Jade blinked at the abrupt change in topic.
“Mama, I said watch!” Just then Tyler Lawson attempted to do a karate kick, and the toe of his boot connected with Jade’s shin as he uttered a loud, “Hi-yah!”
Startled, Jade dropped her glass and it shattered on the floor.
When she leaned down to pick up the broken glass, Tobin didn’t hear Janie yelling or Tyler crying—all he saw was Jade draw her hand back really fast and then blood dripping onto the tile.
She said, “Shit.”
She never swore.
He wrapped his fingers around her right wrist and brought her hand up so he could get a better look. He winced. “Baby. Your fingers are bleeding.”
“It’s okay, Tobin. It’s my—”
“No, it’s not goddamned okay. You sliced your fingers and you’re supposed to audition in Casper this week. What if there are shards of glass embedded in the pads of your fingers? We’ve gotta get this cleaned up right now.” He slipped his arm beneath her knees, lifted and carried her into the kitchen since it was closer than the restroom.
He set her on the counter by the sink and flipped on the cold water.
“Tobin.”
“Let me do this for you.” He held her hand under the stream of water. A little pinkish water swirled down the drain but not much. “Does it hurt?
“No.”
“Good.” He cast his hat aside so he could press his forehead to hers. “Your first day you’re attacked by ‘Children of the Corn.’”
Jade laughed. “‘Children of the Corn’?”
“I figured calling him ‘Chucky’ might be a little extreme.”
“I don’t think ‘Chucky’ did it maliciously. He’s just excitable and like any boy wants to show off his mad skills. Besides, I’m the dumb one who reached for the glass.” She nudged him. “You’ve sufficiently numbed the cut. Thank you.”
Tobin shut off the water and grabbed paper towels from the dispenser. “Let me see it.”
“Tobin, it’s—”
“Don’t say fine or I’ll start to lose my fuckin’ cool, sweetheart. Now let me see it.”
Jade put her hand behind her back.
“Real mature, Jade.”
She wrapped her fingers beneath his jaw and forced him to look at her. “For future reference? My right hand? Bow hand. My left hand? On the strings.”
His eyes widened. “So you really are—”
“Fine. But I loved that you went all macho-cowboy he-man and carried me in here.” She traced the side of his face. Then the shape of his lips. “I really love that I’m the first woman you’ve brought here and introduced to your friends. That makes me feel special.”
“You are special. You know that.”
“That’s why I’m in love with you. Because not only do you make me feel special, you’ve shown me that this thing between us has been special since day one. I don’t know what will happen when GG comes back, but I want to be with you.”
His happiness meter? Off the charts right now. “Thank fuck for that.”
“Come here, crazy man, and kiss me.”
After the surprisingly sweet soul kiss, Tobin helped her down and they walked hand in hand out of the kitchen.
Someone had cleaned up the glass.
“Children of the Corn” were nowhere to be found.
Tierney, Janie and Harper quit gabbing the instant he and Jade strolled into view.
Janie spoke first. “Jade, are you okay? My sister-in-law Lainie is a nurse. I’ve already called her and she can be here in ten minutes.”
“Fletch is still hanging around out front,” Harper said. “I know he’s a veterinarian, but if you need him to check out the cuts . . .”
“Thank you. Really. I’m sorry to be a nuisance. Tobin overreacted. I have two tiny cuts on the thumb of my bow hand. So it’s all good. It won’t keep me from coming to work here this week.” She smiled.
Tierney smiled back. “Quick thinking on your part, Tobin.”
“Yes. Totally romantic, swoon-worthy moment when you picked her up and carried her off to take care of her,” Harper said with a sigh.
“You get props for that from me too,” Janie added with a wink.
He wondered if his cheeks could actually burst into flame from embarrassment.
If he had to walk past the gauntlet of Abe, Fletch and Renner, that was a distinct possibility.
“I promised Jade I’d show her around a little before we leave, so we’ll just head out the back.”
Chapter Twenty-two
Tobin’s head was in the clouds the next week after his interview with LME went well. Turned out, he’d gone to school with one of the owners’ brother. They hadn’t offered him the job on the spot, but the second half of the interview where they’d toured the facility indicated he pretty much had it in the bag. Since the position was part-time, they were more than willing to work around his schedule, which was just another bonus. With his mind elsewhere, he hadn’t considered Renner’s summons might be serious. But the instant he walked in and saw Renner staring out the back window, his hands in his back pockets, his shoulders scrunched up, he thought, Oh shit.