Jake (California Dreamy) - By Rian Kelley Page 0,41

said. “No better opiate.”

“You don’t have to be in a pair of running shoes to experience runner’s high,” Genny agreed.

Ivy accepted their good-natured teasing and fell in beside them as the shift change began. She listened attentively to the round-up, jotting notes to herself about individual kids and needs, but at the back of her mind Genny’s comments surfaced and bobbed around awaiting attention—You’re a big girl now. You’ll know when you’ve got the real thing. The trouble was Ivy didn’t believe it. She’d failed at it miserably, once, and everything about Jake felt right. And that’s just not possible. No one’s perfect.

The night progressed slowly and Ivy lingered with her patients, returning often to the side of Rafael, the two year old boy with pneumonia. He was not tolerating the withdrawal of oxygen and Ivy couldn’t get him below eighty percent O’s. That wasn’t good. X-ray came in and the images showed that both lungs were heavily scarred. The infection had cleared up enough that there was no fluid left in the tiny sacs, but it would be a lot longer before he would be removed from the respirator. The surgical repair—a Fontan procedure to improve the workings of his heart—looked good, the pneumonia was a complication. And a setback. Ivy knew his parents, a young couple who hovered over his bedside, would be scared and disappointed.

Ivy conferred with the cardiologist, documented her adjustments in Rafael’s file, and headed to the staff lounge for her break. She had purchased an already-prepared Greek salad when she was at the grocery store and pulled that from her lunch bag along with sliced chicken breast and a peach. She uncapped her water and drank from it. She was tired. She needed the electrolytes added to her drink and knew that replenishing her body’s water supply would provide her with more energy.

She had expended quite a bit with Jake. They had barely slept.

And she couldn’t believe how easy it had been to fall asleep next to him. She had drifted

off with the feel of his body along her back and his hand on her hip, and it had been comforting. And she had awoken the same way—with a delicious feeling of satisfaction that was intimately connected to a peace she wasn’t familiar with but she knew came from the man laying beside her.

She could rest in him.

That was a profound thought for Ivy. She had hoped to find that with Trace and not long into her marriage had decided such a thing did not exist. She would always be her own comforter and rescuer.

Jake had proved her wrong on so many levels.

She remembered his stern countenance on the side of the freeway, disturbed by her lack of concern over her circumstances. His fiery remarks when the attraction between them flared, his discipline that paced their relationship. She felt safe with Jake. She had learned to find that safety herself. Oh, but how good it felt to ease into someone else. Someone with broad shoulders and strong arms and a code of honor that she could rely on to build them up.

It made her skittish, though, to try and define what they had. It was too soon. And she couldn’t ignore that trickle of fear that struck whenever she thought about Jake long-term. It was better to stay in the moment. Wasn’t it? But Ivy no longer hid from challenges.

How did she swing so fast from a trust no one, to a he could be the one attitude?

She tried to recall some of the facts she’d unearthed about flings. Very few developed into something more substantial. Something like a paltry twelve percent of flings developed into lasting relationships.

She picked through her salad, popping a cherry tomato into her mouth as she turned her thoughts to what she and Jake did have. A common interest—running and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. A shared sense of humor. A strong work ethic. A troubled past they both used as a compass into a brighter future. Ties to family that were important to them.

Could she do Thanksgiving with Jake and his sister’s family?

There was something exciting about boarding a plane with your lover for parts unknown, even if it was only for a few days.

But something very nerve-wracking about spending that time with that person’s extended family.

And why hadn’t she told him about Holly’s injuries? She carefully guarded her sister. Every time she’d thought about telling anyone about Holly an image bloomed in her mind of the tall, lithe,