ring on your finger. The way you keep going through them, you’ll end up alone.”
“I’m not ready to settle down! House in the suburbs. Minivan. PTA.” Charlene offered an exaggerated shudder. “I’m all about having a boyfriend who spends money and isn’t afraid to shower me with gifts.”
“How long did you and Cesar go out?” Mario asked. “I can’t imagine him having much money to spend on you.”
Cobb felt Josie stiffen next to him and moved his elbow slightly, hoping she took his nonverbal hint to stay cool.
Charlene huffed, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. “I never dated Caesar! He was so not my type. He asked me to dinner once, and I accepted. That was all. Believe me, that was all!” She stood and swept out of the room, huffing as she left.
Mario held his expression for a moment, then burst out laughing. He stood and looked over at Cobb and Josie. “Sorry, I knew she hadn’t dated him, but I like getting my digs in every once in a while when she gets too full of herself.” He threw away his trash and headed back out, the workroom now empty except for Josie and Cobb.
“I wonder what you have found when investigating the people at my clinic.”
It was a statement, her tone full of curiosity, not outrage. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her front into his side. Peering down, he smiled as she tilted her head back to hold his gaze. “I told you I don’t trust anybody, and I don’t. Plus I didn’t have to ask a lot of questions. Your crew here talks a lot. I just listen and nudge them on occasion.”
She seemed to ponder this, then cocked her head to the side. “Well, did you find out anything?”
He glanced at the clock on the wall and said, “Isn’t it about time we headed out to your last appointment?”
She startled, then nodded. “Yeah, that’s right.”
“Then let’s take care of that, stop at the grocery store on the way home, and then we can talk about everything over dinner.”
They walked back into her office where he gathered all the papers and files, and she grabbed her laptop and bag. Waving to the others, they walked out at the same time. As she drove to the small neighborhood, he followed, noting the older houses were decently maintained but not extravagant. As Josie flipped on her blinker and turned into a driveway, he drove to the end of the street, turned around, then came back and parked where he could watch the front door but stayed out of the line of vision of the resident.
Half an hour later, Josie left the house and climbed into her car. She sat there for a moment, and just as he was about to call her, his phone vibrated. “Hey, babe.”
“Was that too long?” she asked.
“Not at all. Was it long enough to do what you needed to do?”
“Oh, yes, she just needed me to go over some of her information, and then I’ve got some referrals to make for her to receive community services. So, are you ready to head to the grocery?”
“Yep, you lead, and I’ll follow.”
“Oh, I like the sound of that,” she laughed.
“Then let’s get the shopping done and get back home. Then I’ll let you show me what you’ve got!”
Her laughter continued to ring out, a sound he hoped to hear a lot more of for a long time.
15
Josie couldn’t help but smile as Jorge leaned his weight on the shopping cart, moving through the aisles of the grocery store. Looking over her shoulder, she lifted her brow. “Bored?”
“I thought you just had to pick up a couple of things for dinner.”
“I did, but once you get into a grocery store, you always find things you need, and you might as well get them so you don’t have to come back. I always need milk, cat food, and cat litter. Plus, I want to get the kind of beer you like. And the cookies were BOGO.”
His eyes narrowed. “BOGO?”
“You know… buy one, get one. So, I bought four and got two of them for free. It’s a deal I couldn’t pass up.”
His gaze dropped to the half-full cart, and she sucked in her lips, pressing them together to keep from laughing aloud. “Come on, Mr. Grumpy Grocery Shopper. We’ve made it to the frozen food, so we're almost finished. We’ve got something for dinner, something for breakfast, and some things to fix for the