*
Jellied toast with eggs and cayenne gets me a kiss on the cheek as he opens the door just enough to accommodate the diameter of the plate. Catch of the day from a restaurant near the shopping district gets me a wink as he grabs the sack and shuts the door. But dinner … okay, I skip dinner and offer him dessert instead.
I knock on the door.
“Hmm?” It’s become the usual response.
“Hungry?”
“A little. What did you bring?”
I shake my head at the fact that we’re having this conversation through the locked door. “I brought what used to be your favorite.”
The lock clicks and the door opens a fraction. Trick’s lips part as his eyes roam over my naked body. “Our bedroom, five minutes,” he says, shutting the door.
Five minutes turns into fifteen, but I don’t complain because all that matters is he’s in our bed giving the real Darby, not a sketch, his full attention. Foreplay doesn’t make an appearance tonight. There is no sipping the martini; it’s a shot glass of sex … bottoms up—literally. I have to concede, although it’s quick, Trick’s precision is g-spot-on.
Damn him!
He kisses my forehead, slips on his jeans without fastening them, and walks out of our bedroom. Just as soon as my body floats back down to Earth, I am going to be really pissed at him—for something. I’m sure when my brain begins to form coherent thoughts again I’ll know what that something is.
*
It’s become quite clear that Trick has found a way to feel productive again. I suppose it’s unrealistic to think our most worthwhile contribution to society is mind-blowing sex. After a lonely night in bed and leaving Trick’s breakfast by the guest bedroom door, I get ready to find my non-Trick purpose. As I open the front door I’m greeted by Declan in shorts and a muscle shirt with his hand fisted like he was just about to knock.
“Hey.” I smile.
“Hey. Sorry, are you on your way out?”
“Yes, I was just getting ready to …” Find my new purpose? “… run some errands. What’s up?”
“I didn’t know if you were serious about helping me with some of my online classes, but if you were—”
“I’d love to!” I grimace at my own eagerness. I’m a newlywed; I shouldn’t be jumping at the opportunity to get out of my house and hangout with the neighbor guy, but I am because I’m just that bored.
Declan’s eyes grow big. “Really?”
“Sure.”
He nods. “Okay, great. When’s the best time for you?”
I shrug. “Now works.”
His head jerks back. “Now? Weren’t you needing to run some errands?”
I wave a dismissive hand, closing the door behind me. “It’s nothing important. Your place?”
“Yeah, sure.” He gestures with his head toward his house. “So what’s Trick doing today?”
I slip on my sunglasses. “He’s drawing.”
“Drawing?”
“Yes, he’s an artist.”
“Wow, that’s awesome. What’s he draw?”
“People.”
“Well he’s come to the right place. Todos Santos is an artist’s paradise. Is he going to sell his sketches?”
“I think so. Although he’s working on a drawing of me right now. I don’t think he’s planning on selling it, but honestly I haven’t asked.”
When we reach Declan’s, he gets us drinks and snacks, grabs his laptop, and takes us out back. “So what made you want to become a PA?”
Slipping off my sandals, I curl up on the chaise lounge. “I job shadowed one my senior year of high school. She did basically the same procedures, diagnosing, and treating that the physician did but she worked three days a week. You don’t see too many part-time physicians. I don’t know if I’ll ever have children, but if I do I’d like to have the option of working part-time. Then there’s the option to change specialties without going back to school. Physicians can’t jump from surgery to dermatology without going back to school but PAs can.”
“What was your specialty?”
“I worked in the ER.” I grin. “An adrenaline junkie of sorts, but for me it was the challenge of putting together the broken puzzles.”
“You must be good under pressure.”
I nod. “Yes, in my job I was. No one makes the right decision one hundred percent of the time, but I’ve been good at going with my instincts.”
“Confident?”
“Yes. It’s hard though. Sometimes you can be overly confident. I work with some people who think they can do no wrong. For myself, I try to find that balance.”
“You ever kill anyone?”
I laugh. “Looks like we need to work on your medical nomenclature. Have patients died under my care? Yes. It’s unavoidable if you work in the ER long enough.”
After another half hour of small talk, we start working on his school work. I shoot off a quick text to Trick so he doesn’t wonder why my car is still at home but I’m not.
Me: Helping Declan with his school. If you decide to take a break, I’ll run home!