Not Quite Enough (Not Quite series) (14 page)

People were becoming short with each other, the goodwill effort was bending to the basic human needs. Goodwill was in the toilet when your family was hungry.

Monica released the girl’s leg and offered a smile. “It’s looking good. Healing perfectly,” she told the mother who sat at the girl’s side.

“Thank you.”

Tauni nudged Monica’s shoulder and nodded toward the door. “Looks like you have a visitor.”

Monica glanced up and saw Trent. Beside him was an even more familiar face.

She squealed and all but ran to hug her brother-in-law.

“Hey?”

She felt a hand on her arm, pulling her away from Jack.

“Hey?” Trent’s frown was lethal. He kept looking between the two of them. “You two know each other?”

“Yeah, he’s—”

Trent threw his hands in the air, stopping her words. “I don’t want to know.” He turned and started to storm away.

“Wait up.” Monica grabbed Trent’s arm and spun him around. What the hell was his problem? “What’s wrong with you?”

“Me?” Trent glared at Jack and returned his glare to Monica. “What about you? I wouldn’t have kissed you if I’d known there was someone waiting for you at home.”

Monica’s jaw dropped.

“Kissed you?” She heard Jack say.

She poked a finger in the middle of Trent’s chest. “You might wanna check your testosterone at the door, buddy. Jack is my brother-in-law. As in married to my sister.”

It was Trent’s turn to drop his jaw.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh! You thought I’d…” God, what he must think of her. Never, even in all her Ice Queen days, did she fool around with more than one guy at a time. She couldn’t even date different guys. She turned her back on Trent and placed all her attention on Jack. “Hi.”

Jack winked. “Hey, darlin’. You look… well, you look like crap.”

She laughed, despite the turmoil in her belly placed there by the man whose stare was boring holes in her back.

“Only
family
would say that. Even if it’s true.” She made sure the word
family
could be heard by anyone within ten feet. “Speaking of family, how’s Jessie… you know my
sister
? Your
wife
?”

Jack glanced over Monica’s shoulder and offered a pained look at Trent. “You’re in so much trouble. Monica’s like a burr in a saddle when she’s mad.” Jack glanced back at Monica. “And she’s pissed.”

Monica didn’t even turn toward Trent. She grabbed Jack’s arm and pulled him out of the room and out the back door. Maybe Mr. Testosterone would get the hint and leave them alone.

Jerk.

She dragged Jack to the shade tree she’d dubbed her break room and pulled up a patch of grass. “Jessie told me you were coming. You didn’t have to search me out.”

“Jessie would skin me alive if I hadn’t checked on you personally.”

Monica smiled. Jack would do anything for her sister. “Well, I’d say it wasn’t necessary, but I’m so happy to see a familiar face I can’t tell you.”

“I don’t know how you do it, darlin’. Your sister is so proud of you. We all are. Katie wanted me to tell you there’s a spa day planned the minute you get home.”

Katie was Jack’s sister, and although not truly Monica’s sister-in-law, she might as well be. “Tell her I’m counting on it. Looks like I may have all kinds of time on my hands when I get home.”

“Oh… why’s that?”

“It’s complicated. My boss took me off the schedule. She’s always looked for a reason to fire me.”

Jack’s dimpled smile fell. “She what?”

Monica waved off his concern. “I’m sure it will be fixed when I get back.” She wasn’t sure of anything.

“Who would fire a nurse who rips apart their life to do this?” He tossed his hand in the air and indicated all the people, the tents, the destruction.

“It will be fine.”

“I have lawyers—”

“And I’ll let you sic them on her if she tries to make my termination stick. Let me try it my way first.” Good lord what a switch in her life. In Jessie’s life. Neither of them could count on a man for anything growing up. Monica knew that Jack didn’t offer empty promises and if his father, Gaylord Morrison, got word of Monica’s problem, the whole damn hospital would have lawyers crawling all over it.

“Just say the word.”

Monica had liked Jack from the minute she met him. He was perfect for her sister. “I will.”

Jack leaned back on his arms and nodded toward the clinic. “So, what’s with you and Fairchild?”

“Fairchild?”

“Trent.”

“Oh, is that his last name?”

Jack’s eyes narrowed. “You’re kissing the man and don’t know his name?”

She kicked his leg. “One kiss. And names are… useless here.” Yet Trent had driven back yesterday just to learn hers.

“Still think you should know his name first. Makes a man feel used otherwise.”

Monica busted out in a belly laugh. “Men love being used for kissing.”

“Not that one. He didn’t seem happy to think you might have someone else.”

“Yeah, well… it’s not like he has a right to own a jealousy card. We just met.”

Jack flicked off an insect that had crawled up on his leg. “That doesn’t always matter. Just thinking of Jessie looking at another man was an issue the day after we met.”

“That was different.”

“Oh, why?”

“I don’t know. It just was.” Jack and Jessie were meant to be forever. Monica didn’t think that was out there for her. She had serious trust issues and was the first to admit it. “Enough about him. Tell me about Danny. Is he riding that colt yet?”

Her nephew was a constant source of chatter in the family. The kid loved life and was happier on a ranch than any kid could be.

They talked about home for a while longer and then Jack started to stand. “I told my pilot we’d get out of here before dark.”

She stood and hugged him again. “Send my love. And tell Jessie I looked great or she’ll worry.”

“You look tired.”

“I’m exhausted. But it won’t last forever. I’ll get some sleep soon. Don’t worry.”

He looked around at the people that were everywhere and in every state of dress. No shoes, clothes that looked as if they’d been worn for days. “If you need a fast exit, I’ll send a plane.”

“Thanks, Jack. It makes me feel better about being here knowing someone’s watching my back.”

“You can be just as big of a pain in the ass as Katie. Might as well treat you both the same.”

He didn’t mean a word of it, and Monica knew it. He draped his arm around her and walked her back inside the clinic.

Trent had pulled up a chair and was sitting by the door, waiting.

Monica hesitated.

“I’ll wait for you at your car,” Jack said. He kissed Monica’s cheek. “Bye darlin’. You be careful.”

“I will.”

Jack swaggered out the door.

Trent stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I guess I owe you an apology.”

She leveled her eyes with his. “I guess you do.”

“I’m taking your brother-in-law back to the airport. I’ll be back to get you out of here.”

“I’m busy—”

“According to Tauni, they have enough help tonight so you can get out of here. You’ll get sick yourself at this pace.”

“Fine.” She was too tired to argue. “Now, about that apology…”

His eyes walked a slow dance down her frame and back up. Her skin stood on end as if he’d touched her. He leaned forward, placed his lips close to her ear. “My apology needs privacy.”

He walked away… again… with her rooted in one spot staring.

Anticipation shivered up her spine.

Chapter Eleven

“I feel I need to say something here,” Jack said as Trent shook his hand for the last time.

“How about
thank you
?”

Jack lifted a brow and tilted his Stetson back an inch. “Monica’s like a sister to me.”

Ahh, Jack is taking on the role of big brother.

“Most people think I’m a nice guy.”

Jack let his hand drop, fished a business card out of his back pocket, and handed it to Trent. “If she needs anything, and I mean anything, call me. It sounds like her job is giving her a hard time back home. I’d like to know the name of whoever is in charge of the operation here.”

“Her job, really?” Trent asked.

“Not everyone is a nice guy.”

Trent tucked the card into his front pocket. “I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Appreciate it. Thanks for the lift.” Jack stood taller and nodded. “Take care of her.”

“Not a problem.”

Jack jogged up the steps to his private plane and disappeared inside.

Nice guy. Good thing I don’t have to hate him.
Mr. Testosterone, as Monica had called him, had jumped the assumption level and nearly blown a good thing. Testosterone in his veins, caffeine was needed intravenously, and his coffee needed CPR. Yeah, he had Monica on his brain.

It wasn’t like Trent to care one way or another about what a woman had back home. In fact, Trent assumed most of the women he’d met and spent horizontal time with on the island had something else going. Made it easier.

But not with Monica.

He’d have to consider the why of that later. Thinking about it now gave him a headache. Or maybe that was hunger.

His apology to the woman in question would have to be more basic than flowers and chocolate… none of which were available. Unless he wanted to skip through the freaking woods and pick them himself. Trent drew the line there.

Back in his Jeep, he headed down the hill again. This time to bring her to his home… at least for a little while.

Hormones were awful things, crazy little buggers that nudged into your good sense and often made a fool out of you.

Jessie pushed back tears when she realized Jack was calling her from twenty thousand feet.

“Hey, darlin’, how’re you doing?” His voice was soothing, rich, and so Jack.

“I miss you.”

“I’ll be crawling into your bed before you wake up,” he told her.

That helped. “How is it there?”

Jack hesitated. “Horrific.”

“How can we help?”

“I’m contacting community outreach through our cooperate headquarters, setting up a relief fund. They need shelter, tents, clothing, food. All the basics.”

“I want to help with something,” Jessie told him.

“We’ll figure something out when I get home. Monica sends her love,” he said.

Hearing her sister’s name brought a smile to her face. “You did manage to find her.”

“Sure did.”

“Did she seem off to you?”

Static came through the line as Jack mumbled something that sounded like
there’s a guy
, but Jessie wasn’t sure. “What was that?”

“Trent Fairchild. Nice guy. Got all hot under the collar when he assumed I was someone other than her brother-in-law.”

Jessie closed her eyes and shook her head. “Wait. What? Back up… Monica met a guy?”

“That’s what I said. She was either worked up over him or the fact that the hospital isn’t cooperating with her leaving.”

Now Jessie was confused. She had Jack explain everything again. Slowly.

“So let me get this right,” she said a few minutes later after Jack explained what he’d learned. “She was fired and she’s kissing some helicopter pilot named Trent?”

Jack laughed. “Yeah, well, she wasn’t fired, but close enough. And get this, the Fairchilds own a charter company we use at the Morrisons all over the country. I’ll have to ask my dad about them.”

Jessie grabbed a piece of paper and jotted down the name. “Oh, that’s OK, I can take care of the digging. Serves Monica right for all the
nosy sister behavior
when you and I were dating.”

“We never dated,” he reminded her.

She chuckled. He was right… they hadn’t dated. She hadn’t allowed it.

“Hurry home.”

“I love you, darlin’.”

“Love you, too.”

Jessie hung up the phone, held it to her chest. After a long sigh, she punched in Katie’s phone number.

Katie answered on the first ring.

They exchanged hellos and how ya doings, and then Jessie got right to the point.

“We need to find out everything we can about a guy named Trent Fairchild.”

“We do?” Katie asked.

“Yep. We really do.” Jessie smiled at the thought of some guy twisting Monica up.