Page 304 of Under Her Skin

“I didn’t think about that,” she says. “Thanks for bringing that up before I messed myself up good. Well, see you later. Love you,baby.”

She leaves, and I find Tammy watching her go. “You know, mom’s been alone for a couple of years. Her last boyfriend was a terrible man. He hit her at least two times that I saw. She could use a nice man. And Mr. Vanderbilt is verynice.”

Not hertoo!

“But your mother has to keep her new job. Now that she’s working in a new line of work instead of waitressing she’ll find a great man. I’m sure she will. You’ll see. Her self-esteem will go up, and along with that, good men will look her way. Don’tworry.”

“Mr. Vanderbilt, I can let you come with me today.” I hear a woman’s voice coming from thehallway.

“Gotta go,” I say and hurry out of the room to see who the hell is trying to grab him upnow.

As I open the door and step into the hallway, I see Blaine with his back to me as Nurse Amanda ‘Slut from hell’ Jones walks up to him, swaying her hips as she does. “I heard you needed an aid. Nurse Richards must have expressed her disinterest in helping you. So I’m here to take you aroundtoday.”

“Who the hell said that?” I ask as I come up behind them, making Blaine spin around with a surprised expression on his handsomeface.

“Did you say you weren’t interested in helping me?” heasks.

“Not at all,” I say as I look around him at Amanda. “I have him, Nurse Jones. Go on about your business. We made plans yesterday for the children he wants to see today. I’ll be aiding him the entire time he’s visiting our kidshere.”

“Do you really want that?” she asksBlaine.

He turns back to her and asks, “Sure. Why wouldn’tI?”

She shakes her head. “Because she’s kind ofbitchy.”

“Hey!” I say and try to step around Blaine, who grabs myarm.

“Well, you are,” she says as she steps back. “Even I overheard you being mad you had to let him tag around after you yesterday. I thought I was doing you both a favor. Excuse me.” She turns away and startswalking.

“Well, you’re not. I’ll be his aid,” I shout afterher.

Blaine smiles as he looks at me. “You need to chill out, Nurse Richards. People might get the wrong idea aboutus.”

Damn my temper! He’sright.

“Okay,” I say, then take a breath. “Let’s go see Colby first since Terry asked you to dothat.”

“Have you seen anyone yet?” he asks me as we walk side by side down the hallway. He takes something out of his pocket and holds it out to me. “I thought you could use these. You’re walking kind offunny.”

I hold out my hand and find a couple of menstrual cramp pills being put into it. “You stopped and bought me some ofthese?”

“Yeah, you won’t be as sore and stiff once you take them. We can stop off at the cafeteria really quick and grab a donut and apple juice for you to eat withthem.”

I stifle anaww, as this is one of the sweetest things any man has ever done for me. “This was nice ofyou.”

“I know. I’m learning how to be a nice guy. You make iteasy.”

His fingers move across my thigh for only a moment, then they’re gone, and I find I miss themalready.

This isn’t going to be very easy to hidetoday!

Chapter7

BLAINE

Leaving Colby’s room after finding out what would help him feel and deal better with his leukemia, I have the first item on my list for today’s gifts for the kids. It’s an electric guitar, and I have to get headphones to go along with that so he doesn’t get thrown out of the hospital for shredding tooloudly.

Delaney is only a step ahead of me as we hurry away to see the next kid. I’m checking where I can get what he’s asked for on my cell phone. “I need you, Delaney,” I hear a man say and stop searching for guitars to look up and see Doctor Paul taking my woman by her arm, stoppingher.