Page 60 of Moving to Love
He lifted his head and looked at his mom. “Yes, I’m fine. I just got a little dizzy—it’s nothing.”
“People don’t just get dizzy. Has this happened before? When was the last time you went to the doctor and had a check-up?”
Jeremiah inhaled deeply. He picked Joci off his lap and stood her next to him. He rose from the chair and said, “It hasn’t happened before. I can’t remember my last appointment with Dr. Jerzak, but I will call him tomorrow. I’m fine, really.” He dropped his phone into his pocket and took Joci’s hand. “Do you mind if we go home?”
Joci looked in his eyes. “No. Of course not. I’ll drive.” She smiled as she held her hand out for the keys to his truck. He frowned for a minute and then reached into his pocket and handed them to her.
* * *
“I don’t need to go to the doctor, I’m fine. I had a couple of beers in a short amount of time, and it hit me.” He finished pulling his hair into his signature ponytail and looked at Joci in the mirror. He saw her lips turn down into a frown, and he felt bad. Stepping closer to her, he whispered close to her ear, “You’re stuck with me for a good long time.”
She smiled sweetly, her dimples winking at him as she lifted one shoulder. “I’m counting on it.” She swiped the lip gloss across her lips, and he had the powerful urge to immediately lick it off. The light reflected on her perfectly shaped lips, and he balled his fists together. “You told your mom you’d call Dr. Jerzak today.”
He frowned. “I’ll deal with my mom.”
His phone chirped, and he grabbed it as he stepped out of the bathroom. Tapping the screen a few times, he entered the password for his voicemail.
“Dog, it’s Deborah. You didn’t respond to my text last night. We need to talk about this. I don’t know what to do. I’m stopping by Rolling Thunder later to talk. Bye.”
There it was again, that icy cold dread planting itself in his stomach. His heart began racing, and he broke out in a sweat. He walked to the sliding patio doors and opened them. Sucking in the fresh air, he leaned against the door frame, trying to figure out what to do.
“Are you feeling sick again?”
He swung around and plastered on a fake smile. His face felt wooden, and just smiling took a huge effort. “No.” His voice cracked. He cleared his throat again and, with more air than he felt he had in his lungs, he said, “No. Just checking the weather.”
Joci’s brows drew together; she glanced outside and then into his eyes. She raised her brows. “Really?”
He nodded and pulled the door closed. Flipping the lock, he stepped into the kitchen. “I don’t have time to eat anything, so I’ll see you later, okay?”
He walked toward the door to the garage, but Joci stopped him.
“Jeremiah?”
He quietly took a deep breath. He turned to face her. “Yeah?”
“What’s going on?” She crossed her arms in front of her and stood directly in front of him. His eyes searched her face, and his stomach twisted a bit tighter.
“Nothing. I have an issue with Chase to deal with this morning, and I almost forgot about it. I need to get there before the day gets busy.”
He leaned forward and pecked her on the lips, then quickly turned and left.
Chapter 24
“I don’t know what to think, Sandi. His behavior was weird this morning. I’m trying not to let my mind wander, but shit—the feeling in the pit of my stomach isn’t good.”
Sandi reached across the lunch table and squeezed Joci’s hand. She smiled her brightest smile, which made Joci worry more. The fake smile was never good.
“Don’t read too much into this. He runs a growing company, and there are bound to be times when he is preoccupied or busy.” She released Joci’s hand and picked up her menu. “What are you having for lunch? I’m starving.”
Hmm, changing the subject wasn’t good either.
Joci walked into Rolling Thunder from the garage entrance. Gunnar was working on a bike at his station, so she headed over to him. “Hey there, how’s your day going?”
Gunnar turned and smiled brightly. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, without touching her with his dirty hand. “Hi. What brings you here?”
Joci looked around the garage. She didn’t want to seem like a stalker, but she couldn’t shake the niggling feeling that something was wrong. “I just stopped to see Jeremiah. Is he in his office?”
Gunnar nodded. He reached forward and picked up a grease rag and wiped his fingers. “Yeah. He’s been up there most of the day. Go on up.”
