Not that he was lonely. Not really. Work kept him busy. By the time he got home each day, finished with his paperwork, and made something for dinner, all he wanted to do was crash on the couch and stream something on the TV that didn’t require thought.
So what if he didn’t have a social life? And he hadn’t had a date in…
Yeah, definitely not gonna think about that.
He had a wonderful, supportive relationship with his right hand. Why go mess that up with dating and expectations?
The French doors opened suddenly off the breakfast nook, and an older woman with long, wind-blown hair breezed in, tossing flowers into the air as she skipped through the room.
“He’s here! He’s here!” she sang out. Cort couldn’t see how many flowers she had cradled in her arm, but the woman never seemed to run out as the flowers landed all over the floor and on the counters. “He’s here.”
“Oh, Lord,” Grey muttered.
Cort leaned in close. “Who is that?”
“Aunt Willie. And she won’t be alone.”
Before Cort could ask what he was talking about, Willie was followed by two older women. One was sweetly smiling and shaking her head at Wille, while the other was stern and looked thoroughly exasperated.
“Honestly now Willie,” the stern one snapped.
“Grumpy face with her hair pulled back in a bun? That’s Aunt Flo,” Grey explained.
“And the other one with a sort of bob and a smile?”
“Aunt Jo.” Cort wanted to ask whose aunts they were since they didn’t resemble any of the men gathered in the room. “It’s a long story,” Grey continued as if reading his mind. Cort was more than happy to let it go if these women cared for Grey.
“What? He’s here. It’s taken forever. You got all of yours here,” Willie countered a little petulantly. Dane wrapped an arm around her thin, slumped shoulders when she looked like she was about to cry.
“Leave her be, Flo. She’s got every right to be excited,” Jo countered.
To Cort’s surprise, Grey pushed to his feet and took a couple of steps toward the kitchen, where he could likely hear them all gathering. “Aunts,” he murmured in greeting.
“Grey!” Jo gasped first. She hurried over to his side and wrapped him up in a tight hug, which Grey awkwardly returned. “It’s so good to see you up and moving around so easily. I’ve been so worried over you.”
Willie fluttered over next, flowers completely gone now as she hugged Grey and kissed his cheek. Cort noticed that Flo hung back, her thin arms folded over her chest and a worried look in her eye. Her steely gray gaze snapped to Cort and he froze. There was something unexpectedly sharp and penetrating about her eyes as she watched him. It was like he could feel her peeling away all his layers, like she could see straight into his soul. He wanted to smile at her, reassure her, but he couldn’t even move.
“I’m good. I promise. Thanks,” Grey reassured her, trying to extricate himself from the arms and kisses. “Cort! You should meet Cort!”
Grey’s frantic words jerked him from his staring match with Flo, tossing him straight into the headlights of a totally different bus. At least they were smiling.
“Hi, Cort Newton. I’m Grey’s Visual Rehabilitation Therapist. I’ve been helping him learn how to get around and live comfortably without his sight.”
Jo introduced herself with a handshake while Willie opted for a hug. When she was done with Cort, she crossed into the kitchen with a twirl of flowing skirt.
“It’s so wonderful to meet you, Cort. Thank you for all your wonderful work with Grey. He seems so much happier now,” Jo greeted. She tucked herself against Grey’s side, her arm wrapped around his waist while Grey draped an arm over her shoulders. Grey relaxed and even smiled down at her.
“While this has been a great visit, I’m sure Grey needs to get to his sessions with Cort before it’s time for him to leave. And it sounds like Baer and I need to do a pick-up…” Clay’s voice started loud but trailed off at the end.
“Yeah, Cort and I need to get some more work done. Only then am I allowed to nap. The guys can fill me in on everything later,” Grey agreed, as he tried to free himself from Jo.
“No, that’s okay. We can—” Cort started, but Grey turned in his direction, his expression stern as he gave a little shake of his head.
“It’s okay—”
“Actually Grey, you’re going,” Flo announced in a no-nonsense voice.
“What?” At least half the room shouted that shocked question, and Cort was sure that he’d never been so lost in his life.
“Grey needs to go with you,” Flo repeated evenly.
“Aunt Flo, I’m blind,” Grey countered tartly. “What the hell am I supposed to do besides get in the way?”