Road to Redemption (17 page)

“Holding! That was holding!” Cori shouted her frustration at the TV in Jack’s living room. “Did you see that? What, are the ref’s blind?”

Jack couldn’t help but laugh at the picture of Cori sitting in his matching black recliner Indian style, bouncing up and down on her butt screaming at the football game they were watching. 

When she heard from her neighbor that the power wouldn’t be on until late afternoon, he asked her to stay but explained that he was going to be watching the game.  She told him she liked football so it was perfect and she didn’t want to miss the game anyway. 

He hadn’t believed she liked football, had thought she was putting on a good front. He was wrong again.

“What? What are you smiling at?” she demanded. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, still clearly put out by the missed call for the NY Giants.

“You,” he said with a grin. “I didn’t realize you were such a football fan.”

“Well, I am. Especially the Giants.  Did you know they had their training camp here in Albany? At SUNY Albany Campus for years,” she told him. “A couple of the nurses and I would go over when we had a chance and watch the players run around in their practice gear.  Man, what a treat,” she said with a sigh.

“Ah, now I get it,” he said in understanding. “Ever have any of the players show up at work? Care for any of them?”

“Nope. Their medical staff took care of them. Though there was a rumor one of the players showed up in the ER one night, but it was never proven and there weren’t any records of it. Only a bunch of gossip.” She sighed, wistfully. “I would have loved to play nurse with any of them.”

They enjoyed their pizza and wings at halftime, Jack bringing them each out a plate with two pieces of pizza and a few wings. Cori complained when he brought all the food in the kitchen after it was delivered.  “There is nowhere to put it in here except the floor,” he explained. “And besides, if I put on the floor, Roxy will eat it in a matter of seconds.”  If there was a way for that dog to get food, she found it.

“If you bought some more furniture you wouldn’t have that problem.”

He ignored her comment and returned to their previous conversation about the Giants’ players and asked, “Ever work in the ER? Or have you always floated around departments?”

“No, never been in the ER. And not always floating either.  I started out on third shift in the Pediatric ward.  I liked the kids, but hated the shift.”

“Nights are hard. But you have to put your time in early on. Even doctors do.”

“Yeah, I know. I decided in the end that I would rather change departments weekly, even daily than work odd shifts or weekends.  And I actually enjoy it. I get to meet a lot of new people this way.” She grinned at him.

“So what’s your favorite department? Which one have you liked the best?” he asked curiously. 

He never thought he would be having a conversation like this with her, getting to know her, wanting to know her, but he did. Maybe talking to her about Tracy earlier had opened a gap with them? Or maybe he was sick of fighting to hold everything back? Either way, he found that he wanted to know more about her.

“Favorite is Pediatrics. Like I said, I like the kids. The best one ever, though—Orthopedics. They have this really hot doctor there now. I kind of have a thing for him,” she whispered secretively.

He smiled at her, but couldn’t bring himself to say it back. He wasn’t
that
ready to stop holding everything back.  “Pediatrics is tough. The kids can be hard. It can be depressing seeing all those kids battling illnesses and injuries, some serious.  I’m surprised you would like that, the sadness there.”

“You’re right. I don’t like the sadness.” She tilted her head to the side. “Maybe that’s why I did like being there so much, though. I like making the kids happy. Matter of fact, that’s when I started with all my crazy scrubs.  I loved seeing the kids’ faces light up when I walked in with Christmas scrubs and reindeer antlers on my head. All those bright colors, it made them smile. I would rather they be happy to see me, then filled with dread when I walked in to draw blood or check vitals.”

“Makes sense. But you haven’t been in Pediatrics in a while, right?” he inquired. “So why the crazy scrubs still?”

“Why else? They’re fun.” She smiled, then reached over and poked his shoulder with her finger.

***

“That game was way too close for me. I hate nail-biters like that. Look.” She held up her tiny hands for him to see. “I bit my nails. I never bite my nails. Only during football season. The Giants will do that to me.”

“Ryan’s Super Bowl party ought to be a good one this year. He’s a huge Giants fan,” Jack said.

“Really? You’re going? Or do you have to work?”

“I have it off.  Luckily. And yes, I’ll be there. Otherwise Ryan would show up and drag me there.  He hasn’t been too happy with me lately,” he mused. “I’ve blown him off the last few times he has called trying to get me out of the house and out for the night.”

She narrowed her eyes at him dangerously. “Oh really? I know all about Ryan. When was the last time you went out on the town with him?” she asked, moving her fingers up and using them as quotation signs.

He had the grace to blush, which only caused her to stare harder at him. “Long before you. Let’s leave it at that. Besides, I haven’t asked about your history.”

“You can if you want,” she told him pleasantly. “I don’t have much of one, but I’ll share if you want to,” she said challenging him.

“No, that’s fine.” He let out a breath.

***

“Guess I know the real reason you’ve been blowing me off now,” Ryan said, joking with Jack in a corner of his kitchen on Super Bowl Sunday.

Jack looked shamefaced but continued to drink his beer and remained silent.

“Imagine my surprise when I asked Brooke for Cori’s number.” Ryan stopped mid-sentence at the glare Jack shot him. “To invite her today,” he said. “Then I was informed Cori would be coming with you.”

Ryan continued to look at Jack’s silent form staring back at him, unmoving.  The daggers that Jack had shot him earlier when Cori came running in to give him one of her exuberant hugs all started to make sense now.  And it worried him. It never bothered Jack when Tracy hugged him, or any of their friends. “Is this serious?”

Jack let out a breath, paused to take another drink of his beer and looked out over the large open space to where Cori was currently talking to Brooke in the living room. “I don’t know what it is. But it’s not serious. I’m not there yet. I don’t even know if I can or want to go there again. Not sure about her feelings on the matter.”

Ryan processed that, and probably understood more than anyone. He would be the first one to tell Jack to have fun, to put it all behind him and live life for the now. But it was Cori, and he had a soft spot for Cori. “Be honest with her.  Don’t let her believe it’s something it can’t ever be if that’s what you decide.”

Jack turned to look at Ryan with a lift of his eyebrow. “You’re giving dating advice? The guy who changes women like he does his socks?”

Ryan wasn’t offended in the least. The statement was true and he knew it. “Crazy, huh?” He laughed. “Seriously, though, there is more to Cori than a good time.”

“I’m beginning to realize that.”

***             

Jack’s patience was wearing thin. First, Cori all but wrapped herself around Ryan when they arrived, and now he was watching her do the same to Brooke’s brother, Mac.

Ryan might be a lady’s man, but Jack knew Ryan wouldn’t make a move on a friend’s girl. Even if the girl was interested, not that he thought Cori was.

But he still couldn’t stop the jolt of jealously that occurred when Ryan had lifted Cori off the ground during their hug. Or when Ryan placed a quick kiss on her lips.  Mac was different, though. He didn’t know Mac. He eyed the tall man more seriously. Though Mac looked to be a few inches shorter than Jack’s own six foot five, he was equally as muscular.  And he had his arm around Cori.  First it was the same greeting she bestowed on Ryan, and now it was the two of them standing arm in arm.

He tried not to grind his teeth. Or go over and take Mac’s hands off of her.  He thought they had established they were dating. Didn’t she coax him into calling her his girlfriend? And yet there she was with her arms around someone else.  All his insecurities came rushing to the surface once again.

***

“So what’s with Sasquatch over there?” Mac asked Cori as he looked down at her when she placed her arm around his waist.

Cori laughed and looked over at Jack. She couldn’t help it. He did resemble Sasquatch at the moment. His dark lush wavy hair was falling messily over his forehead with a five o’clock shadow covering his face. Standing with his arms crossed, he was by far the biggest and most intimidating man in the room. “That’s my new boyfriend,” she said with a grin.

“You’re joking, right?” he asked. “I refuse to believe that someone as happy-go-lucky as you would be dating the giant currently glaring at me from across the room.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “No, I’m serious. Come on, let me introduce you. You’ll like Jack,” she confided in him.

“Not so sure he is going to like me though,” he said with a teasing glint in his eyes, but allowed her to pull him over to Jack the same.

“Jack, this is Mac. Mac, Jack. Ha, say that five times fast.”

Jack accepted Mac’s handshake, but refused to stop glaring at him.  Cori poked him in the side. “Stop it.”

“What?”

She cocked her hip and crossed her arms, glaring right back at him. “Fine,” he said, wiping the glare from his eyes, but not smiling in the least. “Nice to meet you,” he offered to Mac.

Cori turned away to talk to Brooke next to her, satisfied that Jack was going to behave.

Mac laughed.

“What are you laughing at?” Jack asked, annoyed.

Mac grinned, humor filling his eyes even more. “You.  Amazing how someone that little can bring someone so big to his knees with one look.” He patted Jack on the back then he turned to leave. “Good luck with her. You might need it,” he offered in jest.

Cori could only roll her eyes listening to them talk. Men.

***

Cori was right. He did like Mac. It was hard not to like him, actually. Mac had a personality similar to Cori’s, always laughing and always ready to make someone else laugh. 

Jack should have been annoyed when Mac said he would need luck with Cori. Looking back now, he realized he should have taken it as a warning.

He started to relax when he realized Mac really didn’t have any intentions toward Cori other than friendship. Of course it helped that Ryan pulled him aside and explained that Mac thought of Cori as a little sister after they became close over the summer when the two of them watched Brooke muddle through her relationship with Lucas.

So Jack relaxed. Halfway through the game, Cori had stopped glancing over at him with a frown and even went so far as to share his chair with him, sitting on his lap toward the end.   When the Giants scored another touchdown with less than a minute to go, she swung around, put her arms around his neck and gave him a celebration kiss.  He felt all was good then.

The silence on the ride home should have given him the first clue something was wrong. Stupidly he seemed content with her “just tired” answer when he inquired about the silence. 

He should have never dropped his guard.

Cori was anything but happy on the way home. She couldn’t even enjoy the fact that her favorite team had just won the Super Bowl.  No, she was seething inside. Even more so because she felt her whole night was ruined when all she wanted to do was have some fun.  And the big idiot next to her in the truck didn’t even seem to care.

“How could you?” she demanded of Jack when he shut the door to her apartment behind her. Before he could answer, she asked, “What were you thinking? Huh? Huh?” Her little body was quivering with agitation. “What gives you the right?” Jack looked at her dumbfounded. How could he not know what she was talking about? “Don’t you have anything to say?” she asked again, stomping toward him with her hands on her hips.

“What? What did I do?” he asked.

He couldn’t be this clueless, she thought to herself. “Seriously? You have no idea?” She challenged him with a glint in her eyes.  The same glint she had earlier tonight.

She saw he realized his mistake now. He never should have thought she was fine regardless of her actions during the game. Men, they never learn. “Well?” she spoke again. “Are you at least going to explain? How about apologize?” she demanded, her green eyes on fire.

He stood up straighter, crossed his arms over his chest, and sent her a warning look she had never seen before. “For what? I’m not the one who had two men kiss her tonight. Neither of which was me, by the way.”

She held her ground, regardless of the fact that an angry Jack stood almost a foot and half taller than her and had her by more than a hundred pounds. “What do you mean? Ryan? Mac? They are my friends!” she shouted back. “There is nothing going on with them. Ryan is your best friend.” She pointed at him with her finger. “What’s the matter, don’t you trust your own friends? Or is it me? Can’t trust me? Still think I’m a party girl out to have a good time? Is that it?”

“Will you stop talking for a minute? I can’t answer anything if you don’t pause for air,” he said with a snarl.

“Fine. Talk.  Answer my questions then.”

“I don’t even know which one to answer first. Listen…” He started, running his hands through his hair. “I’m no good at this. Relationships. I told you that.  What do you want me to say? That I didn’t like seeing two other guys’ hands on you? Well, I didn’t.  No man would, plain and simple.”

“They’re friends,” she repeated, crossing her arms at her chest, but with less conviction than before. “And you never said you weren’t good at relationships, just that you didn’t want one.” She waved her hand dismissing the statement. “Either way, doesn’t matter. I’ll say it again. They’re friends, like big brothers to me.”

“It doesn’t matter, guys don’t think that way. They think ‘she’s mine, hands off.’ Regardless of if it’s their friend or not,” he said, holding his ground.

She held hers. “That’s crazy.”

“Really? Want to meet some of my friends from college? Girl friends. And let’s see how you feel when they greet me with a kiss?”

“That’s different. I don’t know them,” she said lamely.

“Yeah, well, I don’t know Mac either.”

He had a point, but she wasn’t giving up that easy. “Besides, you probably didn’t have any friends that were girls in college, so it’s a moot point.”

“This is crazy. Forget it.” He turned to leave.

She dashed in front of him. “Where do you think you’re going? We’re fighting right now.”

“Home.  You refuse to see my side of it, fine. Then there is nothing left to discuss.” He went to sidestep her and reach for the doorknob.

She plastered herself against the door. “No. You don’t leave when you’re fighting. You talk and work it out. You never leave until you’re done being mad at each other.”

“Says who?”

“Me. You said you aren’t good at relationships. Well, maybe that’s why. You run when it doesn’t go your way. Stand and fight if you want it bad enough. Or is that the problem?” she asked, trying to hide the hurt from her eyes. “You don’t want it.”

He sighed and pulled her away from the door, then walked back into the living room. He took his jacket off and reached for hers when she did the same. Laying them both over the chair, he sat on the couch next to where she had just sat.  She saw how troubled his eyes looked. “I do want it. You know I care about you.” He reached to hold her hand. “You even told me so,” he said, trying to tease, but she didn’t smile at him.

“That’s another thing. You’re slow,” she said accusing him.

“Cautious.”

“Cautious,” she repeated, then added, “Slow. I shouldn’t have to tell you that you care for me. You should tell me yourself.”

He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a deep breath, then pinned her with a stare. “How many serious relationships have you had?”

“Define serious.”

“Living together. Or at least thinking about living together?”              

“Then none,” she said solemnly.

“Well, then I know more about this than you.  It’s not healthy when one person controls everything, pushes for everything they want if the other person isn’t ready,” he said, his eyes drilling into hers even more.

Cori wondered if that was what Jack’s marriage was like, but she had enough restraint to hold that question back. Barely. “I don’t like to push. I try not to, but it’s how I am.” She tried to explain her side of it. She wanted him to understand.

“Well, I take things slowly. It’s how I am.” He held his hand up before she could interrupt. “Sometimes I need a push, I will agree. But it can’t always be what you want or when you want it either. Give and take, Cori,” he said with a tilt of his head.

“I know,” she said, dropping her shoulders.

“I’m not saying this to make you feel bad. I’m saying it because we need to understand each other. You need to understand me.  And I do understand you. I don’t think you’re a party girl. I trust you.  It was a knee jerk tonight, nothing more… It’s hard to explain. But I’ll take responsibility for that, and I’ll apologize for it.”

“I hate apologizing,” she started out saying. “But I will if I’m wrong. I shouldn’t have attacked you tonight. I should have asked you rather than yelled.  But I’m not apologizing for pushing you so far.” She grinned ruefully at him. “Because if I hadn’t we wouldn’t be here right now. You would have been watching the Super Bowl alone, and you would have missed out on some pretty spectacular sex these past weeks.”

Smiling, he pulled her close. “There is that.” He pushed her head onto his chest and stroked his hand up and down her back. “We good?”

“Yeah,” she said as she snuggled in closer. “We’re good.”

“OK,” he said, withdrawing and starting to stand. “I should get going. It’s getting late and tomorrow’s going to be here pretty fast.”

“You can’t leave,” she told him.

He raised his eyebrow at her.

“I’m not trying to push you. Or control anything. Well, maybe I am. But really, you can’t leave until we have make-up sex.” She reached up, placing both her hands on his face, pulling him down for a kiss. “Even I know make-up sex is the best sex there is,” she whispered against his lips.