Page 30 of Devoted

“Exercise is good,” I laugh. “We were just finishing up our run and then I’ve got to get to the hospital. I’ve got a late/early shift—whatever you want to classify it as.”

Clara sighs. “Man, I remember when I used to be able to run.”

“Me too, babe. I loved watching your ass when you were in front of me.” Clara swats at Cooper’s chest and then kisses him. My friend is clearly content in his life and has grown up from the scrawny boy I remember years ago.

It’s crazy that at this point in my life, I’ve never considered having what he does. But as I settle in to being home and this longing for Jess develops with an intense strength that borderline scares me, I am starting to see the allure to having roots and building a future with someone else.

His gaze lingers on her a bit before he turns back to face me. “Hey, before I forget, I wanted to know if you had next Saturday free?”

I mentally assess my schedule, recalling I have to work Sunday, but so far no plans for Saturday. I figured I’d try to see if Jess is free during the week for our date since I know she rarely gets weekends off. “Nope, not yet. Why? What’s up?”

“Well, next weekend is Cash’s bachelor party. We’re not doing anything crazy, like seeing strippers and shit. But he wanted to hike and then hangout that night and have some drinks. You wanna come? Ethan, you’re welcome too.”

Even though I only met the Cash one time, it would be nice to hang out with some guys for a change, especially since Cooper and I had said we wanted to catch up. “Sure. What the hell… I’m in.”

“I’m not sure if I’m free yet, but I’ll let you know,” Ethan replies as well. I’m sure he’s probably banking on seeing Mariah that night and doesn’t want to commit to a night with some fellas just yet.

Clara reaches up and pinches Cooper’s cheek playfully. “Aw, look at you making friends, Twiggy.”

I almost choke on my saliva as I laugh. “Oh, shit! You’re the one who used to call him that, huh? Damn, how did I forget that?” I can’t help but hold my stomach as laughter rolls through me.

“Oh, that’s right. You two knew each other in high school! Aw, Coop… you told people about the nickname I gave you?” She grins.

Cooper narrows his eyes at her. “Yeah. I told them how much I fucking hated it and needed to get ripped so you’d stop calling me that.”

I keep chuckling through my words. “You should have seen him in the weight room, Clara. I thought he was taking steroids at one point because he was so obsessed with getting bigger. Damn… that’s too fucking funny. Thanks. I needed that laugh.”

Clara smiles over at me. “Glad I could be of help. By the way, Brooks, thanks for taking such wonderful care of Penny in the ER a few weeks ago. She’s back to her usual self, except for her sexual exploitations, of course.”

That woman was one of the horniest old ladies I’d ever encountered, but damn, did she make me laugh, even when she was having a heart attack. “No problem. That’s my job.”

“Between you and Jess, I knew she was in excellent hands.”

I can’t help the smile that builds as soon as Clara mentions Jess. “Yeah. Jess is one of the best nurses we have on the staff.”

Cooper and Ethan share a glance while Clara tilts her head at me curiously. “Glad to hear. Anyway, come on, Coop. We need to get Roark here his exercise, and I need to walk off that second helping of lasagna.”

He pulls on Roark’s leash as they start to walk away. “I’ll text you the details, Brooks. Good to see you, Ethan. Have a good night, guys.” He waves and then saunters off, holding Clara’s hand as they make their way around the park.

“Did she just call him Twiggy?” Ethan comes up next to me and asks, putting me back into a fit of laughter as we get ready to leave.

“Yup.”

On my way back to my condo, I call Aunt Liz to check on my mom, confirming that she’s extremely tired and nauseous after her treatment, which is to be expected. I remind her I’ll have my phone on me in case anything happens and then I shower and dress for work. I do my best to put my mother’s cancer on the back burner before I make a pit stop at Skye’s to get Jess and myself a little extra pick-me-up for tonight, hoping that the coffee will put a smile on her face.

Because that’s what Jess does for me—she helps me remember to smile, because the woman helps to remind me that there’s always a rainbow after a storm.

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