Page 21 of Paging Doctor Grump

Patrick shrugs. “Some of them got so lost they sent up flares. I went to go get them. Other people barely made it back before you.”

“Well that makes me feel better.” I chuckle and look at Jessie. “We’re going to have to get this navigation thing figured out eventually though.”

The corner of her mouth twitches. “It helps if you don’t hold the map upside down.”

Patrick loops an arm around both of our shoulders, leading us toward the fire. “It’s a lot to go from using an app on your phone, to figuring out where you are on a map. Most people don’t grow up reading them these days.”

“We’re definitely going to need some pointers,” Jessie says as she takes a seat near the fire and puts her bag on the ground. “A lot of detailed pointers.”

“I’d be happy to show you.” Patrick takes his seat on the other side of the fire, looking at everyone gathered around. “Today has been a success, despite what some of you might think. You did something that most of you have never done before. It may not have gone the way you thought it would, but the good news is that you’ll have a chance to do better in a few days. Your next shift at the Barn is going to be a first-aid training session. Make sure you’re ready, and come with any questions you might have.”

Jessie leans forward, holding her hands out to the fire as I take a seat on the log beside her. She hums to herself, shaking her legs and trying to warm up. I lean a little closer to her, pressing my thigh against hers.

“Do you want to get out of here?” I ask, my voice low as I hold my own hands out to the fire.

“And do what?” she asks, the corner of her mouth tipping upward. I don’t miss the suggestive tone to her voice.

“I was thinking of grabbing some wings and beer. There’s a bar near my apartment that makes the best wings you’ve ever had.”

Her cheeks turn that pretty shade of dark pink again. “Oh, it just so happens to be near your apartment, does it?”

I shrug. “Is there a problem with that? Friends spend time together, Jessie. Come get dinner and beers with me. We can relax after the hell we just went through. Maybe you might even decide to stop busting my balls as much as you have been.”

She laughs, her head tilting back slightly. “You like it when I bust your balls. I might be the only one who doesn’t bow down to you.”

I roll my eyes, but she’s right. Even if she does drive me insane with her snarky little remarks about my money. It’s refreshing. She isn’t treating me like my money controls her life. She acts like I’m just another normal person who pisses her off.

“You’re probably right about that.” I nudge her shoulder with mine. “Come out and get dinner and some beer with me. Let’s have a good time. Maybe you can find something else to bust my balls about.”

The smile she gives me makes my heart skip a beat. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing when it comes to Jessie, but I would rather be her friend than her enemy. Hell, I’d be more than that if she’s willing to let me.

And if I can get out of my own way when it comes to her.

“When you put it like that, how could I ever resist?” she asks, her tone teasing.

I grin and shrug, happy to see that she’s a little more relaxed than she was in the woods. After knowing what happened with her dad, it’s clear that being her partner in the wilderness medicine program is going to be tough. She’s going to need me, and I’m sure that I’m going to need her.

Dinner and some beers is a good way for us to start our friendship.

When Jessie walks through the door of the bar wearing a mauve dress that hugs her toned figure, my jaw nearly drops to the ground. The dress is made of a knit fabric, dropping to the middle of her thighs. Long sleeves hug her arms, and the back is open to just above the curve of her ass.

“You look stunning,” I say as I take the coat she has draped over her arm. “I didn’t think you were going to show up.”

Jessie smirks and tucks a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. “You promised that I would find some new things to bust your balls about. That’s too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

“This friendship of ours is off to a rough start.” I press my hand against her lower back, leading her around the people surrounding the bar and over to a booth in the back.

A band is playing on stage, indie rock music filling the room. There’s a small crowd gathered in front of the stage, swaying to the music as Jessie slides into the booth. I take the seat across from her, putting her coat and mine beside me.

“We’re friends, are we?” Jessie picks up the drink menu, scanning through it while her fingers drum on the table to the beat of the music.

“I’d like to think so.” I lean back in the seat and drape my arm over the back of it. “It seems like there’s no area in our lives where we can avoid each other, so I think it’d be best if we’re friends.”

“Funny,” she says, her tone soft and sultry as she looks up at me from beneath her thick eyelashes. “Normally friends don’t want their friends to ride their face in the middle of a forest.”

The waiter clears his throat as he appears beside our table. I smother my laughter as Jessie turns a bright red and puts the menu down. She tries to sit up straight and look confident, but I bet she’s wishing for the ground to swallow her whole.

“Can we get a pitcher of the best blonde beer you have on tap and then the two-pound wing sampler please?” I say, distracting the waiter from Jessie’s reaction.

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