“You should’ve let them get you a chair. So you could be more comfortable.” Nana shifted so that she was facing him.
“I’m fine.”
She had insisted that he come back with her because of her “anxiety.” Which was as real as her “emergency” calls. This entire appointment appeared to be one big setup. She’d told him on the phone that she was late, but when they’d walked in she’d thanked them for fitting her in last minute. Martha, a lovely dental assistant, had just left the room with a confused look on her face. Before that Arturo, who had taken x-rays, had worn the same expression. Nana insisted that a crown was loose, but from what he’d observed the medical professionals had not agreed.
This entire production was as orchestrated as the Chicago Symphony. He shot Neil a quick text to see why he hadn’t been able to take Nana to her appointment and his brother had no idea what he was talking about. Neil was a lot of things, but a liar wasn’t one of them. He made excuses, passed blame and flat out argued when he was in the wrong but he never lied about it.
She’d made this appointment knowing that Eliza was back in town and for some reason she’d wanted him, not Neil, to see her. That made no sense. She’d been Neil’s girlfriend, not his. He tried to puzzle out what could possibly be her motivation. He was missing something and if there was one thing that his analytical brain hated, it was that.
He mentally ran through the facts as he knew them. From the small talk that Nana had made with Martha, he learned that Dr. Lewis had taken an early retirement, on his wife’s insistence and the first person on his list of potential successors had been Eliza. He’d called and offered her the practice and she’d accepted.
Today was her first day and Nana was her first patient. What Nana had declared as fate, he called meddling. The question was why. Why had Nana gone to such lengths to make sure she was the first patient and he was with her? Why had Eliza agreed to take over the practice when she had a thriving business with her husband in Oklahoma?
He’d kept tabs on her. Information was out there and he had the ability to access it. He didn’t make a habit of using his talent for personal reasons, in fact she was the one and only person he’d ever used them on. Which was how he knew that up until two weeks ago—which was the last time he’d “checked up” on her—she was married, living in Oklahoma City, and her practice was steadily growing.
So why was she here? Had she moved back home without her husband? Were they going to be long distance? Or was he here with her? Was he going to be subjected to seeing her with another man? Again?
He wished he was back at his computer. With a few keystrokes he was sure he could uncover exactly what was going on.
Eliza stepped into the room and she wore the smile that if it was the last thing he saw, he’d die a happy man. Not like the one that she’d forced up at the front desk, this one was real. This one was sincere. This one was Ellie. He wished it was directed at him, but her attention was focused on his grandma.
“Hi, I heard you were feeling a little anxious.”
“I am,” Nana lied through her teeth.
“Well, I have someone I think might help with that.”
I’m the one that is “helping” with that.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Farmer.”
His replacement was not what he’d expected. It walked on four legs and had a tongue that looked like it didn’t stop.
“Oh my goodness! Aren’t you a handsome boy?!” Nana exclaimed as Farmer greeted her, but then made his way to Nate and sat beside him.
A wrinkle appeared above Eliza’s perfect nose as she tilted her head to the side. “Farmer. Come.”
The dog obeyed and she told him to sit and stay by Nana, which he also obeyed. But his eyes were locked on Nate. Both women petted Farmer’s head as Eliza explained, “Farmer is a certified service companion that works as a dental therapy dog, he helps patients that have anxiety during procedures. I’ve been using him at my practice in Oklahoma. He’s made a huge difference in patient experiences.”
“I can see how. Who wouldn’t love this face?” Nana lifted Farmer’s chin and kissed him on the top of the head. The dog accepted the affection happily, his tail wagged on the linoleum floor, but he kept Nate in his sights.
“Well, it looks like someone has a fan.” Nana noticed the dog’s laser lock on him and motioned towards the corner Nate was posted in.
“That’s so weird.” Eliza slowly shook her head in disbelief. The ponytail that her hair was pulled up into swung behind her and under the fluorescent lighting he could see the blonde and red highlights in it. She sighed as she lifted her hands and explained, “He’s trained to gravitate towards the person who’s feeling anxious or fearful. So I’m not sure why he’s so fixated on Mr. Joe Cool.”
His lips pulled at the corners at the name that she’d teased him with when they were lab partners. Several times she’d grown frustrated when an assignment or experiment that they’d worked on hadn’t resulted exactly how they’d hypothesized and he’d always stayed calm. At the time she’d said this was “as irritating as an itch you can’t scratch.” So, she’d started referring to him as Mr. Joe Cool in retaliation.
Her arm waved in his direction animatedly. She always moved her arms and hands when she was making a point. “I mean look at him. If he were any calmer I’d have to put a mirror under his nose to make sure he was still alive.”
At that remark his lips turned up in a wide smile. Eliza had always done that. Made him smile.
“I don’t know…” Nana lifted her left eyebrow as she shot him a look as if to say she had his number. “Looks can be deceiving.”
He shot it right back at her. “Yes. They can.”
“Okay, clearly I’m missing something.” Eliza’s eyes darted between him and his grandma before she shook her head again, this time faster before inhaling deeply, and just like that she was back in business mode. “Anyway, the x-rays look good but since you felt some wiggling, I’m just going to go ahead and reinforce the crown. Would you like Farmer to stay during the procedure?”
“Yes.” Nana nodded as she pet the golden retriever’s head. “I think he is very helpful. Aren’t you, handsome boy?”
As Eliza washed her hands and relayed instructions to Martha about what she would need Nana shot another glance his way, this one was lit with mischief. She was definitely up to something. The only thing he’d been able to come up with so far was that Nana wanted Eliza to be a part of their family so much that since it hadn’t worked out with Neil, he was second runner-up. It was kind of a stretch that was only supported by Nana’s comment earlier about Eliza being family.
His mind was trying to find anything that would solve the mystery but he couldn’t focus. He wasn’t being obvious, because he knew that he had an audience, but out of the corner of his eye he watched as Eliza worked. He was happy when he’d caught a glimpse of tiny brown dots sprinkled on her nose. They were faded, or she was covering them with makeup, but they were there. He didn’t like the shadow of dark circles beneath her eyes, though. It meant she was stressed or working too hard, or both. It killed him not knowing which and not being able to take care of her.
He’d known that he missed her. Known that he’d never truly gotten over his feelings for her, but now that he’d seen her again he wasn’t sure how he’d made it through the past years without her. Being around her suddenly felt as essential as oxygen to him. She was like sunshine, bright and warm, a necessity of life. It honestly felt like he’d spent years in darkness and now he was in the light.
She worked quickly and efficiently as she chatted with his grandma. When she pulled off her rubber gloves, indicating the procedure was done, it felt like a punch in his gut.
He’d gone so long without light, without air, he didn’t want to leave her so soon.
He was careful to keep his emotionless mask firmly in place, but apparently Farmer picked up on his reaction because the dog whined and then trotted over to join him in the
corner. This time, Nate bent down to pet him. He’d always loved dogs and Farmer was one of the best, that much was evident in just the short time he’d spent with him.
As Martha continued to clean up around them, Eliza stood from the stool she’d been sitting on and hurried towards the door. “Okay, well it was nice seeing you both again.” She smiled as she spoke. “Make sure to call me if you have any more problems with that crown.”
And then she was gone. And so was Farmer, who followed her out of the exam room. He stared at the doorway that she’d just inhabited and just like the doorway, his chest felt empty. Hollow. Bare.
It was a feeling that he’d have to get used to, because as much as he wished things were different, he needed to keep his distance from Eliza Young. He’d sealed the fate of their relationship on her eighteenth birthday and since he couldn’t change the past, he needed to do the right thing in the future.
Chapter 4
Eliza barely recognized the restaurant that had always been a staple in Harper’s Crossing. What used to be a nice, if not somewhat rundown, establishment had been renovated and upgraded, much like she wanted to do with her new practice.
“Hi! Welcome to The Plate, how many in your party?” The bubbly, attractive girl behind the podium asked.
“Actually, I’m meeting someone.” She scanned the dining area and was relieved to see that Becca was already there. Eliza pointed her finger in her friend’s direction. “I see her.”
As she weaved through the tables her legs still felt shaky. It had been hours since she’d seen Nate but her body was still suffering aftershocks from the earthquake that had registered as a 10.0 on the emotional-Richter scale.
It had been bad before he’d smiled at her when she’d called him Mr. Joe Cool, but after that smile, her insides had basically turned to mush. His smile had always had that effect on her. In and of itself it was devastating, but it was made even more so because she knew very few people made Nate Holmes smile.
He was a serious guy with a brilliant mind that never turned off. She remembered telling him once that it must be exhausting to be as smart as he was. He’d looked at her like she’d just figured out a riddle that no one else ever could. To her, it was pretty obvious. He was always the smartest person in the room. She doubted that had changed even when he went to MIT and had been surrounded by the greatest minds in the country, or the world even.
She’d never understood the saying “ignorance is bliss” until she’d met Nate. After just a few conversations it was crystal clear to her that he saw everything that could possibly go wrong in any situation before anyone else even knew what was going on. He’d reminded her of Will, Matt Damon’s character in Good Will Hunting, without having Ben Affleck’s character, Chuckie, as a friend to lighten him up and let him turn off his brain for a while. To show him that there was fun to be had. So she’d made it her personal mission to be his Chuckie. Of course she’d wanted to be his Skylar, Will’s love interest who was played brilliantly by Minnie Driver, but since Nate hadn’t been romantically interested in her, she’d settled for being his Chuckie.
When Becca saw her approaching she stood and they quickly wrapped their arms around each other. The Sloan bunch was big on hugs. Her parents had never been big huggers but she’d always said that when she’d had kids she’d wanted to raise them with lots of hugs.
She and Becca said their hellos and complimented each other on looking beautiful. She was fairly certain that Becca was just being kind. These last couple of weeks were not doing any favors to her skin or the dark circles that had a tendency to form under her eyes whenever she wasn’t sleeping or was under stress. But Eliza was not just being polite. Becca was absolutely stunning. Over the years, she’d had a few friends that had gone through residency and none of them had actually glowed at the end of it. Eliza was pretty sure that Brian was a big part of that glow.
After ordering a drink, Eliza asked, “So, how is the wedding planning going?”
Even though she’d technically had two weddings, she’d only planned one, but it had been all-consuming. The first time had been a spur-of-the-moment (or so she’d thought) elopement. But her second one had been the real deal. Church. Reception. Two hundred guests. Five bridesmaids, including Becca.
Becca blew out a dramatic breath. “Well, I have the venue. We’re going to get married at the castle at Whisper Lake. Without the show, I’m not sure how long it would’ve taken for us to finally face what we felt for each other, so it seems fitting.”
Becca and Brian had appeared on a reality show called Fairytale Love that had been filmed at an old castle at Whisper Lake. As they weren’t a couple at the time, they were both paired with other people. Eliza had watched the show and actually really liked the guy Becca had been paired with, his name was Colton and he was a cowboy from a small town in Texas. Eliza had been rooting for Colton and Becca to win. But then in a dramatic twist, during the live finale, Becca and Brian confessed their love for one another.
“Other than that, I haven’t planned a single thing. This residency has eaten up all of my time. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and here we are three weeks out and I don’t even have my dress. I’m meeting with Katie’s Aunt Wendy tomorrow. She’s been in the wedding planning game for four years now and assures me that everything will be fine.” Becca snapped her fingers as if she’d just remembered something. “Actually, I’m glad my sister and Bailey are running late, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”
“Shoot.” Becca was Eliza’s oldest friend and one of the best people she knew. She’d pretty much do anything for her. If that meant rolling up her sleeves to put together wedding favors or centerpieces she was all in.
“I know that you’re going through a lot and it might be insensitive of me to even ask, but,” Becca took a deep breath, “I was wondering if you would be one of my bridesmaids.”
Eliza was genuinely shocked. She stared at her for several seconds, blinking slowly before finally snapping out of her stunned state.
“Are you serious? Of course!” They hugged again and when Eliza leaned back in her chair, she felt like her behavior warranted an explanation. “Sorry, I was just surprised. I figured with your sisters and all of your cousin’s wives your bridesmaid dance card was full.”
Becca’s head fell back and she laughed. “It is. Our wedding party is going to be twenty-eight people.”
Okay now she was really shocked. “Twenty-eight?” she repeated.
Her friend nodded. “Yep. All three of my sisters are matrons of honors. Then all of my cousin’s wives are bridesmaids, plus Brian’s sister Brittney, you, and then the attending physician that I’ve been working under for the past two years, Bailey Rossum.” Becca’s entire face shone with adoration as she eagerly spoke, “I can’t wait for you to meet her. She’s a pediatric surgeon who has founded not one but two charities. One that provides health care for underprivileged kids and another that trains service dogs and brings them to the hospital to visit patients. I thought you guys might bond over that because of the work you do with Farmer.”
“Oh my gosh, yes, I’d love to talk to her about her program.” In Eliza’s opinion, therapy dogs were the future.
Becca continued down her path of praise. “Not to mention she’s one of the brightest people I’ve ever met, but she’s so down to earth and medicine is such a competitive field but she’s not like that. She pulls people up with her, she doesn’t take chances to tear them down. Especially women. Plus, she’s so funny. Seriously, whenever I get to hang out with her away from the hospital I almost pee my pants.”
“Wow. I can’t wait to meet her. She sounds too good to be true!”
“She is. Oh and then, on Brian’s side all of my cousins and brothers-in-law will be standing up as well as his brother Brendan and his cousins Josh and Nate.”
“Nate? Nate Holmes?”
Was she going to be in a wedding with Nate?
A vision popped up in her head of her wal
king down the aisle but he wasn’t at her side escorting her down the aisle after the ceremony. He was waiting at the end of it. And she wasn’t wearing a bridesmaids dress. She was in white.
She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to knock the picture out of it.
“Yep.” Becca nodded again. “Nate and Brian had a few classes together freshmen and sophomore year and have always gotten along. And since they both moved back they’ve reconnected.” Becca lowered her voice and scooted forward, leaning towards Eliza, who was still in shock. “Plus, it makes sense for Nate and Bailey to walk together because they’re kind of a thing.”
A thing?
Inside, Eliza deflated. Outside, she sunk into her chair.
Becca continued, not noticing. “And rounding things out are my niece and nephews who are the flower girl and junior ushers. And two ladies that we have gotten to know, they are Jessie’s landlords, they’re going to be our guest book attendants, which should be pure entertainment. Margie and Mable, or the M&M sisters as they call themselves. They are two of the most…um…colorful women I’ve ever met.”
She knew that her mind should be on the things that her friend was telling her but all she could think about was Nate dating a woman that sounded like she was Mother Teresa, Gloria Steinem, Princess Diana, Marie Curie and Amy Schumer all rolled into one.
How could she compete with that? Not that she wanted to. She was single and planned to stay that way and Nate had no interest in her, but still!
Eliza was distracted when one of the most attractive women that she’d ever seen in real life approached the table and leaned down to give Becca a one arm hug before taking the seat to Becca’s left and Eliza’s right. “I’m so sorry I’m late. My surgery ran long.” When her eyes met Eliza’s she stuck out her hand. “Hi, I’m Bailey Rossum. You must be Eliza, I’ve heard so much about you.”
All He Desires – Nate & Eliza (Crossroads Book 12) Page 4