16

Bennett normally would rather work the hours of a resident than talk about himself. The experience tended to leave him feeling a little burned from the spotlight and uncomfortable in his oversized skin, but sharing stories from his life with Harper felt natural.

Almost calming.

He shared the hilarity she felt in some of the more outlandish clinic stories. Her visible compassion seeped through him with the heartbreakers. In his life, he had only ever felt this comfortable talking to his mom or Darcy. Even though in their family dynamic, Darcy was typically the one telling, his mother was the one asking, and he was the one trying to balance the two or at least he had been. Their mother’s death had destroyed the bond between him and his sister. A bond he would have sworn was made of titanium, but it hadn’t been any stronger than the parchment paper where he now laid cookies. God granted him this strange turn of events to rekindle his relationship with Darcy and he wouldn’t waste it. Even if he had to bake until the New Year, he would do anything to regain her trust and love.

Harper’s giggle shifted to a snort, snatching him from the spiral of twin drama. “How does one get a dart stick in the middle of one’s hand?”

He dipped a swoon pie in chocolate and shrugged. “Well, one offers to be the bulls-eye as a pay-off to a bet.”

“Seriously? Who could possibly think that was a good idea?”

“A graduate student who was extremely intoxicated and didn’t want his parents to know what he’d done so he came to our clinic instead of going to the university hospital.”

“Do you get many of those? Stupid frat boys?”

“Well…I don’t know if they are stupid…over-served and under the influence, but not stupid.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it. My mouth tends to move faster than most politically correct language can run.”

“Good to know.” He glanced at her. She moved the last of the swoon pies from the freezer to the counter and began dipping them in the remaining chocolate. Her blonde curls were tucked under a kerchief. She had a few smudges of flour on her cheek with matching chocolate streaks on her chin. A pink glow seemed to hover around her like a hazy cloud, lighting her with an inner loveliness he couldn’t quite understand.

She was simple beauty. There was a kind of ethereal quality to her demeanor. He couldn’t explain his instant attraction. He’d never experienced anything remotely like it. What he did want was to know her more.

Where did she grow up? Go to college? Live? How serious was she with the pastor? Did he have a chance? Was she as perfect as she appeared? What were her dreams? The big ones. The small ones. Harper Jessup was an unexpected spark of excitement and he hoped the spark might grow to a flame.

“Enough of my stories,” Bennett said. “Fair is fair. Tell me a little about yourself.”

Her head shot up and he registered her panic.

“Why would I tell stories when mine are all about fabric swatches and paint colors. You’re saving lives. The only saving I do is old ladies from poor pattern mixing choices.”

“Doesn’t mean fabric swatches and paint colors don’t have an interesting story to tell. Most of my time is paperwork and giving shots. Not exactly glamor.”

Glancing from one end of the island to the other, she sucked in her bottom lip. “Ummm…I think we need a little more chocolate to finish out the swoon pies. Then we have to track down the mint chocolate brownie recipe. I didn’t see it in the recipe box.”

“If it’s not in the recipe box, where do you think it could be?” He was willing to change the subject. For now.

“Did you look through the entire cupboard?”

“The cupboard was made for someone Lulu’s size. Not my size.”

Stripping off her apron, a broad smile stretched her lips. “Well, it’s a good thing I took after my mom and not my dad. You keep dipping. I will find the brownie recipe.” Tossing her apron on the table she disappeared into the hall.

Interesting.

Something about sharing her story with him made her nervous. He had to discover a way to get her to relax. To understand there was nothing she could say that would make him like her less. All he could see were ways he would like her more.