“Okay, here we are. This is where the main research team works. You’ll be seeing Tyler Davies.”
Oh. Not Jake.
The hallway was wide, floor-to-ceiling white, and so cool it was almost cold. Marcy stopped in the third doorway. “Hey, Tyler.”
A young man with a dark-blond ponytail turned from a table covered in prosthetic feet. He wore a shirt identical to Marcy’s and looked more than happy to stop his work and say hi to her.
“This is Casey,” Marcy said. “She’s here for an adjustment.”
“Oh,” Tyler said, a confused expression on his face. “Mr. McKinney told me an hour ago to work on this. He said he needed it done and to send you down to his office.”
Paige’s heart skipped and her hand tightened on the canvas strap over her shoulder.
“Oh. Okay.” There was a slight hesitation in Marcy’s voice before she bounced back. “Mr. McKinney’s office is all the way down at the end.” Marcy’s voice dropped to almost a whisper.
They passed six or seven more doors until they reached his office. The space was easily six times the size of the bedroom she and Casey shared. Tables lined the walls, all covered in computers, printers, and prosthetic pieces. Many of them looked straight out of a futuristic movie.
Sketches and photographs covered the corkboard wall behind them, and above that was the company’s motto painted in black letters on the white cinder block. Jake sat across the room at one of at least eight computer monitors, his back to them.
Marcy cleared her throat and tapped on the open doorframe. “Mr. McKinney?”
At the sound of his name, Jake stood and walked toward them.
Paige didn’t miss the look of adoration in the young girl’s eyes, which explained the sudden change. Seemed someone had a major crush. Paige didn’t blame her.
Jake definitely had that take-your-breath-away quality. He wore dark jeans and a white collared dress shirt, untucked, with the sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms, and looked even better than he had in a T-shirt.
“Thank you, Marcy.”
Marcy blushed and stared so long Paige considered patting her on the back to make her breathe, but the girl spun on her heel and hurried off.
“Hi, Jake.” Casey walked in, not at all shy. “Is this your work?”
“Yes.”
“This is where you make the stuff?”
A smile played at his lips. “Yes. This is where I make the stuff.”
Paige stepped into the giant workspace. An enormous square table took up the center of the room, and she imagined Jake leading some kind of brainstorming session like NASA, living out the company’s motto. She glanced around in amazement. “Did you design all of these?”
“Yes. Some are in the very early stages.” He ducked his head in an entirely modest gesture that was unbelievably sweet.
“You have a dog!” Casey headed straight to a large black dog lying under one of the tables. The lab mix stood and stretched as Casey approached.
“That’s Boulder.”
“Aww.” Casey knelt in front of him. “I want a dog. Poor baby. He has a hurt ear. What happened to him?”
Paige moved closer to join in the doggy love.
Jake knelt beside Casey and rubbed the dog’s head. “I’m not sure. I found him in the parking lot a few years ago.”
“And now he’s yours. You’re so lucky!” Casey lavished Boulder with attention.
The dog lay down in front of Casey and she promptly lay down beside him, then laughed as they pawed each other. “Aww. Look! He likes me.”
“He definitely does.” Jake agreed with an affectionate smile toward Boulder and toward Casey.
Lord, he was deadly, Paige thought. Heart-stopping smile. Lover of dogs. Miracle to those in need.
Boulder had evidently had enough of Casey and quietly lumbered out of the room.
Casey made a grab for him, but he was gone. “Hey. Where’s he going?”
“Down the hall to Carol probably. She hides treats in her desk.” Jake took in Casey’s forlorn expression. “He’ll come back. Let’s have a look at your leg while we wait.”
He straightened to his full height and standing so close, she fought against the shiver trying to run through her body. Focus. Paige sat Casey on the wooden table, removed the flesh-colored prosthesis, and handed it to Jake. It looked incredibly small as he turned it in his big hands. He had beautiful hands.
“She’ll probably get a new one on her next visit to Shriners,” she said, pulling her thoughts together. “The replacement schedule has been every year, but that will likely change when she turns five.”
“Which is in not many days,” Casey said.
Jake nodded and laid the prosthesis on the table. He leaned down closer to Casey’s level. “Can you show me where it bothers you specifically?”
“I don’t know what pespeficky means. Do you have gum?”
A smile tugged at his lips. “Sorry. No gum and it means where exactly is it hurting you the most?”
Casey lay back, straining to reach something she definitely should not touch. “How did you get this table through the door?”