But the strains of U2 filled the silence once again, and Seth felt like cursing.
“You should answer that,” Grace finally said.
“Not until you agree that what just happened wasn’t a mistake.”
Anxiety appeared in her eyes. She looked away, drawing her lower lip into her mouth. A moment later she moved away from him, sliding out of her chair.
“Grace, don’t go,” Seth said. “Please. We need to talk about this.”
She shook her head as the phone started to ring for the third time. “I’ve got to go. And you really should get that. It’s probably important.”
Seth walked around the island, grabbed the phone, and shoved it into the refrigerator, shutting the door firmly on a song he would never like again. His palms landed on the cold, granite counter as his eyes pleaded with hers. “Grace, please.”
A spark of humor appeared in her eyes. “Is that supposed to make your battery last longer?” She probably meant it to lighten the mood, but Seth wasn’t interested in joking around right now, not when so much was on the line.
“No,” he said. “It’s supposed to make whoever that is go away. We need to talk, Grace.”
The humor left Grace’s eyes, and she took a step back. “I think it would be best to pretend that never happened.”
“No.” Seth pushed away from the counter and started toward her, but when she retreated once again, he stopped. “There’s no way I could ever forget that kiss, and I doubt you can either.”
Wrong thing to say, because she shook her head emphatically then turned and bolted for the door. It took Seth grabbing hold of the counter to keep himself from running after her. The slamming of his front door echoed through his house, sounding like a buzzer signaling the end of a game or match—one that he’d lost big-time.
Seth grabbed the pint of frost-bitten Rocky Road ice cream and launched it at the fridge door, as if it could somehow fly through it and smash into his cell phone. When the container landed on the floor with an unsatisfying thud, he kicked it away and yanked open the door. Then he grabbed his cell phone, ready to strangle the person whose name appeared last on his caller ID.
Lanna.
Seth glared at the phone, suddenly wishing he was still on her bad side.
“EARTH TO GRACE.” Cameron’s hand waved in front of her face, rudely interrupting her unsettled thoughts.
Annoyed, Grace swatted his hand away. This was her lunch break—her time. Why couldn’t he see she wasn’t in the mood to talk?
Cameron lifted his hands in surrender, giving her a don’t-shoot-the-messenger look. “Just wanted to let you know that your favorite patient is here.”
Grace’s eyes widened as panicked butterflies filled her stomach. Seth’s appointment wasn’t for a couple of days, which happened to be the amount of time she needed to prepare herself to see him again. There was a reason she hadn’t answered any of his calls or texts over the past two days. She wasn’t ready to talk. Did he really think that showing up at her work, unannounced, was a good idea? Because it wasn’t. It was a horrible idea.
Grace couldn’t face him yet, not when the memory of that kiss still burned in her mind like the worst temptation ever. She now understood how some people could become alcoholics after just one drink. One kiss was all it took for her to become addicted to Seth. Maybe there was a support group she could join, consisting of all the girls who had ever experienced one of Seth’s kisses.
Grace grabbed Cameron’s arm. “Tell him I’m not here.”
Cameron stared at his wrist. “Okay, ow,” he finally said.
Grace let go of his wrist, but her gaze still bore into him. “I’m not here,” she hissed. “Got it?”
“Looks like you’re here to me,” said a deep voice behind Cameron.
Grace felt an odd mixture of relief and disappointment when she heard Alec’s voice. She glanced around Cameron and spotted her brother sitting in his wheelchair, giving her a strange look. “You did say to come today, right?” he said. “Or did I get the day wrong?”
Grace glanced at her watch as though the digital numbers would somehow make everything clear. She vaguely remembered telling Alec he could come during her lunch break, but had she meant today? Grace couldn’t remember. She shook her head, trying to clear it. “Sorry. I completely forgot.”
Alec raised an eyebrow. “Who did you think I was?”
“My thoughts exactly,” Cameron added.
Grace felt her face warm. She pushed her chair back and stood. “No one. Cameron just caught me off guard, that’s all.”
“Yeah right.” Cameron gave his head a shake, forcing his hair away from his eyes as he glanced at Alec. “I told her that her favorite patient was here, and she totally freaked out. So . . . if you’re not her favorite patient, who is?”
A slow smile spread across Alec’s face. “I think I have a pretty good idea.”
“Really? Who?” Cameron said.
Grace glared at her brother. “I don’t have a favorite patient,” she said firmly, turning her glare on Cameron. “Isn’t it your lunch break too? What are you still doing here?”
Once again, Cameron’s hands went up in surrender, as though worried she might attack. “Just being curious, that’s all. C’mon, I’ve got to know. Who is he?”
Grace brushed past him, glaring once more at Alec. “You’re going to be in some serious pain after I get through with you.”
“Can’t wait.” Alec grinned.
“Seriously?” Cameron said, trailing behind. “You’re just going to leave me hanging like that?”
“Yes,” Grace said, stopping next to the bench press. “Now go to lunch, will you? Isn’t Talia waiting for you?”
“Oh, right.” Cameron headed toward the door, giving her one last glance over his shoulder. “This isn’t over, you know. I will find out.”
Grace waited for the door to shut before breathing a sigh of relief. That is, until she caught Alec watching her. She frowned. “Don’t ask, because I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Good, because I don’t either,” he said. “The last thing I want to do is get caught in the middle of you and Seth.”
Grace felt like she was on the verge of going insane. For two days, she’d tossed and turned, fretted, and relived that kiss over and over again. And each time, all it did was churn her insides into something that felt like butterflies mixed with sour butter. If that wasn’t bad enough, her distraction was at an all-time high. She’d put milk in her pantry, dirty clothes in her dryer, and mixed up the name and workout of more than one patient over the past couple of days. That kiss had given “god of chaos” a whole new meaning.
Grace sank down on the bench and dropped her head to her hands. “He kissed me,” she blurted, unable to keep it inside any longer. “Why did he have to kiss me?”
Alec let out a groan. “I so did not want to hear that.”
“He’s my patient!” Grace said, sending a pleading look his way. She needed someone to listen to her, to make her see straight once again. “He’s always messing with me, always disorganizing my life, making me do things I don’t want to do and getting into my head. He’s charming and nice one minute and annoying and frustrating the next. I can’t live this way anymore!”
Alec’s eyes widened slightly before he let out a half snicker, half laugh. “Wow,” was all he said.
“’Wow’? Really? That’s it?” Surely Alec had something more intelligent to say.
Another snicker, and Alec shook his head. “Sorry, sis, but I’ve never seen you this way before. I mean, you’re so . . .” His palms turned up, indicating he’d come up empty.
Grace, on the other hand, had no problem describing what she was. “I’m a mess!”
He nodded. “That’s one way of saying it.”
Grace grabbed a hand towel and chucked it at her brother. “You’re no help at all.”
“What do you want me to do, go challenge Seth to a duel or something?”
“No.�
�� Grace rolled her eyes. “I want you to say something to make this crazy anxiety go away. I want Seth to cancel his appointments and find another physical therapist to pester. I want peace.”
Alec looked longingly at the bench press, as if he’d rather lift weights than talk about his sister’s love life. “If you don’t like him, just tell him.”
“That’s the problem. I do like him—too much!”
Alec’s gaze shot back to her. He blinked, then blinked some more, as if trying to make sense of something that didn’t make any sense at all. “Let me get this straight. You like Seth, he kissed you, which you probably also liked, and now you want him to go away? That makes zero sense.”
“He’s my patient!”
“So?”
“He’s also the egotistical god of chaos!”
“You lost me on that one.”
Grace stood and began pacing the room, grateful that everyone else was on their lunch break. It was bad enough that Alec was here, witnessing her mental breakdown. “Seth isn’t the committing type. He’s into fun and more fun and doesn’t understand what it means to be responsible. I mean, look at his career. He’s a part-time consultant who flits in and out of people’s lives like a mosquito.”
“Mosquito?”
“Yes! Like an annoying, pestering mosquito you just want to swat away.”
“But you said you like him.”
“I do! That’s the problem!”
“Then he’s not like a mosquito, because nobody likes mosquitoes.”
“What?” It was Grace’s turn to blink, which she did, over and over again as she stared at her brother. She really had no idea what she’d expected him to say, but definitely not that. Of course the mosquito comparison didn’t fit, but the last thing Grace was looking for was a lesson on metaphors. She needed advice. Good advice. Something she apparently wouldn’t get from her brother.
Grace wandered over to the window and looked out, placing her hands on her hips. The overcast sky contained a slew of bushy, dark clouds that promised rain—a perfect match to her mood.
“Listen,” said Alec, wheeling up beside her. “I’m sorry I haven’t been much help, but I honestly don’t know what to say. Have you considered talking all this over with Seth? I mean, if you tell him your concerns, maybe he’ll prove you wrong. From what I know of him, he seems like a pretty decent guy. Maybe you’ve misjudged him.”
“His name’s Seth. I haven’t misjudged him.”
“Oh, for the love of Pete,” said Alec. “Please don’t tell me you still judge the guys you date by a name they were given at birth—a name they had no control over. You, of all people.”
Grace faced him, her hands still on her hips. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means your name’s Grace—you know, merciful and forgiving?”
Grace frowned and turned back to the window. This conversation had totally backfired. Instead of Alec giving her a hug and telling her that everything would be okay, that Seth was the committing type who would never break her heart, she was being accused of judging him unfairly. Which maybe she was, but that was beside the point. Where was sibling loyalty? Compassion? Understanding?
“All I’m saying is that if you like Seth that much, you should at least give him a chance. What do you have to lose?”
“A lot, which you should already know.” Grace stared down at him. After Alec’s accident, his high-school girlfriend walked out of his life, leaving him alone to nurse both a broken body and a broken heart. Grace had always hated her for that.
Alec sighed. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. You do have a lot to lose, but not nearly as much as you could lose if you push Seth out of your life. Trust me on that one. After my accident, I was afraid that Allison would decide I wasn’t worth the effort, so I broke up with her before she got around to dumping me. I figured it would be easier than sitting around, waiting for that ball to drop. It’s probably one of the things I regret the most because I’ve always wondered ‘what if.’”
All this time Grace had thought Allison had been the one to walk away, when really it was her brother. She suddenly felt like a very bad judge of character. “But I thought—”
“I know.”
It was amazing how a few sentences—mere words—could completely change Grace’s perspective and settle the anxious butterflies in her stomach. Her brother was right. She really didn’t know how Seth would handle a relationship or if he was capable of signing up for the long haul. All she knew was that she missed him and wanted more.
Grace hugged her arms close as she studied her brother, allowing a small, sympathetic smile to touch her lips. “Ever thought of looking her up?”
“She’s married.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.” Her brother pushed his wheelchair toward the bench press. “Mind if we work out now? I promised Seth I’d meet him in an hour about that youth soccer league. He’s supposed to give us our assignments today.”
“Oh.” For whatever reason, Grace felt as though she’d found out about a party she hadn’t been invited to, which was ridiculous because Seth had invited her. She was the one who’d turned him down.
Well, no more. Alec was right. It was time to put her fears aside and give Seth a chance. From here on out, there would be no more turning Seth down or pushing him away.
“MACY, WRONG WAY! You’re goal is that way, remember?” Seth pointed to the opposite side of the field, ready to pull his hair out. Enough girls had signed up to form two teams, and since Owen, Garrett, and Brandon had insisted on coaching one of the three boys teams, the lot had fallen on Seth and Alec to take the girls—something he regretted now, especially since he wasn’t exactly happy with the female gender at the moment.
“Beth, only the goalie can pick up the ball. You have to use your feet.”
“But it hurts when I kick.”
“What?” Seth jogged over to inspect the little girl’s shoes. Although they looked old and worn out, he couldn’t see any reason why they’d hurt her. He let out a breath. “What makes them hurt?” he said with as much patience as he could muster.
Beth’s large green eyes dropped to her feet, and she clasped her hands behind her back. “They’re too tight.”
“Are you saying your shoes are too small?”
She nodded. “My mom doesn’t have money for new ones, so I have to wait until my cousin gives me her old shoes. But they’re always too small.”
Something hit Seth hard in the chest, melting away his frustration. He wanted to pry off Beth’s shoes, drive her to the nearest shoe store, and get her every shoe she liked in her size. How awful would it be to wear shoes that were too tight? The only time Seth had ever felt that was when he’d tried on the wrong size at the shoe store. He’d complained to his mom, and she immediately took them off and found him the right size.
Seth dropped down on his knee so he could look Beth in the eye. “What size are your feet?” he said gently.
“I don’t know.”
Seth pursed his lips in thought then stood and blew loudly on his whistle, gesturing for all the girls to come in, including the girls Alec was working with on the next field over. When they’d all surrounded him, Seth gave their shoes a quick perusal. Although some looked newer than others, each pair was worn and not in the best shape.
He raised his voice so all the girls could hear. “It’s come to my attention that I completely forgot to get your shoe sizes for your new soccer shoes.”
“We get new shoes?” Macy asked in hushed tones, as if Seth had just presented her with a dream trip to Disneyland. Only it wasn’t Disneyland. It was a pair of shoes.
He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Of course. If we’re going to be the best teams in the city, we’re going to need good shoes. Does anyone know what size shoe you wear?”
They stared at him blankly.
“Okay.” Seth glanced down at his clipboard that contained the practice schedules and permission slips he was supposed to give
out. He tugged the permission slips loose and started distributing them. “I’m going to need everyone to take off one shoe. Then I’ll come around with a pencil and trace your foot on the paper so I know what size you’re going to need. Okay?”
The girls grinned and nodded then dropped to the grass and started tugging off their shoes. For the remainder of practice, Seth traced each of their feet and made a mental note to ask Lanna for new permission slips. By the time the next practice rolled around, all of the kids would have both soccer shoes and a new pair of sneakers.
“You do know that those permission slips are for the girls to take to their parents, right?” Lanna’s voice intruded. “You’re not supposed to make footprints out of them.”
Alec snickered as Seth glanced up, squinting into the sun at Lanna. “Oh good, you’re here. We’re going to need some more permission slips.”
“Why, so you can make handprints, too?”
Seth shot her a half smile. “Something like that.”
“He’s getting soccer shoes for the kids and needed to know their size,” Alec said.
“Oh.” All humor left Lanna’s eyes as she searched Seth’s face. “Really?”
“It’s part of the uniform,” Seth explained.
She smiled and nodded her approval. “Well, yeah, of course. I can’t believe I forgot about that.” She turned her attention to Alec and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Lanna. I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Alec,” he said, shaking her hand. “I’m the guy who thinks he can teach these girls how to play soccer by explanation rather than demonstration.”
“Whatever,” said Seth. “He duct-taped shoes to sticks so he could teach the girls how to kick the right way.”
Her smile widened. “I can’t wait to see that. Thanks for being here.”
“No problem.”
Seth finished tracing the last foot then stood and patted the pages of footprints together. “I think that’s it for today, girls,” he announced. A few parents had shown up to collect their kids, so he wandered over to give them the schedule for the practices and games. The rest he distributed to the girls who planned to ride their bikes home or walk, making them promise to give it to a parent.
Working It Out (A Romantic Comedy) Page 12