Next to You by Julia Gabriel Read Free Book Online Page B

her parents or brother to take. Everyone had questioned the wisdom of it, but Phlox had done it anyway. It was the scientist in her. She had needed some record of the process—documentation of the problem, the hypothesis and the outcome.
    She spent the rest of the day monitoring comments online about the A2Z Cream. She was still shaken by the morning’s encounter with the caretaker but working always focused her mind, focused her emotions. Between the two of them, Zee was the people person. Phlox was more comfortable with numbers and results. If Jared Connor could be reduced to a specific quantifiable problem, then Phlox would be able to come up with a solution.
    Obviously, he had not received the same kind of medical care that Phlox had after her accident. Plastic surgery at this point might not completely restore his face, but it could help. Maybe enough to make him less self conscious about it. She could check with Dr. Ryan. Insurance wouldn’t cover Dr. Ryan at a hundred percent but Phlox could pick up the difference. As his employer, she could give him the time off he needed to recuperate. She could pay for a therapist. Personally, she hadn’t found her own post-accident therapy sessions to be all that useful but others often did.
    She opened up a new file on her computer and began listing all the things needed to help Jared Connor. Then she clicked it closed. In theory, she could help him. But, as Rye was forever pointing out to her, people were not scientific inquiries to be looked into. She barely knew Jared Connor, but she knew enough to realize that he would never let her help him.

Chapter 7
    J ared was pulling weeds in the garden and fuming.
    Jared! I understand. The fuck if she did.
    He’d probably be fired by the end of the day, as soon as the owner found out he’d nearly bitten the head off her guest. He shouldn’t have done that. Yes, she was being way too forward and nosy for her own good but that was no excuse for his behavior. Most people just stared in horror at him, gasped and exited his presence as quickly as they could. He should be used to it by now.
    Then there was the raging hard-on he had gotten when she had tried to massage his phony leg cramp. He hoped she hadn’t noticed that. No employment reference there, that was for sure. He was great with the flowers but a bit of a pervert.
    He heard the sound of a car door shutting. He walked toward the house, then stopped short at the sight of a sleek black BMW parked in the driveway. Another guest? Just what I need. A tall man in a conservatively-cut suit unfolded himself from the car. He looked like an attorney, Jared thought. I’m about to be fired. Well, can’t say I didn’t earn it.
    Just then the front door to the house flew open and the woman raced across the porch and down the steps. He held his breath until her feet were safely on the ground. She was tempting fate, that one. Jared watched as she threw her arms around the man’s neck, beaming up at him, obviously happy to see him. Maybe not the attorney. Maybe the boyfriend.
    Jared retreated quietly back to the garden, picked up his shears and recoiled the hose. So her boyfriend was up for the weekend. Well, they probably wouldn’t want him around, working and preventing them from enjoying the grounds or the pool. Owners and guests generally wanted him out of sight when they were around. Reachable in case they needed something, but otherwise invisible.
    Heaven knows, Jared liked to be invisible. He had no problem with that. Things were in good shape around the property. There were still some weeds to trim out on the perimeter but those could wait until next week. He doubted the guests would venture that far out. Probably he should have warned her about the recent black bear sightings. Mr. Big City will protect her, right? Jared snorted. He was probably right about the guy being an attorney. She was dating a lawyer. Great. Just his luck.
    He stomped the mud from his work boots, harder