guys need anything, I’ll be downstairs. Florio is making a lunch run today to your favorite, Casey, if you want anything”
Casey grabbed his phone, presumably to text in his lunch order. “She’s got the total hots for you, dude. Told you, you shouldn’t have gone out with her.” He shook his head and focused on his computer.
“It was a group lunch, not a date, and if you care so much, why don’t you distract her with your charms.”
Casey laughed. “Are you crazy? That woman is like an octopus. I’d never be able to pry her off once she got a taste of me.”
“You really should work on your self-confidence problem, Case. One of these days some lady is going to serve you a good-size helping of humble pie. I just wish I could be around to witness you choke on it.”
“Ain’t going to happen, my friend. The ladies love me and can’t resist my charms.”
“Really? Then how do you explain your ex-wife?” Restless, Jax stood up and walked over to look out the window, all joking aside as he waited for Casey’s answer. He wasn’t trying to be a jerk. They had known each other for years. He didn’t understand what had happened. The last time Jax had seen Casey with his wife, they were all sunshine, roses, and crap.
Not that he had anything against relationships or marriage. It wasn’t for him. Simple fact, and he was fine with it. Picking bad life partners ran in his family. His parents proved it over and over and over again. Even his sister had picked a loser. It was like a DNA defect.
Once, a long time ago, Jax thought he’d escaped the curse and found the one.
What a joke—on him.
His ex, Keri, had had the engagement ring on for less than forty-eight hours when she’d transformed from a sweet, caring, compassionate woman to a monster. He’d been lucky to escape with all his equipment intact—barely.
Since then he steered clear of serious relationships, except with his four-legged girl.
When Casey didn’t answer the question after several moments, Jax repeated it. “What about your ex-wife?”
“Colette was a force of nature and too good for me.”
“Aren’t they all?” Jax mused, reaching for his ringing cell phone. “Faraday,” he barked. He listened to the man on the other end, then hung up and swore.
“What’s up?” Casey asked without looking up from computer.
“That was the detailer. I’ve got thirty days to make my final decision, and then he’s cutting my orders to Diego Garcia.”
Of all the places to send him, the middle of the damn Indian Ocean was the last place he had expected. It was the perfect motivator to get him to drop his papers and get out of the Navy.
“What did you do to piss him off?”
“Man, I wish I knew.”
Chapter 3
The humidity and high heat of the last few days had finally broken. Risa walked out of her house to bright blue skies, a cool breeze, and the promise of a great day. Her boss was still on his extended trip; she had a full day of patients scheduled, and Bella was making progress with her hip.
