“You can’t drive with almosta license,” Cam told her. “You’re supposed to have an adult with you.”
“Don’t worry that I’ll crash your truck, Cam. I’ve been driving on tote roads since I was ten,” the girl said. “I’ll take Suki with me and put your sunglasses on her. She’s big enough to look like an adult.”
“Tote roads?” Camry said, perking up. “That means you live in western Maine.”
“They have tote roads in Aroostook and Washington Counties, too.” Fiona caught Tigger in midleap when the dachshund tried to jump on the bed, then headed back out of the room with the dog. She stopped at the door. “I’m going to leave Max and Ruffles here, and I’ll take Suki and Tigger with me. Luke, your room number?”
“He’s going back to his hotel this morning,” Camry told her.
“It’s room seven,” he said, picking up a piece of toast. “And I haven’t unpacked, so you’ll find my suitcase on the bed.”
“You are notmoving in here with us.”
“You heard what the doctor told Fiona. I’m going to be in a lot of pain for the next few days, and it’s not safe to take powerful drugs if there’s no one around to make sure I don’t maim myself. I need supervision, and since you do, too, we might as well be supervised together.”
“That makes perfect sense to me,” Fiona said from the doorway. “And I certainly don’t mind taking care of the both of you. In fact, it will let me know if I want to be a nurse when I grow up.” The young girl, who appeared to be enjoying herself way too much, arched her brows at Camry. “Unlike someonearound here, I want it alclass="underline" a career anda husband andchildren before my biological clock starts ticking down.”
Camry grabbed an orange off the tray to fling at her. “You little brat!”
Luke snatched it out of her hand before she could throw it. “Not the food!”
Camry pointed at Fiona. “You just wait until your daddy gets hold of you, young lady. I intend to be standing right beside him, helping him lecture you. And as soon as I can walk, I’m going through all your belongings to find out his name.”
“Too late. I burned everything with my name on it in the fireplace this morning.”
Camry gasped, sincerely hurt. “You don’t trust me?”
Fiona stepped closer. “Of course I do, Camry. It’s Luke I don’t trust,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I mean, really, he isa man.”
Luke started to hurl the orange at her, but Camry snatched it out of his hand and began peeling it. Fiona spun away with a laugh, shooed the three other dogs out ahead of her, and closed the bedroom door.
“She’s been living with you only a few days, and you’ve already corrupted her opinion of men,” Luke accused, just before taking a bite of his toast.
“I’m pretty sure Fiona had you men figured out long before I found her. She told me she left home because her father wouldn’t stop lecturing her.”
“Because he loves her.”
She stopped ripping into the orange and looked at him. “Why can’t men love their wives and daughters without lecturing them to death?”
“How in hell should I know? I’ve never had a wife or a daughter.”
“How about a girlfriend? You got one of those?”
“Not at the moment,” he said, staring down at his toast. “I don’t seem to have any problem gettinga girlfriend, I just can’t seem to keep one.”
“Because you lecture them to death.”
“No, that’s not it.” He picked up the plate of eggs and started eating, talking between bites. “They never stick around long enough for me to reach the lecture stage.” He looked over at her. “Assuming there even is one,” he said, returning to wolfing down his food.
Camry found herself quite intrigued. She could see why Luke Pascal didn’t have trouble getting girlfriends, since Fiona had been deadon about his being dreamy. He had the body of an athlete—which really didn’t go with the physicist thing—and his eyes were a beautiful deep blue. As for his hair, well, she had to admit she did like it long; it gave him a rugged, rebellious look, which also didn’t match his profession.
His chest wasn’t anything to scoff at, either. His shoulders were broad and his well-defined pecs, liberally sprinkled with soft-looking hair, certainly rang herbell.
“So why can’t you keep a girlfriend?” she asked, wondering if maybe he bombed in the bedroom. He was a nerd, after all, even if he did have a good deal of brawn.
“According to the women who were still speaking to me when they packed up their toothbrushes, I’m boring. Apparently you ladies need a guy’s undivided attention,” he said, sounding more confounded than resigned.
Camry almost burst out laughing, but caught herself when she realized he was serious. “So you spent all your time working instead of with your girlfriends?”
“If they wanted to be with me, why didn’t they come hang out at my lab?”
Okay, the guy truly was clueless. “Maybe you should try dating other physicists. You know, another scientist who would understand being ignored?”
“Have you metmany women scientists?” He actually shivered. “They scare the hell out of me.”
“They do? How?”
“I can name you three right off the top of my head who pull their hair back so tight, they look like they have botched face-lifts.” He shivered again. “And two women come to mind who could probably knock me on my ass in three seconds flat.” He snorted. “And a lot of female scientists have the personality of lab rats.”
Camry didn’t know why, but she found that hilariously funny. “And most of the malescientists I’ve met,” she said through her laughter, “couldn’t dance their way out of a wet paper bag!”
“Hey, Ican dance.”
“And I’ve met fish with more personality than most of them have.”
Luke started laughing, too. “Okay, you’ve got me there. So have I.”
Camry threw back the covers and started to swing her legs off the bed.
“Hey, where are you going?” he asked, grabbing her arm. “You can’t walk.”
“I have to use the bathroom.”
He grinned. “Me, too. Okay, here’s what we’ll do. You wait right there, and I’ll walk around and help you since I don’t have a bum ankle.”
“Okay, but I get the bathroom first.”
Luke set his plate on the tray between them, then walked around to her side.
Camry nearly fell over, tilting her head to look at him. “You’re a lot bigger when you’re half naked.” Her eyes stopped halfway up, and she reached out and touched his ribs. “Wow, that’s one hell of a bruise.” Her gaze finally made it to his battered face. “Are you sure you’re a physicist? You certainly held your own last night.”
“I’ve been working out,” he said, puffing up his chest, only to let it sink with a groan as he cradled his ribs. “Okay. Give me your hand, and don’t put any weight on your nakle.”
Camry giggled. “I think your pill’s working.”
“Nope. I can still feel my ribs.”
She pulled herself out of bed—thankful that Fiona had put her in flannel pajamas—then clutched his arm as she balanced on her good leg. “My pill isn’t working, either. Both my head and nankle hurt. Don’t let me fall.”
“I won’t. You know why, MacKeage?” he asked, leading her to the bathroom.
“Why?”
“Because you’re downright pretty when you smile.”
She smiled up at him. “You’re not so bad yourself, for a physy-ist.”
They reached the bathroom, and Camry transferred her weight from his arm to the sink. “Okay. Go away.”
“You won’t take forever, will you? I really have to go, too,” he said.
She waved toward the bedroom. “Pee out the window or something. I don’t have any neighbors.”