My smile faded at the reminder of why I’d been in such a terrible mood at the library. I’d received yet another “reminder” text from Max that morning. I could call him out on his bluff, but I didn’t think he was bluffing. Max loved toying with people, but when push came to shove, he had no qualms about throwing anyone under the bus.
When added to the stress from school, bar prep, and Bridget’s upcoming wedding, it was too much. I’d cried over my textbooks in the library like an idiot and messaged Josh in the heat of the moment for a distraction.
I’d gathered myself by the time he arrived, but I didn’t regret texting him. His presence had been oddly therapeutic, and what he did in the stacks…
My toes curled.
“What about you?” I asked. I hadn’t been the only one in a shitty mood. “How are you feeling?”
A shadow crossed his face before it melted into another flippant smile. “I’m great. Why?”
“It’s okay to grieve,” I said, not fooled by his insouciance. I didn’t want to poke at his wounds, but I knew how destructive bottled-up emotions could be. “Even if it’s over something that’s part of your job.”
Josh’s smile dimmed, and his throat flexed with a hard swallow before he looked away.
“Let’s grab something to eat,” he said. “I’m starving.”
I took the hint and dropped the issue. Everyone handled grief differently. I wasn’t going to force him to talk about something he wasn’t ready or willing to discuss.
“So, who’s staffing the hospital while everyone is here?” I changed the subject to something lighter.
Josh’s rigid shoulders relaxed. “Essential staff is still there, but they’re rotating shifts so everyone has a chance to swing by the picnic,” he said. “This is the only all-staff event we have besides our holiday party, so it’s a big deal.”
“Jules!” A beautiful, familiar-looking brunette beamed when we arrived at the food table. “So nice to see you. I didn’t realize Josh was bringing a date.”
“It’s not a date,” Josh and I chorused.
A short pause followed, during which the brunette’s already wide grin broadened.
“Of course. My bad.” She held out her hand, her eyes twinkling with humor. “I’m Clara. We sort of met at The Bronze Gear.”
Recognition slammed into me. “You were Josh’s date.”
They worked together? And they were apparently on good terms, judging by the ease with which they greeted each other.
A horrifying tendril of jealousy snaked around my gut and squeezed.
Oh no. Oh no, no, no. I could not be jealous over Josh.
Scratch that. I wasn’t jealous over Josh. I probably ate expired yogurt for breakfast or something. That was the problem with lemon-flavored foods—they tasted tart whether they were supposed to or not.
Clara burst into laughter. “Oh no, I wasn’t his date. Just his coworker. I’m a nurse in the ER.”
“She has a girlfriend.” Josh assembled a hot dog on a plate. “The bartender from The Bronze Gear. Speaking of, where’s Tinsley?”
“She’s not my girlfriend. We’re just dating, and she’s working, so she couldn’t make it.” Clara eyed me with a speculative gleam in her eyes. “If you’re not his date…”
“She’s my fake date,” Josh said before I could answer. “Remember last year’s picnic? I could barely breathe with all the people shoving their daughters in my face. I wanted to avoid a repeat.”
“It must’ve been traumatizing,” Clara said.
I smirked at her dry sarcasm. I liked her already. Any woman who called Josh out earned an A-plus in my book.
“It was. Here.” Josh finished assembling his food and handed it to me before replicating his efforts on a fresh plate.
A hot dog with ketchup, mustard, and relish. A side of salad. A handful of chips and a chocolate chip cookie to top it all off.
“Do you really need two plates?” I gestured at the one in my hand. “That’s excessive, even for you.”
He stared at me like I was dumb. “That plate is for you,” he said. “This is mine.” He added a hamburger and coleslaw to his bounty.
Thank God he didn’t do that for mine. I hated coleslaw. The texture grossed me out.
“Oh.” I shifted my weight and tried to ignore the buzz of warmth beneath my skin. “Thanks.”
Instead of responding, Josh turned his back on me to greet another coworker.
Trust him to do something semi-nice and act like a jerk again immediately after.
I took an annoyed bite out of my hot dog and caught Clara watching us. She turned away when she noticed me staring, but her shoulders shook with what looked suspiciously like laughter.
Since LHAC wasn’t officially part of Thayer Hospital, no one else from the clinic was here, which saved me and Josh from having to explain our fake date to Barbs and company. I also wasn’t worried about my friends finding out. None of them knew anyone who worked at the hospital except Josh.
For the next few hours, I accompanied Josh as we circulated the park and played the dutiful part of his date whenever someone tried to introduce him to their sister, daughter, or granddaughter. He hadn’t been lying when he said everyone wanted to set him up—I counted a dozen matchmaking attempts, even with me by his side, before I gave up.
“I don’t understand the appeal,” I grumbled after a nurse and her daughter walked away, looking disappointed. “You’re not even that great a catch. A trout, at most. Maybe a largemouth bass, emphasis on the largemouth.”
“You liked my mouth just fine in the library.” Josh’s silky response sent flames licking over my skin.
“It wasokay.”
I sucked in a gasp when he tugged me to his side, his whisper a dark warning in my ear. “Don’t provoke me, Red, or I’ll spread you out on the picnic table and tongue fuck you until you have to fucking crawl home because your legs don’t work anymore.”
He released me and smiled at the man approaching us. “Hey, Micah,” he said, like he hadn’t just threatened to make me come my brains out in front of a thousand people a mere second ago. “How’s it going?”
After they greeted each other, Josh introduced me to Micah, who offered me a perfunctory smile.
“So, Jules, what do you do? Are you a student?” The other resident was around Josh’s age, but he oozed pretentiousness in a way that was completely at odds with Josh’s easy charm. Josh may be arrogant, but at least he was self-deprecating about it. Micah looked like he believed his own hype a little too much.
“Yes, at Thayer Law. I graduate in a few weeks.”
Micah’s eyebrows popped up. “Law? Really?”
I stiffened at his obvious skepticism.
“Yes, really.” I dropped my polite tone and adopted one so icy I hoped it froze his balls off. Some people might give Micah the benefit of the doubt, but I recognized judgment when I saw it, and I had zero obligation to be nice to someone who didn’t bother hiding his condescension. “Surprised?”
“A little. You don’t look like a law student.” Micah’s eyes dropped to my chest, and tiny prickles of humiliation stabbed at me.
Beside me, Josh stilled, his easygoing manner giving way to a dark, volatile tension that roiled the air around us.
“I didn’t realize law students had a universal look.” I resisted the urge to cross my arms over my chest. I wouldn’t give Micah that satisfaction. “How are they supposed to look?”
He laughed, not even having the decency to look embarrassed by my callout. “You know what I mean.”
“I don’t.” Josh spoke up before I could respond, his tone deceptively light. “What do you mean, Micah?”
Discomfort crossed his coworker’s face for the first time as Micah finally realized the conversation wasn’t heading in the direction he’d intended.
“You know.” He waved a hand in the air, trying to play it off. “It was a joke.”
Josh’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Jokes are supposed to be funny.”
“Lighten up, man.” Micah’s frown of discomfort morphed into annoyance. “Look, all I’m saying is, I was surprised, okay?”
“That’s not what you’re saying. What you’re saying is you made assumptions about her intelligence based on her appearance, which is quite unfair, don’t you think?” A lethal edge ran beneath Josh’s otherwise pleasant voice. “For example, if I were to make an assumption about you, I would think you were a pompous jackass based on the Harvard-branded clothing you wear at any opportunity despite the fact you only got in because your last name is engraved on their newest science building. But I’m sure that’s not true. You did graduate from Harvard Med—near the bottom of the class, but you graduated. That counts for something.”
Micah’s mouth fell open while a ball of emotion curled up in my throat and refused to budge.
I couldn’t think of the last time someone stood up for me. It was a strange feeling—warm and thick, like honey sliding through my veins.
“Regardless, I do not appreciate your rudeness toward my date.” Josh’s voice hardened.
“This is a work event, so apologize, walk away, and we’ll leave it at that. But disrespect Jules again, and I’ll put you in the emergency room myself.”