A sudden jolt of jealousy left Jenna’s insides clenching. Not because of the baby. Even at thirty, Jenna wasn’t sure she was ready to take on that venture just yet.
No, her jealousy stemmed from the being alone part. When Jenna woke from a nightmare—which happened more often than she cared to admit—all she had were shadows and memories to comfort her.
Clearing her throat, she didn’t dare let those thoughts show. “I’m so happy you two are back together. And the baby…I still can’t believe you’re pregnant.”
“Me, either.” Ellena’s smile came through the phone. “Now, back to this move…”
“Temporarymove.”
“Temporary or not, if you’re going to take a job in Texas, why not come to Dallas? I can talk to the medical director where I work. I’m sure they could use the help, too, and—”
“Who’s taking a job in Texas?” Gabe’s deep, rumbling voice joined the conversation.
“Jenna,” Elle answered her husband, who’d apparently just entered whatever room she was in. “Here, I’ll put her on speaker.”
“Hey, Jen,” Gabe greeted her. “How’s it going?”
“I’m good. You?”
“Good. Busy.”
Picking up on the man’s tone, Jenna asked, “How many coats have you done so far?”
“Just got back from the store with color number four.”
Jenna chuckled. Poor Gabe had been painting the small nursery for a week because Ellena kept changing her mind on which shade of pink she wanted.
“I know for a fact that Ellena appreciates all the hard work you’re doing to make the nursery look perfect for when the baby comes.”
“She’d better,” the burly man grumbled. “But this is it. I don’t care if it turns out looking like Madonna’s kinky playroom, I’m not painting it again.”
Jenna snorted. “Madonna’s kinky playroom?”
“I’m sure it’ll look fine, honey,” Ellena assured her husband.
“It better ’cause I’ve inhaled enough paint fumes to make a damn tweaker feel jumpy.” After both women laughed, Gabe said, “So, Jen…what’s this about you coming to Texas?”
“She took a job with a nursing agency,” Ellena answered for her.
“It’s a travel nursing gig,” Jenna added. “It’s only for twelve weeks, and then I’ll be back in San Diego.”
“Sounds good. Where in Texas will you be working?”
“Gulfside Harbor.”
Ellena spoke up again, her question directed at her husband. “Didn’t you tell me once that Gulfside Harbor was dangerous?”
“Can be.” Gabe’s voice had turned serious. “It has some decent areas, but it’s definitely not the safest city in Texas.”
Great. Nowhewas going to be on her ass.
Almost afraid to hear the answer, Jenna asked the man, “What’s wrong with Gulfside Harbor?”
The name sounded so calm. So peaceful. And the pictures she’d seen while Googling had looked quite pleasant.
“It’s close to the border, which makes it vulnerable. There’s a huge market for theft there, so you’ll want to keep your purse close. I wouldn’t take anything valuable with you, and if you go anywhere other than the hospital where you’ll be working and the hotel where you’ll be staying, you need to have someone else with you. Preferably a man.”
The man’s big-brother routine had one of her brows rising. Unable to resist, she challenged the alpha male by asking him, “Are you suggesting I can’t take care of myself? Because I’ve been taking self-defense classes.” She’d signed up for them the day after the mugging. “In fact, I could probably kick your ass.”