“How long has this pain been going on?” He especially eyed her hand pressing into her side.
“My shoulder started bugging me a few weeks ago, I guess,” she said. “But this… is different.” She grimaced slightly.
“How?”
“Well, the pain has been coming and going ever since it started, but this time it’s not going away as quickly and it’s not just my shoulder.”
“You know that means we need to get it checked.”
Her eyebrows rose. “We?”
Yeah. Fuck. We. He nodded. He could just pick her up and carry her out to his car, but it would be nice if she’d agree to let him take her to see someone.
He really liked it when people listened to him and did what he told them.
“I’d really like to be sure you’re all right.”
She gave him a little smile. “That’s really nice.”
“Well, if your appendix ruptures, it will be a while until I can… stretch you.”
She gave a short, surprised laugh. “See, now when you say it, it kind of sounds dirty.”
He grinned.
Then she frowned. “Oh my God, you think it’s my appendix?”
“I have no idea. That’s why we should talk to a doctor,” he said, trying to be patient.
She bit her bottom lip. “Maybe I can just call Alicia. I don’t think she would mind.”
“Jocelyn,” Grant said, firmly and with a touch of warning.
“I um…” She was studying the buttons on the front of his shirt instead of meeting his eyes. “I can’t… it’s cheaper if I just talk to her.”
Grant realized that he and his friends often didn’t consider the financial implications of the things they did and suggested. He was better about it than Ollie, Dax, and Cam because he worked with people on their financial plans all the time, but he did sometimes forget how easy it was for him to do or obtain things he wanted without thought to the cost. Still…
“Yes, I would certainly think that removing your appendix on her kitchen table with a couple of shots of tequila to numb the pain would be cheaper than the hospital,” he said dryly.
Jocelyn frowned. “I’m just saying that she could help me know if that was necessary.”
He looked at her side again. “It’s getting worse.”
“It’s easing up a little now,” she said.
“In general,” he said through gritted teeth. She was so sweet, and she’d certainly taken direction last night when he’d been saying things like bend over and spread your legs. Now he was seeing a stubborn side that was annoying the fuck out of him.
But then she nodded. “Yeah, it is.”
“Let me take you to urgent care,” he said. “Please.”
Her eyes flew to his. It seemed she realized that please was not a regular word in his vocabulary.
“I don’t have insurance,” she blurted out.
He frowned. “What?”
“I don’t have health insurance.”
“Zoe doesn’t provide benefits?” He was surprised Aiden was okay with that.
“I was covered on a family plan with my mom and dad until recently,” Jocelyn said. “Zoe was on her dad’s too. The bakery has always been small, and there hasn’t been a need for comprehensive benefits. If someone is sick or needs vacation time, we just… make it work.”
“Do you get paid for sick time?” Grant asked, feeling his frown deepen.
“Well, no, not exactly. But she gives me bonuses when she can and…”
“That’s not okay,” he broke in. “That’s not fair to you.”
“It’s fine,” Jocelyn insisted. “I knew what it was when I went into it. It’s really more like it’s my business too.”
“But you don’t have insurance,” he pointed out flatly.
“I did have. But my dad got cut to part time recently.”
“And Zoe didn’t offer to help out?”
“I haven’t told her,” Jocelyn admitted. “I knew she would feel terrible and that it would be a big financial burden on the business. She’s been looking into plans and things with Aiden’s help. We’re just not there yet.”
“But now you need it.”
“That’s not her fault.”
Grant sighed. “I’ll pay for it.”
Jocelyn’s eyes went wide. “No.” She said it quickly and firmly. “Definitely not.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
“I do! I’ll make payments to the hospital or whatever. I’m not taking money from you for this.” She wrinkled her nose. “That would be… really icky.”
“Icky?” He felt his frown relax slightly. “How so?”
“Well, we’re not related, and we’re not really friends. I mean, why would you give me money? For sex? I can’t take money for that!”
“I would be giving you money for your health care,” he said. “Not for sex.”