Page 131 of Set It Right
And while Victoria hadn’t really done anything wrong, it’d been a relief when she quietly put in her resignation. Last I heard, she was planning on moving to another town. It would be better for everyone to put all traces of them both behind us.
My dad would get there. Though it would probably take me getting off these crutches ’til he really healed.
It wasn’t long before my mother was fussing over me, bringing me a glass of iced water and a cookie.
“A cookie before dinner?” Jesse whined, sounding like the little boy I’d always see him as, even if he was a huge teenager with a voice as deep as his father’s now. “How’s that fair?”
I waved the cookie at him. “Break a bone, and maybe you’ll get one too.”
My mother tsked and smoothed his hair back from his face. “Don’t you dare.” Then she poked a finger at me. “You’re lucky I’m not taking the cookie back. It’s your job as an uncle to be a good influence.”
When she wasn’t looking, I split the cookie in half and gave one side to Jesse. My dad saw it, but all he did was frown and go back to chopping up the watermelon.
It wasn’t long before the sound of the front door opening made my heart kick. Zara hurried into the kitchen a moment later, setting her bag in the doorway before beelining straight to me.
I had my arms out when she got to me, pulling her into a tight embrace. She buried her face in my neck, her arms banding around my shoulders.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I cooed.
“Hey, Maccie.” She kissed my jaw, my chin, then my lips. “How are you?”
“Good, now that you’re here.”
I took her face in my hands, searching. There were new lines around her mouth from too much frowning. A faint indent between her brows from all her worrying. It drove me nuts to see it. All I’d ever wanted to do was make her happy.
She took the seat beside me since my lap was out of commission for now—another thing that drove me up the damn wall. I kept telling myself we had a lifetime for that. In the long run, a few weeks wasn’t a big deal, even if it hurt.
“I have gossip.” Her eyes shone brighter than they had since I’d gotten injured.
I took her hand in mine. “Oh yeah?”
Jesse leaned in, his chin resting on his fist. “Tell me.”
Zara laughed. “I’m not so sure you’ll be interested. You might not know who I’m talking about.”
He scoffed. “If it’s about anyone in this town, I know them.”
Her nose crinkled. “Well, it’s about my coworker, Henrik—”
“Big German guy?” He nodded. “Yep, I know him. If you’re going to say he has a thing for Javier, that’s obvious. The whole ranch knows that.”
“Duh.” She rolled her eyes. “That’s not the gossip.”
He rolled his hand. “Get on with it then.”
“Well, you know how Javier is moving to Spain for a new job?” All of us nodded, even my dad, who was listening whilepretending not to. “Henrik just told me he’s taking a job in…Majorca—at the same resort as Javier.”
Jesse gasped. “Is Henrik stalking him?”
Zara burst out laughing. “Nope. I pressed him hard for more information, and Henrik finally admitted they’re officially a couple and crazy for each other.”
I could have guessed based on how many times I’d seen Henrik coming in and out of Javier’s office, but it wasn’t my business. I couldn’t say I wasn’t happy for them, though.
Even more, I was relieved Zara’s smile was reaching all the way to her eyes. I hadn’t seen that bright smile in far too long.
I couldn’t stop myself from reaching for her face and pulling her toward me so I could touch her smile with my lips.
Her laugh was warm on my mouth. “What’s this for?”
