“We’re not here to have fun, Jesse,” I replied, trying to sound as stern as possible.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because fun isn’t going to make you feel better!” I snapped.
“Wanna bet?” he asked, winking at me again. “Maybe we’re not talking about the same kind of fun.”
“You’ve got to stop,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“You’ve got to stop being so uptight,” he insisted.
“Look, take these papers,” I shoved the aquatic intake therapy papers and instructions in his hand. “They’re waiting for you down the hall. Give the top one to the therapists and keep the rest. Those instructions show you all the exercises you need to run through while you’re in the pool. When you’re done, sit in the hot tub for fifteen minutes, no more, no less, got it?”
“And what are you going to do?” he asked.
Sit in my office and try not to lose my shit, I thought to myself.
“I have another patient,” I lied. He was the only person I was seeing, since Larry had cleared my schedule so I could spend more time with Jesse. If he knew I was pawning him off on the aquatic therapy department, he’d be pissed I wasn’t at least supervising like I was supposed to be.
Fuck Larry. I’d asked him to take me off of this case, and if he insisted I work with Jesse, then I didn’t need to spend every minute with him. I couldn’t. I needed breaks, to catch my breath, to make sure those walls I’d erected stayed firmly in place.
I hated to admit it, but every second I spent with Jesse was slowly chipping away at my armor. I couldn’t let that happen.
“I’ll see you in a few hours,” I replied, leaving him alone in the room once more. I’d gotten through these last few moments without having to touch him, and without him touching me - a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.
I’d never wished I was independently wealthy and didn’t need to work more than I did today.
11
JESSE
After two hours in the water, I was ready to go home. The pain was more than I’d expected, and I was beginning to question my decision about not taking all of the pain killers. I’d grown increasingly irritated throughout the day, partly because of the pain, but also because no matter what I did, I couldn’t break through Maisey’s impenetrable wall. I tried to remind myself that I was just getting started, maybe she’d been hurt really badly or something, but it was still fucking with me.
I wasn’t used to be turned down.
My charms were foolproof. I knew how to work women, how to get exactly what I wanted out of any situation…
Maisey was proving to be impervious to my best efforts, and my attempt at getting under her skin only seemed to piss her off.
She’d shot me down over and over throughout the day, and of course instead of making me want to back off, it made try harder. If it was anyone else, I’d have moved on instantly. But this wasn’t just anyone.
It was Maisey and I couldn’t just walk away this time.
“Have dinner with me, Maisey,” I’d asked again before leaving for the day. She was in her office, having already said goodbye to me, but I’d found her office and stopped in before leaving. Grady waited outside the door as I hobbled in on my crutches. She was staring intently at her computer, a pair of reading glasses on her nose, making her look even more adorable. Her hair was up again today, and now with the glasses, my dirty librarian fantasies were kicking in hard.
“Nope,” she replied to my offer, not even looking at me.
“Maise,” I said, shortening her name the way I used to. “Come on. One dinner. Hell, just one drink.”
“I said no, Jesse,” she replied, finally pulling her eyes up to mine. “Thank you, but no. Have a good night.” She nodded, as if her word was the last one on the subject.
And I guess it was, because her refusal made me feel so bad that I really didn’t have anything else to say. I certainly wasn’t going to beg. That was right up there with apologizing on the list of things I didn’t do.
“See you tomorrow, Maise,” I said, turning around and leaving her alone in her office. I’d taken a few steps before I turned around again. She didn’t see that I was looking, but she was cradling her head in her hands and I felt a sharp pang of something I didn’t recognize.
Something serious had happened to Maisey. Something painful. I wasn’t quite sure how I fit in to that, but I knew it had something to do with me. Because every time she looked at me, it was as if she was seeing a ghost from her past that she didn’t want to see.
It didn’t make any sense. But whatever it was, I was determined to make her want me again.