by Mimi Milan
“Oh, no. I couldn’t possibly let—”
“I insist. Please.”
His gentle response caught her off guard. She shrugged. “If you’re sure.”
“I am,” he said. “I’ll see you out first, though.”
“Okay.” Eva caught Hunter by his leash. For once, the dog calmly walked beside her and she couldn’t help but wonder… Did he feel as sad as her about the idea of leaving so soon?
Chapter Nine
“So is he cute?”
“What?” Eva’s head snapped up from her textbook. She stared at Cathy, unsure exactly how she should answer the question. She glanced around the library before whispering back, “I don’t know!”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Cathy’s voice rose, eliciting a stern ‘shhh’ from the university’s head librarian. She lowered her voice again. “It shouldn’t be that hard to figure out. You got eyes, don’t ya?”
Eva smiled. Yeah, she had eyes. They had gotten a good look at Tanner’s rock hard abs, too.
Their last session – the third one since the (dog instigated) pillow fight – had started with a big shock when she arrived. She showed up while he was still in the shower… a fact Ms. McKoy seemed to have conveniently forgotten to mention when Eva asked to use the ‘little girl’s room.’ She had just stepped up to the bathroom door when it suddenly swung open. Tanner was standing there, a crutch under each arm, wet hair glistening. She had tried so hard not to drag her eyes down his bare chest – and along that stomach of steel – to the towel wrapped around his waist. Then the most embarrassing moment.
She had gasped.
Literally. As in loudly sucking in air like some Hoover vacuum.
Oh, and how he was smiling when she finally looked back up! Even now, she could still feel the heat rushing to her face; the head spun dizziness that fogged her mind when he excused himself and brushed past. Needless to say, the session had been pretty awkward – for her anyway. Every time she glanced at him, he wore that wicked, little grin.
“Hello? Earth to Eva.”
Cathy’s hand waved in front of Eva’s face, snapping her back to reality. She laid her head down in her textbook and groaned with embarrassment.
“That cute, huh?” Cathy laughed. “Dish out the details, girl. I want to know everything!”
Eva’s head popped back up.
“There’s nothing to tell!” She insisted. “Well, nothing except that I proved I’m completely unethical.”
Cathy grew serious. “What do you mean?”
Eva quickly relayed what had happened.
“See what I’m talking about?” She moaned. “I should probably end the sessions and insist he return to the clinic where real professionals can help him.”
“No way!” Cathy argued. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Haven’t done anything wrong? Didn’t you hear anything I said? Developing feelings for a patient is definitely not acceptable!”
“That’s the thing you seem to be forgetting,” Cathy explained. “He’s a case study for your thesis. He’s not exactly your patient, Eva. In fact, you two don’t even see each other in the clinic. His mother invited you to their house to practice some exercises. You’re not getting paid for it, either. So at best, you’re just a friend trying to help another friend with his rehabilitation.”
Cathy made it sound so innocent. Eva was still plagued with doubt, though.
“I don’t know. It feels like more than that – especially with the texting,” she admitted.
“Texting?” Cathy asked, incredulous. She squealed with excitement, and the librarian cleared her throat. Cathy dropped her voice again. “You two have been texting?”
“Um, kind of.” Eva grimaced. She hurriedly added, “Just a little bit.”
“What kind of texts?” Cathy’s eyes grew wide. “Have you two been sext—”
“No! Hush!” Eva hissed. She looked around to ensure no one had heard the possible suggestion. “It hasn’t been anything like that.”
“Then what has it been?”
Eva took in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. “I guess it’s my fault really. I started it by sending a text to confirm our next session. He replied. So I wrote back something along the lines of ‘Awesome!’ And I thought that was it, but then I got another text a couple of hours later ‘Yes, you are!’ Oh, my gosh. I should’ve just left it at that, or texted my thanks instead.”
“Instead of what?” Cathy insisted. “What did you write?”
Eva buried her head in her book again, her voice muffled when she spoke.
“What?” Cathy nearly jumped out of her seat. “What did you say?”
Eva’s head popped back up. She grimaced. “I wrote ‘Awww. You big old teddy bear. That’s sweet.’”
Cathy’s mouth dropped open. “Holy Hannah!”
“I know. I know.” Eva groaned. “It was late. It was Hump Day. I thought we were done texting because the last one had been two hours earlier, so I decided to treat myself to a glass of wine.”
Cathy howled with laughter. “You were drunk texting!”
“No, I wasn’t.” Eva growled. “I only had the one glass.”
Cathy laughed louder. “What a lightweight.”
“Girls!”
Eva and Cathy both turned to see the head librarian looming over them.
“This is a library – not a sorority!” She glared at them. “You’ll have to take your talk of boys and booze elsewhere.”
Eva bit her lip, trying to hide her smile. She looked back at Cathy. Both women gathered their books and bags, rushing out of the library. They laughed as soon as they got outside.
“Wow. Can you believe it?” Cathy giggled. “She thought we were sorority girls!”
Eva blew on her nails and pretended to polish them on her shirt. “To be honest, I kind of feel like one right now.”
“Well, all you need to do is seal the deal to really feel like one.”
“Seal what deal?”
“You know.” Cathy shimmied. “Give Tanner an early Christmas.”
Eva gasped. She playfully slapped Cathy’s arm, doing her best Clueless-slash-Legally Blonde impression. “As if!”
They both laughed again.
“Listen,” Cathy said. “I have to be at the shelter soon. Give me a call later and we’ll make plans. Then we can talk about the guy I’ve been crushing on.”
Cathy began to walk away.
“You like someone and you didn’t even say anything?”
“No. I was too busy trying to be inspired by your love life,” Cathy called back.
“I don’t have one!” Eva insisted, but her friend only waved at her and kept walking. She rolled her eyes and crossed the parking lot to her own car. She had purposely parked next to a bike rack this time, so Hunter could be leashed to it instead of trapped inside the car.
“Hey, boy.” She tossed her books through the open driver’s window, onto the passenger seat before racing back to the dog. She knelt beside him and he immediately jumped up, bestowing puppy kisses on her face. She wrapped her arms around the retriever’s big, block head. “I missed you, handsome. Have you been good? No barking?”
The dog’s tongue hung from his mouth as he panted.
“Good job!” She praised him and rubbed the top of his head. It used to be that she couldn’t even speak to the animal – or anything else – without him barking at her. If she set his food bowl down, he would bark. If she tried to walk out her front door, he would bark. She and Cathy had finally agreed that he must have been traumatized to behave the way he did. However, lots of love and patience had really made a huge difference over the past few weeks. Maybe that had a little something to do with Tanner, though. Each session always began and ended with a directive for the dog to behave, followed by some meaty treat for obeying. Despite his original protests, it seemed like Tanner was great with dogs.
“Okay. Get in the car and sit down.” Eva unleashed the dog and opened the
back door for him. Once he flopped down onto the seat, she returned to her own side and hopped into the car. She buckled up and started the engine, then put the car in reverse. She glanced up into her rearview mirror to address the rescue. “Mami needs to make that money if you want new chew toys.”
She began the drive to the Coffey Creek Café, feeling elated. Her boss was slowly warming up to her – or at the very least, Hunter – and Dr. Nelson was on vacation from the clinic for the next two weeks. Word amongst the staff was that the good doctor wasn’t divorced after all. He and his wife had only been legally separated – something the receptionist seemed to know about all too well. Now the separation wasn’t going as originally planned, and Dr. Nelson was taking some time off to address the situation. So no boss and the chance to see Tanner the following day? Things were nice indeed. Except…
Part of her still screamed that she was playing with fire. Wasn’t she doing something wrong by allowing herself to be attracted to Tanner? A little voice said yes, but it was swiftly silenced when she remembered Cathy’s cheerful explanation. It wasn’t like he was an assigned patient in a professional medical setting. Right? Maybe she should just let events run their natural course and see how it all played out.
She nodded at the thought as she reached forward to turn the radio on. Fingers working the buttons, she scanned for her favorite station, La Mezcla. That was one thing she needed to do the next time she thought about it – reprogram the radio stations. Now that she and Bryan were no longer together, she could listen to all the salsa and reggaeton she wanted, and no one could say ‘boo’ about it!
She caught the words of a popular tune just as she rounded the curve heading into town. She glanced down for a moment, turning up the volume, a salsa classic making her want to sway.
Then tires screeched.
In a split second of distraction everything happened all at once – a tired driver dozing off; his red truck careening into the front of her car. That’s all she saw.
A blur of crimson.
First it had been the truck. Then it was the red flashing lights when she momentarily came to. A paramedic asked her if she knew anyone they could contact. Who should she say? She whispered his name right before her head grew heavy and she passed out again.
Chapter Ten
Forget learning how to walk well with a prosthetic. Tanner was going to learn how to run, bike, and most importantly, drive.
“Mom, please.” He ran his hands down his face, then let out a frustrated sigh. “Could you please drive just a little faster? Just a little.”
Ms. McKoy shot her son a look. The corner of her mouth turned up in a small smirk. “I hear wedding bells,” she sang.
Tanner snorted. “Aw, c’mon. It ain’t nothing like that. I just want us to get there sometime today.”
His mother served him a small dose of her trademark Southern charm – sweet with a nip of sarcasm.
“Sugar, what do you want me to do? Fly us there? I’m sorry, but this is as fast as I go.” She must have noticed his concern, though. She reached out and patted his arm, smiling. “Really now. There’s no need for worry. The doctors said she’ll be just fine. Remember?”
Tanner resisted the urge to roll his eyes. After all, his mother was trying to be comforting. Still, it hardly helped. “I’d rather hear what the doctors have to say for myself, thank you.”
“Well, what?” His mother pressured him. “Do you think Miss Phoebe was lying to us?”
“No. I don’t think she was lying,” he admitted, briefly smiling at her quirk of using the word “Miss” in front of a woman’s name regardless of her age. He thought back to Eva. “I just question how reliable any secondhand information is – especially from someone like Phoebe Coffey.”
As far as Tanner was concerned, no one could accuse the café owner of being a “people person.” From his conversations with Eva during their sessions, he had arrived at the conclusion that Ms. Coffey preferred Eva’s dog over her own employee. The animal had been awarded a special spot on the back deck overlooking the river, food bowls and chew toys to boot.
His mother ignored his sour suggestion. “I’m sure she would’ve acted more upset if it had been something serious.”
Tanner didn’t argue. Instead, he spent the remainder of the car ride staring out the passenger window, alternating between silent curses and prayers until they pulled into the hospital parking lot.
Finally!
He grabbed hold of a single crutch, leaving the other in the back seat, and popped open the car door.
“Do you need any help?” his mother asked.
“Naw, I got this.” Tanner placed the crutch on the ground followed by one foot. This was the moment he had been practicing for all week. Well, not exactly. He had hoped to show Eva the progress he was making at his next therapy session – the progression of wheelchair to two crutches, and now only one for support. He hadn’t realized he would be proving himself under such drastic circumstances, though. Still, what better time than now? If she was feeling down, maybe it would lift her spirits to see all the good change she was creating. He gently leaned on the crutch and pulled himself from the car.
The driver’s side door snapped shut beside him and his mother rushed around to his side.
“Here, let me help.” She moved to brace him, but he stopped her.
“Seriously, mom. I’ve got this.”
“I know you do, son.” She smiled up at him, then stepped aside. “And I’m very proud of you.”
“Thanks, mom.” He smiled back then took a determined step forward with the prosthetic leg.
***
“What’s cooking, good looking?”
The familiar voice caused Eva to slowly pry her eyes open. Her head throbbed with a steady pain, continually pulsating as if her heart had been relocated to the center of her brain. She raised a shaky hand to still the unwelcomed ache, fully opening her eyes to focus on the visitor.
“Bryan?” She tightened her dry lips and tried to swallow past the lump forming in her throat. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean what am I doing here?” He lightly admonished her. “You told the EMTs to call me. Remember?”
Eva slightly raised her head and looked around at her surroundings. Everything came back in a flash – the red truck careening into her lane of traffic, the ambulance as it arrived, and the paramedic asking her if there was anyone they could contact. She cringed, remembering her response.
“Uh, yeah.” She braced the sides of the hospital bed and fought to sit up. “About that—”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain.” Bryan sat down on the mattress beside her. He took hold of Eva’s hand and lifted it. Placing a firm kiss on the back of her fingers, he squeezed them with a quiet reprimand. “No harm, no foul. All is forgiven.”
“All is forgiven?” She yanked her hand away as if burned. Did he really think he could just come in here and talk to her as if she had been the one to blame in their relationship? He was sorely mistaken if he thought she was still the docile Eva who used to crumple under his glare. “What do you mean, ‘All is forgiven?’”
“Exactly how it should mean,” her ex replied. His condescending tone only served to make her head pound harder. “I assumed that you had seen the error of involving your parents in our business. Naturally, you realized no one else cares about you the way I do. That’s why you had the hospital call me instead of someone else.”
Eva clenched her teeth. She would not get nasty. She would not stoop to his level. She would not…
“Basura de hombre.” She gritted the words out from under her breath, not at all ashamed of calling him names.
Bryan chuckled. “Honey, you know I don’t understand any of that silliness. We live in America. Speak English.”
Eva sucked in air, wishing she could rattle off a thousand insults in Spanish, but knowing they would only fall on deaf ears.
“I said you’re trash,” she finally spoke. “How
’s that for English?
Bryan crossed his arms and studied her for a moment. “You know, you would think you’d act at least a little grateful to the person who helped save your dog’s life.”
Eva’s hardness quickly melted.
“Hunter?” she asked. “How is he? Where is he?”
“He’ll be fine.” Bryan waved away her concern. “He had to be courted off to a local vet, though. They said something about a sprained leg.”
Eva grimaced. Here she was worrying about her bruised ego and a stupid headache while her poor puppy was alone, in a strange place.
And with an injury to boot!
“Like I said,” Bryan continued, “everything will be fine. I’ve already signed off on all the papers and have settled the bill with the vet.”
Eva let out a tired sigh.
“Bryan, I appreciate all you’ve done,” she began. “I really do… and I promise I’ll repay every cent you spent on Hunter’s care. The thing is, though, I honestly didn’t mean for you to come here. I only said your name because I was confused and it was the first one I thought of. But given our history? All is not forgiven.”
Her ex-fiancé stared at her for a long moment, then nodded with understanding. He stood and walked over to his briefcase sitting on the floor by the bed. Popping it open, he reached in and pulled out a packet of papers.
“Here’s everything from the vet,” he said.
“Thank you,” Eva smiled and reached for the documents. “Like I said, I’ll pay you back.”
Bryan shrugged. “If you want. You know where I live.”
Eva nodded and her ex collected his things. The door quietly snapped shut behind him and she was finally able to relax. She leaned her head back, wishing she had said some other name instead of his. Why hadn’t she said Cathy? Even Tanner with his dislike for dogs would’ve been preferable.
Eva groaned.
Now why did she have to go and think about him?
***
After leaving the hospital gift shop, Ms. McKoy headed to the vending machines for a cup of coffee while Tanner set off for the nurses’ station. He placed the vase on the counter and eyed them once again. It had taken longer than he would have thought to do something as simple as pick out flowers. Apparently, different colors had different meanings, and he would have got the red ones until his mother mentioned something about the words “red” and “passion.” Sure, he was attracted to Eva. He didn’t want to send the wrong message and scare her away, though. He had finally settled on a bright bouquet of yellow roses that reminded him of Eva – both golden and beautiful. The flowers must have been a good choice, too. They were currently attracting the attention of a nurse who sauntered over and fingered one of the petals.