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He shook his head. “Didn’t get her name. Nice lady, though, new face for the morning shift for you folk. Asked me if I’d been eating right lately…didn’t like my answer much.”
“That…”
“Then told me the next time she comes here, she’s bringing me some of her chili. I wanted to tell her no, but I’m not a man to pass up a nice bowl of chili either.”
“That would be Sheila,” I said with a laugh, making my way to the front door. “Speaking of working long hours, you working the overnight, or is Paul?”
“It’s gonna be me.”
“Alright, well, I’m sure I’ll see you later, Jeff. Try not to fall asleep out there.”
“Nah, I got plenty of books. My sister and niece got me a Kindle a couple of months ago. That thing is pretty nice to have around.”
“I bet,” I said, opening the front door and entertaining myself by trying to guess just what sort of books Jeff would read. Before I closed the door, I spun around to call out to him. “Westerns or romance books?”
“Mysteries!”
“Damn,” I muttered, pulling the door shut. “Not even close.”
“Good afternoon.”
I was quickly coming to dislike the honey-smooth tones of Shane’s voice. I would swear his voice carried through the house no matter where he was, somehow managing to rumble and sound rich at the same time. And I was also becoming incredibly concerned about how much attention I was paying to something as inane as the quality of his voice.
Turning around, I found him leaning against the doorway to the front sitting room. He wore only a long-sleeved shirt pulled up past his elbows and a loose pair of sweatpants, which were gray because, of course they were.
“Afternoon,” I said stiffly, keeping my eyes on his face rather than sweeping over his body like I’d already done. It wasn’t a thorough examination, but it was enough for me to guess he wasn’t wearing any underwear…if the less than subtle bulge was any indication.
Whoever had designed sweatpants had clearly been the world’s horniest gay man or straight woman.
“As early as ever,” he said, and I watched as he brought an apple to his mouth to take a noisy bite.
I shrugged, trying not to pay attention to the fact that his shirt had a low-cut v-neck. I usually wasn’t a sucker for chest hair, but there was something oddly alluring about the decently thick patch I could see on his broad chest. “I prefer to be early over being late.”
“So punctual,” he said between chews.
“More like I was always late for everything growing up, so I compensated by always being early instead,” I said, adjusting the bag on my shoulder.
“Interesting,” he said before swallowing. “One would think you were intent on making a good impression.”
“And one would think your livelihood has never depended on whether or not you’re seen as dependable and likable,” I said, walking past him. “Probably for the best.”
I made it to the bottom of the stairs, ignoring the sound of his amused chuckle, when I heard Sophia call from above. “Mr. McCully.”
I stopped, looking up at her as she rested on the second-floor railing, peering down at me. “Yes, Miss Perkins?”
“Your shift begins in fifteen minutes. I expect to see you in my office in seventeen.”
“Ah, the marching orders,” Shane piped up from his place in the doorway, though he had turned around to face me. “I suppose it was inevitable.”
Sophia’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Shane, I hope you’ve managed to put some decent clothes on. No one needs to see you walking around in your bedclothes.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think some people would enjoy the sight,” Shane said, flicking his eyes up before smirking and looking back at me.
I rolled my eyes back up to Sophia. “I’ll be there.”
“See that you are,” she said, walking away. “And Shane, stop bothering the man. I’m in no mood for whatever game you have going, and he doesn’t have the time for it.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he called in what I thought was an impressively sardonic voice. Her footsteps never hesitated as she walked away, but I noticed she moved a lot slower than she had been a month ago. They had already decided they would need to do more intensive treatments, and I suspected in another few weeks, Sophia would find it increasingly difficult to leave her bed.
