A Wifey for the Bad Boy(141)

Forever it’d been Jimmy and Keith, against the world. That met their wives together; they’d married three months apart. They’d even gone through pregnancies together, even though the endings have been very different. Keith and Miranda’s son, Cody, had been born both physically and mentally developmentally delayed. He died at age 3, of complications from his many conditions. Meanwhile, Jan had grown up to be beautiful woman. Poised, empathetic, caring to her students. It was a mystery to Keith why some guy hadn’t snapped her up. He shoved his wallet and keys in his pocket and walked back, finding Jan still sitting in the chairs, staring out into space.

“Jan, you ready?”

“I… Yes,” she said, her voice trembling.

“Want to talk about it?” Keith asked.

“Not here. You mentioned dinner, didn’t you?”

“I sure did. Want me to pick the place.”

“God, yes.” She started to stand, and then reached for him, clutching his arm. “I forgot. Keith, my car isn’t here. I rode with Brady in the ambulance. Can you drop me at my car?”

“Yes. I’m so glad you came over with him. He was so scared, and the nurses told me all he wanted to do was talk about Miss Jan.”

Jim let out a bark of laughter, brittle and bitter. There was something going on, Keith wanted to find out what it was.

“Jan, talk to me.” She looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. Although. This wasn’t going to be good. Smile wavered, and she wiped her finger under one of her eyes, collecting her tears before they rolled down her cheeks.

“Can we please, please just get out of here?”

“Of course.” Keith wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close, her trembling body against his. It wasn’t only a protective motion; he wanted her close for other reasons. Reasons it probably wouldn’t set well with Jim. His daughter was most probably off limits, and if Jim didn’t kill him, Lisa might just. She was as scary as her husband.

Keith didn’t need to ask to know the daughters were off limits. He’d fought an attraction to Jan for a long time. At first, he told himself he was looking for something completely different after his wife died. It was true, Jan, with her curly red hair, bright blue eyes, beautiful smile, and generous curves had been, in many ways, a physical opposite to Miranda, blonde, sleek, beautiful but in a different way. Miranda looked the part of the Hollywood actress, or a high-powered attorney. Jan, however, had a very approachable down to earth, nurturing look about her.

No, Keith told himself. Don’t go there. That would be a full on disaster, he be lucky if you get out of it alive.

Jim was as protective as could be over his daughter.

“Did you talk to the boys in blue?” Keith asked, and she pressed harder against him, molding herself to his side, seeking comfort from him. She nodded and he closed his eyes, wondering what the deal was with that.

It was kind of nice having a woman wanting his comfort. He’d been alone far too long. Oh yeah, he’d been alone far too long, as his cock was currently reminding them.

Down boy, he thought, but it had a mind of its own and it wouldn’t behave. Okay, he needed a restaurant, with booths preferably. If she was going to cause this reaction in him, he did not need to broadcast it to the world. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

Jan nodded and swallowed hard. Her face was pressed against his shoulder, and he could feel her little breaths, panic distressed sounds.

“We can do a pizza at my place if you’d rather be more private, Jan? Or we can pick up something and take it home to eat.”

“I think I’d like that better,” she said in a small voice. “Your place.”

Keith hadn’t really thought this through. Jan at his place. Was in a mess? Had he done the dishes? He supposed it didn’t matter; there was something going on here. Something major. “Come on then,” he said gently to her, and let her out of the hospital.

Once they were in his car she turned to him, her breathing harsh in the silence of the car.

“Is Brady going to be okay?”

“He should be. He needs surgery on the leg. Can you tell me what happened?” Jan fell silent, and Keith turned the car on maneuvering himself out of the parking lot and onto the main artery leading to his suburb.

“He was hit by car. The car came up on the playground.”

“Oh. That’s why the police were here, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Jan said. There was something in her voice that Keith did not like. “I have a sneaking suspicion that they’re going to blame me.”

“Weren’t blood test routine for all of your staff?”