You're Not Broken(32)

Kat bit her lip. Her heart pounded.



She leaned her head against the corner of the empty diner.



He’s only here for a few weeks, she reminded herself. He’ll be leaving again in no time. He said so himself.



And yet, remembering those dark green eyes creasing as he smiled at her, Kat couldn’t help but pray that that day never come.





Chapter Fourteen



“Don’t tell me a big, strapping young man like yourself is afraid of hospitals?” Kat teased as she walked down a hospital corridor with an increasingly nervous Jason.



Jason made an odd twitchy dodge as a nurse walked passed him. “No, not nervous,” he corrected with huffy annoyance. “I just always feel too…big around here. Like I’m gonna break something or knock something over.”



“You’ll be fine,” Kat assured him with a smile. Although she could see where his discomfort stemmed from. Jason was a big man and even in the wide corridor, he took up a considerable amount of space. All the passing nurses couldn’t help but stare up and gawk at the tall imposing man.



But even though he had this awkwardness towards hospitals, Jason had been the one to offer the ride over to Kat.



With her car still out of commission, she needed a ride to the hospital. Dillon had recently been checked in for a very high fever and she wanted to make sure he was doing okay.



Jason had been at the diner, watching his men meticulously work on the kitchen when he had turned towards her and said, “I heard you were going to the hospital.”



Kat looked up in surprise, her hands dusty with flour as she prepped dough for the next day. “I am,” she said cautiously, wondering where he was going with this.



“Well,” he said, “I know your car is kaput. Need a friendly neighborhood driver to take you there?”



Kat raised an eyebrow. “Friendly neighborhood repairman. Friendly neighborhood driver. Just how friendly do you want to get around here?” she said, meaning to tease.



But almost instantaneously, Jason’s eyes had darkened at her words. A spark of desire smoldered behind those rich green eyes and she could see the corded muscles of his neck leap in response to her unintentional remarks.



“Just friendly enough,” he said huskily.



They had ridden over to the hospital together with Kat wondering how Dillon would react to finally seeing the mysterious Jason Daniels. She knew Malcolm had been giving his brother detailed reports of the town’s activities. Kat wondered if Dillon had also noticed Malcolm’s attitude shift towards Jason.



Ever since that day Jason had invited Malcolm to help out his work crew, Malcolm had practically transformed overnight. Anyone could clearly see the hero worship in his eyes.



Once when Jason had gone to Hoyt’s to check out the work in progress, Malcolm had fidgeted the whole time in the kitchen as he waited for his new favorite person to return.



Kat couldn’t help but tease him a little about the sudden turnaround.



“Looks like someone is liking their taste of dark magic,” she said with a wink.



Malcolm gave a huff but was unable to hide the excitement in his eyes when he saw the Brothers Construction truck pull up.



“You know, some Death Eaters were misunderstood. Some of them were actually the good guys. Read the books,” he said haughtily as he nearly threw his spatula in excitement when the work crew entered. He practically beamed when all the men greeted him warmly like one of their own.



Kat actually loved seeing Malcolm so happy. Jason was so good to him. She never knew how loved she could feel by seeing someone else treat her loved ones so preciously.



But of course, that was Malcolm.



Dillon had never met Jason before.



Finding her brother’s hospital room at the end of the hall, they turned in.



“Hey, Dill!” Kat called out cheerfully. “Look who brought you some cinnamon rolls!” She lifted up a large Tupperware filled with iced cinnamon rolls. Dillon’s favorite.



Dillon, who had been reading a comic book, looked up and smiled before his expression turned wary at the stranger. His thin face and bony cheekbones made his wariness look even more grim than normal.



“Dill, this is Jason Daniels,” Kat explained. “He’s the one who’s been helping out at Doughy Pop’s.”



Dillon’s eyes brighten in recognition. “Oh so you’re the guy Malcolm is just fawning over now,” he said.



Jason and Kat laughed.



“I guess so,” Jason said, standing awkwardly at the end of the bed. Kat could see he was trying not to take up too much space in the small room.



“Malcolm couldn’t stop bragging about how he had helped carry in the new worktop and that he had been the one to install it,” Dillon said, rolling his eyes.