Page 22 of Fever: Love In Scrubs
“I don’t know. Maybe one. I love working with them, even though they think I’m old and call me auntie.”
Jaxson chuckled. “Take it as a compliment and that they trust you. I’m sure you’ve added value to their lives in some way.”
“I try. I mostly work with kids in foster care. You know, to help them prepare for life after they age out. If it wasn’t for my aunt, that would have been my fate.”
“Well, thank God for your aunt. So, tell me. What do you do for fun?”
“I’m kind of a homebody. I love to cook and bake. The cleaners actually found my mother’s old recipe cards. I plan to go through and cook some of her favorite meals. Anyway, I’ll go out with my cousin from time to time, but I have the most peace in my house. She’s always telling me I have to get out more.”
“See, we have to get you out of that now that you’re settling in. I can’t have you cooped up in a that house. I get you haven’t been here in a while, but Silver Run has a lot to offer. You should let me show you around. Reintroduce you to the city you once knew.”
I fiddled with my hair as I contemplated his offer. “I’ll think about it.”
He gave me a playful smirk. “I’ll wear you down, Ms. Driscoll. If I got nothing else from my dad, I got his persistence.”
“So he doesn’t take no for an answer either, huh?”
“Never. All within respect, of course. It’s no pressure. I just think you could use a friend here.”
“And you think that friend is you?”
“It could be.”
“So there’s no crazy girlfriend or a woman that thinks she’s attached to you that would come at me about you?”
He waved me off. “Absolutely not.”
“What about your ex-wife? Any chance of reconciliation there?”
“Hell no! I’d rather cut off my right arm.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Bad break up?”
“If you call cheating on me in our home and stealing from me bad, then yes. That’s a part of my life I don’t want to relive. I don’t wish any harm on her, but we’d never get back together. Ever.”
“You think you’d ever get married again?”
“If the right woman comes along and God says that’s my rib, I would. You?”
“I guess I’d have to be actively dating to think about marriage. It would be nice to have someone to come home to, though.”
“When’s the last time you went on a date?”
I bit my lip, scared to confess the real answer. “Its… been a while. Like a year.”
“You’re joking, right? As beautiful as you are?”
I gave a nervous laugh. “No prospects. I don’t really date. That might be my own doing, however. My cousin just offered to set me up with one of her friends and that would just be weird for me.”
“Why? What do you look for in a partner?”
I was in the middle of eating a flat, so I took the time to ponder the question.
“Well… someone who’s kind. Loyal. Understanding of my quirks, because I have a lot of them. Someone who’s patient, caring, and loving. I’m not big on looks. I just want someone that feels good to my soul. I need him to understand when I need my space, but still check on me. I want him to be funny because, contrary to belief, laughter is food for the soul.
“I need him to be a good listener, you know? Not listening to respond, but to understand. Like when I’m having my moments, just hear me out. Don’t try to fix me, or distract me, just work through it with me.”
Jaxson smiled. “You don’t want much.”
