Worthwhile Read online

  “Javi? Why was he there?”

  “Because his new thing apparently is following me around. You need to tell him to stop. Seriously, Gabriel. Javi is freaking me out.”

  “Is your date alive?”

  “Yes, but he’ll be pretty bruised tomorrow.”

  Her brother followed her a few steps to her room.

  “And he won’t be walking well either,” she said.

  “Was that your contribution?”

  She found a smile and nodded. Then, for reasons she couldn’t decipher, she blurted, “He made me feel like Olivia the Giver.”

  Gabi was silent for a second. “Asshole,” he muttered. “You haven’t been that girl for a long time,” he said.

  “I know.”

  “Guy’s an asshole. Nothing he said matters.”

  “This does,” she countered. “I’m worried, Gabi. What if I find a Colombian guy here, get married, have kids, go to some kid’s birthday party, and the dad is some guy I hooked up with when I was sixteen?”

  “So?”

  “So,” she echoed. “It’s awkward. And humiliating.”

  “Only if you let it be. I run into ex-girlfriends all the time. It’s never awkward. You’re not awkward around Javi, are you, and he’s around all the time?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re a guy, and those little car groupies know you’re not marrying them. They line up to touch your hood. And it’s totally awkward seeing Javier.” Javi had been Gabriel’s best friend since high school and they worked in the car shop together. In her misguided youth, she’d tried to give him one of her famous blow jobs and he’d shut her down. She hoped that one moment of insanity wasn’t why Javier was following her around. The offer was off the table.

  “Speaking of hoods, what are you doing here this late?” she asked her brother. Normally at this time of night, Gabriel would be with his bros at one of the many nightlife offerings of Miami. She didn’t think he’d ever been to Drew’s club.

  His gaze skittered away from hers then back. “Nada. Wanted to see Mami and Papi and get some home cooking.”

  She gave him a look that told him she didn’t believe him for a second, but let it slide. If he didn’t want to confess, she wasn’t going to pry. “Have you ever been to OCXA?” she blurted, asking about Drew’s club.

  “Not my scene. A little too top-shelf liquor for me. Why do you ask?”

  “No reason. I’d heard it was a cool place. Well, I’m going to bed. Night, hermano.”

  He kissed her cheek and gave her a hug, which she accepted gratefully, clinging to his shoulders, strong and wiry from long days of manual labor. “He’s out there, Liv. The guy for you. He’s going to be damn lucky when he finds you.”

  “Thanks.” She turned to head to bed feeling the opposite of lucky when it came to love.

  One week Later

  At two in the morning, Olivia was bleary-eyed and having an existential crisis. She’d come off her first shift in the trauma center at Washington Hospital, and wanted to dig a deep hole, climb in it and not come out for a very long time. Maybe forever.

  Why had it seemed like a good idea to leave the safety and tranquility of working with hospice patients to diving headfirst into the deep end of the ocean without a life jacket? She’d naively assumed her associate’s degree in nursing and her one semester of training in the ER would’ve taught her everything she’d need to be a competent trauma nurse.

  Five minutes into her first GSW—gun shot wound—and multiple stabbings, she’d questioned everything she’d known about nursing. In this crazy unfamiliar world the nurses acted more like doctors, and she’d barely been able to catch her breath between orders.

  “You’re up late.”

  A masculine voice behind her had her shrieking a little before a hand landed on her shoulder, and the voice said, “Calm down. It’s me. Drew.”

  She came back to earth, heart pounding. She turned from where she’d been standing at the door to Drew’s apartment and attempting to stick her key in the lock with her shaking hands. “You scared me.” She held a hand to her fast-beating heart.

  He took the key out of her hand and inserted it into the lock. “What are you doing here? Did my mom need you this late?”

  She followed him into the apartment, taking back the key he’d made for her three weeks ago when she’d started working for his mom. “I started my other nursing job today, remember?”

  “Oh. Right.”

  She guessed it made sense he wouldn’t remember since they’d barely seen each other since the first day. “Are you coming home from work or getting an early start on the day?” she asked.

  He eyed her in her scrubs. “Getting home.”

  “Oh. Well, I’ll be going to bed.” She pointed to the sofa. This was why she’d made Drew agree to all her terms and conditions at the beginning. The plan was to work late shifts at Washington Hospital, sleep for a few hours at Drew’s, then wake up and work with Karen. She’d go home for dinner and sleep in her own bed every few nights.

  “Do you want to shower first?” He gave her scrubs another eye, making her feel almost naked under the shapeless green cotton.

  She’d been dying for a shower, and had hoped to take one in Karen’s bathroom, but yesterday it had clogged while she’d been assisting with Karen’s bath. Item number one on her agenda later was calling a plumber.

  “Mom told me hers is clogged. You can use mine. I’ll snake hers later.”

  “You know how to fix a clogged shower?”

  He gave her a look as if plumbing were a skill every kindergartner learned. “Of course. You should, too. I can show you, because paying a plumber for anything other than a serious issue is a waste.”

  “I don’t own a home.”

  “But you may someday, and if you marry someone who can’t fix it, you can do it.”

  “All right,” she agreed, intrigued by the idea of learning some home improvement skills. Her papi and brother weren’t that handy in the house, which was strange considering her brother could literally take a car apart and put it back together.

  “Go take a shower and when you come out, we can unclog the drain. Or are you too tired? Frankly, I’m always too wired after work to sleep right away. I need to decompress.”

  She’d thought she was too tired but was surprised to discover that, though she was tired, she needed to decompress, as he’d put it. If she tried to sleep now, she’d end up lying down staring at the ceiling.

  He jerked his head toward his room. “Go ahead. I promise not to peek. I’m taking Brodie out for a walk.”

  She hurried to his room, her backpack with a change of clothes bouncing on her back. Once in his bathroom, she took the fastest shower in the history of humankind, unwilling to linger naked where he stood—also naked. She tried not to think about what other naked activities he engaged in in the shower stall.

  When she was dressed, with a towel turbaned around her hair, she exited his room to find him in the hall bathroom, an array of tools on the floor next to the tub. The dog was back on his dog bed in the living room sleeping. “Figures,” she muttered.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You don’t own a whisk or proper potholders, but you do have…whatever that is.”

  “A snake.” He held up a plastic bottle of something. “I tried this last night, but something more is going on. Hand me the flat head.”

  She looked at the assortment of tools and picked up what she knew to be a flathead screwdriver, proud of herself for at least having that much knowledge. She handed it to him, and he accepted it, looking up at her with a smile. She closed the toilet lid and sat, watching him go to work.

  Once he took the silver cover off the tub floor, he pulled up the plastic and metal snake that almost looked like a futuristic children’s toy with a handle. He stuck it near the drain, and then she noticed it had a dial which he began to rotate.

  “Here.” He held it slightly toward her. “Come do this part so you can get a feel fo
r it.”

  She shook her head.

  “Come on, coward.” He tugged on her lower leg, pulling her down toward him. The bathroom was snug, so she was practically sitting on his lap, with his hands covering hers as she attempted to follow his directions. She could feel his wide chest behind her back, and his breath, hot on her shoulder. “There you go,” he said.

  She kept turning the crank clockwise until she felt it hit something. She handed the tool back to him. “I think this is your part.”

  “Baby, you can always work my snake.”

  She half groaned, half laughed. “That was terrible. And they say you’re a ladies’ man. You couldn’t be with those lines.”

  He pretended to be stabbed in the heart with a mock arrow.

  “I’m immune to your charms, Andrew Weaver.”

  He immediately got serious and ran the back of a finger along her jawline. “No, you’re not, but you’ve decided you’re not allowed to be charmed.”

  They held each other’s gaze for a long intense second, and then she looked away. “Drain’s still clogged.”

  He didn’t take the bait. “Why, Olivia?”

  She knew what he was asking but pretended not to. Why make things easy for him? “Why, what?” she asked.

  “Why won’t you let yourself succumb to my wiles? Was it because of your date?”

  “How do you know about my date?”

  “Mom mentioned it. I think she’s starting to see you as a daughter. I never discussed my love life with her, so she’s all worked up about yours.”

  She groaned and he gave her hand a squeeze. “You didn’t answer my question. Was your date why you won’t let me seduce you?” he asked. His words were lighthearted, but she couldn’t meet his gaze, which was entirely too intent.

  “My terrible date has nothing to do with us. I don’t take you seriously because you flirt like you breathe. It’d be harder for me to resist, if I thought you actually wanted me.”

  “We’ve kissed once,” he said. “Do you really doubt I want you?”

  “I think you want all women, and the bigger the challenge, the more you want her. If I’d succumbed last year and joined you and Scarlett for a wild threesome, you would’ve forgotten my name by the next morning. If you’d ever even bothered to learn it.”

  He moved her by her chin so she was looking at him. “If I’d ever managed a threesome with you and any other woman, your name would be burned on my brain. You get under my skin, Olivia. Like no other woman ever has. That’s not a line. It’s the truth.”

  “Fix the drain, Drew.” She scooted back to give him more room to maneuver, and leaned back against the toilet, feeling the exhaustion descend upon her. They sat in silence for a while, the clang of him working on the drain the only noise.

  “I got the call today,” he said, breaking the quiet.

  “What call?”

  “The donor eval. I’m not a match for my mom, but I’m in the database now. Potentially if a swap situation opens up, I’ll still donate.”

  “I’m sorry you’re not a match for your mom,” she said. “It would’ve made things easier.” She was impressed he was willing to participate in the donor swap program which was basically a pay-it-forward idea that meant there’d be more kidneys in the donor pool.

  He shrugged. “Guess it’s true that I take after my dad more.”

  She smiled slightly wondering about his missing father, but before she could ask, he distracted her.

  “I didn’t ask before, how was your first shift at the hospital?” he asked, while leaning over the lip of the tub.

  “Horrible,” she said, unthinkingly. Her eyes were closed, and she was halfway to sleeping using the toilet as a pillow.

  “Oh?” His one-syllable question wasn’t eloquent, but she opened to it as she wouldn’t have to a more specific question.

  “A sixteen-year-old came in with a gunshot wound, and a drunk husband and wife came in with multiple stab wounds apiece. The woman was carrying her toddler when they came in.”

  “Jesus,” he muttered.

  “If they had Jesus, they might not be stabbing each other in front of their two-year-old,” she retorted

  “Probably not.” He paused and turned on the spigot giving it a test. “Must’ve been scary.”

  She didn’t want to admit how terrified she’d been at seeing the worst of human behavior. “It was hard,” she said.

  “You’ve been sheltered your whole life, so it must’ve come as a shock. Talk about immersion therapy.”

  “I have not been sheltered.”

  He swiveled from his position by the tub to give her a look.

  “Maybe a little,” she admitted.

  “Olivia, you’re so sheltered, I half expect you to show up here wearing bubble wrap.”

  She tried to snort, but instead it turned into a giant yawn.

  “I can help you,” he said.

  “Oh? More mansplaining?”

  He chuckled. “No. I can be your tour guide.”

  “I don’t need a tour guide. I’ve lived in Miami my whole life. I can probably give you a tour.”

  “Could you?” he asked. “I meant I’d be your tour guide to life. Have you ever danced all night on Calle Ocho? Ridden a mattress at the bed races? Driven the Rickenbacker Causeway at dawn to go fishing?”

  She shook her head, trying to focus on what he was saying, but she was feeling a bit muzzy with sleep.

  “What do you say?” he asked.

  She realized he’d asked her another question.

  “Can I be your tutor? I’ll teach you how to really live before you bow to the pressure from your parents and go marry a man of their choosing.”

  She thought she might’ve nodded, but she was mostly sleeping.

  “Come on,” he whispered. He rose and scooped her off the floor, easily carrying her. The towel that had been wrapped around her hair unwound and fell to the tile floor. He ignored it, and she barely noticed, because his arms were strong and warm around her, and she wanted to curl up against him and sleep.

  She blinked blearily, realizing he’d carried her to his bed and laid her down gently on one side of the queen mattress. She should protest, she really should, because she had no business sleeping in his bed. Where would he sleep?

  He leaned over her, tucking the comforter up under her chin. “Buenas noches, Olivia,” he whispered. And she was out.

  Sometime later, between moments of REM sleep, she was aware that he’d climbed into bed next to her, his large body, taking up slightly more than half the mattress. But she was too tired and too comfortable to fully wake and ascertain whether his presence was real or an illusion.

  At nine, her internal alarm clock woke her up. Karen had an eleven o’clock dialysis appointment, and she had to be up and ready by ten to get her there in time. Beside her, Drew was still sleeping. Out in the kitchen, she could hear his mother puttering around making tea.

  She froze, unsure of what to do. By now, Karen would’ve seen that the couch had not been slept on, as had been the plan. And there was no sneaking past her to go outside, come back in and pretend to be entering the apartment for the first time that day.

  “Drew,” she whispered and poked at his bare shoulder. He was sleeping in a pair of loose boxers, no shirt. The comforter covered most of his good parts, but his tan golden skin was on display. He had a serious farmer’s tan, probably from being out on his boat fishing.

  “Mrmaduph.” He rolled over, ignoring her poke.

  She stared at his back, not sure if she wanted to wake him or head out and brazen her way forward. Tiptoeing, she gathered up her things and headed to his bathroom to pull on her clean clothes.

  Then she snuck out of his bedroom only to come face-to-face with Karen, who was cupping a steaming cup of tea, an unreadable expression on her face.

  “Nothing happened,” she blurted. Karen sipped her tea but continued watching her. “I mean, yes, I slept in his bed, but only because I fell asleep in the ba
throom. Drew carried me to his bed while I was sleeping.”

  “Mm hmm. I’m not saying a word,” Karen murmured.

  “It would be unprofessional,” she said. “I would never get involved with my boss.”

  “Technically, I’m your boss,” Karen said.

  That was true. She knew Drew and his mother had battled it out over who was covering her nursing fees. Karen had been an administrative assistant at the local elementary school, but had to retire when her lupus made it too uncomfortable to sit at a desk all day.

  “Irregardless, nothing did happen and nothing will happen between me and your son.”

  “Regardless,” Karen said.

  “Huh?”

  “You said ‘irregardless.’ That’s not a word. It’s regardless.”

  “Mom, stop correcting Olivia’s grammar. Here in Miami, irregardless is a word.”

  Drew had awoken and come up behind her, without bothering to get dressed. He was clad in only his loose light blue boxers, and she couldn’t look at him for fear her face would steam more than Karen’s tea. Deliberately she kept her gaze on Karen, willing Drew to go back to his room and get dressed.

  “Drew got your tub drain unclogged last night,” she said. “Would you like to bathe before or after today’s appointment?”

  Because she was looking so intently at his mother, she noticed her moving more gingerly than normal and her tiny wince as she lowered her tea cup to the high counter that divided the kitchen from the main living area. “Karen, are you all right?”

  “Fine.”

  It was the expected answer. She’d learned in the past few weeks that Karen was not a complainer. No she’d suffer in silence. Olivia respected it, and preferred it to her patients who complained all day, but it did make it more difficult to do her job.

  “Go lie down, Mom. Even I can see you’re in pain.” Drew walked up next to Olivia, close enough for her to feel the heat radiating from his body.

  To her shock, his mother, acquiesced, leaving her alone with a near-naked six-foot man. Her father would have conniptions if he knew. Speaking of…she had to text them, or they’d have Dade County PD knocking on the door to check on her.