Chapter 176

Chapter 176
Josie's POV

Both Natalie and I turned toward the door when someone knocked.

"Come in," Natalie called out.

The door opened, and I was surprised to see Dr. Jarvis, our family physician, carrying his familiar medical bag. I hadn't expected to see him here at Gray Industries.

Dr. Jarvis looked even more surprised to see me. "Mrs. Brooks? You're back already?"

I nodded, my eyes lingering on his medical bag. "Dr. Jarvis, what brings you here?"

"Mr. Gray asked me to check on Ms. Quinn's ankle," he said. "He was worried about her injury."

That got my attention right away. Dr. Jarvis had been our family doctor forever, and he almost never left the Gray estate to see anyone else. I looked between him and Natalie, who looked just as shocked as I felt about Elliot's thoughtfulness. The idea that my brother might actually be catching feelings for someone made my heart do a little flip.

Natalie looked down at her ankle, then back at Dr. Jarvis, who was all business as usual. For once, she seemed totally speechless.

"Ms. Quinn, mind if I take a look?" Dr. Jarvis asked gently as he moved closer. Natalie just nodded.

After checking her ankle thoroughly, Dr. Jarvis gave his diagnosis. "It's a mild sprain, nothing major. But you should stay off it as much as possible for the next few days." He handed her two small tubes. "Put this on three times a day, and try to keep it dry."

Natalie took the medicine with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, Doctor."

"Don't mention it," Dr. Jarvis said with a wave of his hand. "Mr. Gray asked me to come, so here I am."

A little smile played on Natalie's lips as she turned the tubes over in her hands. "Guess I owe Mr. Gray a thank you then."

Dr. Jarvis left to update Elliot, and sure enough, my brother showed up at the office door a few minutes later with a couple quick knocks.

I looked up to see Elliot in the doorway, and I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows, curious about what he'd say.

Elliot glanced at me for a second before turning to Natalie. "Dr. Jarvis said your injury isn't something to mess around with. You need to stay off that ankle for the next few days. Pass your current stuff to Michael and head home to rest. Come back when you're actually healed."

Seeing the perfect chance to play cupid, I jumped up from my chair.

"Oh wow, look at that! It's almost noon and I'm absolutely starving," I said, grabbing my stuff. "I'm gonna head home for lunch. Don't worry about walking me out, Elliot. Natalie can barely walk with that ankle, so maybe you should give her a ride home?"

Natalie caught on immediately and shot me a sneaky thumbs-up.

I winked back, snatched my phone, and waved at both of them. I was out that door so fast Elliot didn't even get a chance to protest, though I could see him trying. Sometimes being a good sister means knowing exactly when to make yourself scarce.

Instead of heading home, I made a beeline for Brooks Enterprises. I hadn't planned on seeing Dylan until dinner, but I was still buzzing from my successful matchmaking and really wanted to see my husband. Plus, I was seriously starving.

When I got to his office, his assistant Kevin looked up.

"Mrs. Brooks! Here for lunch with Mr. Brooks?"

"Yep. Is he swamped right now?" I asked, eyeing Dylan's closed door.

"Nah, just going through some reports," Kevin said with a smile.

"Cool. Thanks," I said, grinning.

I knocked once and pushed the door open. Dylan was standing by his desk, flipping through some papers. When he looked up and saw me, his whole face lit up.

"Well, this is a nice surprise," he said, dropping the papers and coming around his desk.

"Thought maybe we could grab lunch together," I said cheerfully.

Dylan glanced at his watch. "Perfect timing. I was about to order takeout, but I'd way rather take you somewhere." He grabbed his jacket. "There's this new bistro down the street you'd probably love. We could walk."

Twenty minutes later, we were tucked into a corner table, and I was absolutely demolishing a chicken salad while Dylan watched me with this amused look on his face.


"You're in a particularly good mood," he observed, taking a sip of his water. "Did Elliot finally give you a break from your company management lessons?"

I shook my head, unable to contain my excitement. "Nope, even better. I think my brother's love life is finally getting somewhere!"

Dylan raised an eyebrow. "Natalie?"

My fork paused midway to my mouth. "How did you know about that? I never told you Natalie was interested in Elliot."

A small, knowing smile appeared on Dylan's face. "The first time you and Natalie met, she was extremely friendly with you. I was concerned she might be interested in my wife."

"You were jealous of Natalie?" I laughed.

"Cautious," he corrected, his eyes gleaming. "So I kept tabs on her. Then I discovered she had voluntarily extended her contract with Gray Industries multiple times, specifically requesting to work with Elliot. It wasn't hard to connect the dots."

I stared at him, fascinated by this revelation. "So you were worried Natalie would steal me away, but then realized she was actually after my brother?"

Dylan reached across the table and took my hand, his thumb tracing circles on my skin. "You're quite the catch, Mrs. Brooks. Can you blame me for being protective?"

"Protective?" I teased, turning my hand to interlace our fingers. "Is that what we're calling jealousy now?"

His eyes darkened slightly. "Call it what you want. I know what's mine."

A shiver ran down my spine at his possessive tone. "And do you feel secure now?" I asked, my voice dropping lower.

"With you?" Dylan's gaze held mine, and I felt the familiar heat building between us. "I'm learning to be. Though I might need some reassurance later tonight."

"That can definitely be arranged," I murmured, feeling my cheeks flush.

Dylan signaled for the check, his eyes never leaving mine. "Suddenly I'm thinking we should get lunch to go."

I laughed, squeezing his hand. "Patience, Mr. Brooks. I still have dessert coming."

He leaned back in his chair, a smile playing on his lips. "You're right. Some things are worth waiting for."