On the Mend (Carolina Waves Series Book 1)

by Tina Gallagher

  “I love them,” I answered truthfully, securing her braid with a purple holder.

  “So does Daddy.” Lexi turned around to face me, her green eyes dancing. “Maybe we can all go to Thunder Mountain together. They have the best rollercoasters.”

  “It’s gonna be a while before your dad can go on a rollercoaster.”

  “Oh yeah. I forgot.” Some of her enthusiasm faded for a second before she thought up another uncomfortable topic of conversation and it rekindled. “You used to be Daddy’s girlfriend.”

  Although she said it more as a statement than a question, I answered her anyway, hoping that would end the conversation. “Yes.”

  “How long were you his girlfriend for?”

  I nearly groaned in frustration. “About two years.”

  “Two years!” she shouted and hopped on her knees. “That’s an awful long time.”

  I shrugged. “I guess so.”

  “Why aren’t you his girlfriend anymore?”

  Because your father was a lying, cheating scumbag.

  “Well, that’s a tough one,” I said instead. “We just kind of broke up. He was graduating and going off to play ball and since I was a physical therapy major, I had another year of school.” I trailed off there, hoping she’d let it go.

  “You coulda gone with him. Uncle Jack’s girlfriends go with him all the time.”

  No such luck.

  I didn’t want to get into a discussion about Uncle Jack…whoever he may be…and his girlfriends, so I simply said, “Things were different then. Besides, I was still in school. I couldn’t go anywhere.”

  “Don’t you think my dad is cute?” Before I could answer, she added, “All my friends do.”

  “Yes, he’s cute,” I answered, hoping once again, to put an end to the conversation.

  Lexi opened her mouth to speak but three sharp knocks on the doorframe stopped her. She leapt off the bed and opened the door wide. “Daddy, how do you like my hair?”

  “It’s great. Are you all ready to go?” Lexi bobbed her head up and down. “Good, ‘cause I saw Cindy and her mom pulling into the driveway.” As if he had it timed, the doorbell rang signaling Cindy’s arrival. “There they are. Grab your gear and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  “I’m sorry I overslept, Dan. I’ll meet you downstairs in a half hour.”

  “No problem.” His eyes made a lazy tour down then back up my body. “Nice jammies.”

  His intimate tone, not to mention the appreciative look in his eyes made my heart beat double time.

  “I’ll meet you downstairs,” I said sternly and backed him out the door. Lexi came bounding out of her room. I wished her a good time before stepping into my room and closing the door.

  One nice thing about working with a single patient is that getting a late start doesn’t disrupt an entire day’s worth of appointments. Essentially, I’m at Dan’s disposal twenty-four-seven and since Lexi’s gone, Dan is free all day.

  Our first workout of the day is going remarkably well despite its late start. Dan really is giving it his all and I have no doubt in my mind he’ll be one hundred percent for spring training next year. His pain level is still relatively high, but I’ve seen a big improvement in his range of motion in the month we’ve been working together. I was telling him that very thing while I iced his knee.

  “When can I stop wearing this thing?” he asked, pointing to his brace.

  “I’d say not for a while, but you’ll have to ask your doctor.”

  He grunted in response, but otherwise remained silent. I felt his hot gaze on the back of my head, but chose to ignore it…well, ignore it as much as I could.

  “There you go,” I said when the ice melted down to the end of the Styrofoam cup it was encased in. “All done.”

  I made the mistake of looking at him. His eyes glowed with a hint of amusement…and something more.

  My face grew hot and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. He took my hand in his and rubbed his thumb slowly across my knuckles. His eyes dropped to our co-joined hands and for a moment I thought he was going to raise my hand to his lips, but he didn’t. His gaze met mine again and he smiled.

  “I just wanted to let you know that I think you’re cute too.”

  I felt all the blood drain from my face in a rush and my over-heated skin froze like the ice I still held in my hand. My mortification was obvious and Dan spoke again in what I’m sure was an attempt to make me feel better. But the fact of the matter is, no matter what he says, I’ll still feel like an idiot.

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t eavesdropping, but I overheard part of your conversation with Lexi.” He looked at me for the space of several heartbeats before he continued. In that short space of time, I couldn’t help but wonder just how much of the conversation he’d heard.

  “I want to apologize for Lexi and I promise I’ll talk to her. She shouldn’t be asking you things like that and backing you into a corner like she did.”

  “Did you hear the entire conversation?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not sure how much I missed. The first thing I heard was why we’re not together anymore.”

  “That was about midpoint.” I walked around picking up towels, putting things away. Even from halfway across the room, I felt his gaze pull at me. How can I be so attracted to a man whose core values are the exact opposite of mine? Somewhere deep inside I must be warped.

  “Did I miss anything important?” he asked.

  “No, I don’t think so. She just kind of verified that we, uh, dated in college.”

  I walked back over to him to place his brace back on his leg. I know he’s quite capable of doing it himself, but I’m more accomplished at the task and always do it for my patients. That way, I’m assured it’s on properly.

  “We did more than date, Bri. We were practically engaged.”

  I held back the snort of laughter that was just dying to be released along with at least a dozen seething replies. Dan and I have been getting along well and I don’t want to upset the peace. I didn’t want to continue this line of conversation and told him so. He looked like he was going to argue, but then relaxed his posture.

  “Just one more question,” he said.

  I ran my fingers through my hair and looked at the ceiling. “What?”

  “How did she know about us?”

  “I don’t have a clue, but she did know. When she said ‘you used to be Daddy’s girlfriend’, it was a statement, not a question.” I shrugged. “I figured you told her.”

  He shook his head and pinched his bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger. “No, I never told her.”

  “Then, I don’t know.” That said, I felt the subject was closed. “Okay, I’ll see you around three?”

  He nodded but continued to look confused. I took the opportunity to make my way out of the room.

  “Bri.” His voice stopped me in my tracks, but I didn’t turn around. “Thanks for not making me sound like a jerk.”

  I didn’t know what he was talking about and turned around and told him so.

  “When Lexi asked you why we broke up.” He shrugged. “Instead of telling her what an idiot I was, you just told her we were going in different directions. I appreciate that. I really don’t want her to know how I used to be.”

  I tuned out that last part. I don’t want to hear all about how he’s changed. “You’re welcome.”

  I turned on my heel and left the room.

  Dan

  I hobbled out to the pool, cursing the entire way. This damn brace is driving me crazy. If my career didn’t depend on my leg making a full recovery, I would have taken it off weeks ago.

  Dropping into a lounge chair, I grabbed the pillow from the chair next to me and propped it under my knee. Settling back, I took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. These sessions are getting a little easier, but still hurt like hell. But at least the pain makes me feel like I’m making some kind of progress. It also helps distract me from my attraction to
Sabrina. Otherwise, I’d be sporting wood every minute we’re together.

  Before I could think about that too much, my phone rang.

  “Hey Dan, it’s Chris.”

  “Everything ok?”

  She chuckled. “Lexi is fine. But I ran into some friends who are camping nearby. They invited us to their site for dinner and to roast marshmallows later. I was wondering if Lexi could sleep over tonight since we’ll be getting back pretty late.”

  “Oh, sure,” I said. “As long as she’s up for it.”

  “They’re both really excited.”

  “Do you need me to drop anything off for her?”

  “No, she has a toothbrush at the house and she can borrow something of Cindy’s to wear.”

  “Sounds like she’s all set.”

  “Yep, we’re good. I’ll have her give you a call later.”

  “Thanks Chris.”

  I disconnected and dragged my fingers through my hair and closed my eyes.

  “Hey, you busy?”

  Jeff blocked the sun from my face as I heard his voice.

  “Yeah, can’t you tell?”

  “I have some papers for you to sign. Do you want to do it here or inside?”

  “Are there a lot?”

  “About ten.”

  I sighed. “Inside, I guess. It’s easier.”

  We made our way to Jeff’s office and he gestured for me to sit in the chair behind the desk. Jeff produced a folder and set two papers in front of me before starting to explain what I was signing.

  I held my hand up to stop him.

  “Just tell me where to sign. I don’t need to know the details.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously. You’re moving money around, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s all I need to know. The rest is Greek to me.”

  I spent the next few minutes signing and initialing where Jeff pointed. When I was done, Jeff put the papers back in the folder and placed it on the desk.

  “You know, you should pay more attention to these things,” he said.

  “I used to and it hurt my head,” I said. “Thankfully, I have you for that now and based on the bottom line, I’d say you’re doing a good job.”

  “I could break things down for you.”

  “Nope, I’m good.”

  “I just don’t want you to think—”

  “Jeff, you’re the expert at this. I wouldn’t ask you to understand how to do what I do.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, like that’s so difficult.”

  “You know, I can kick your ass, even with this brace on.”

  “No need for that.” He held his hands up in mock surrender.

  “Thank God.” I chuckled. “Are we done here?”

  “Yep.”

  I grabbed my crutch and stood.

  “I have to find Mrs. Evans and let her know it’s just Sabrina and me for dinner tonight.”

  “How come?”

  “Lexi is sleeping at Cindy’s and you’re out.”

  “Why don’t you give Mrs. Evans the night off and take Sabrina out?”

  “Huh?” I caught the edge of the chair with my crutch and stumbled. I righted myself and said, “Seriously?”

  “Why not? You both have to eat and she has been friendlier toward you lately.”

  “I don’t know.” I rubbed my forehead.

  “What’s your plan?”

  “For what?”

  Jeff rolled his eyes. “For getting Sabrina back.”

  “I don’t really have one.”

  “You got her here. Now you gotta take your shot and your time’s running out. She’ll be gone before you know it and then what will you do?”

  “I’ve been trying not to think about that,” I mumbled.

  “Ask her out to dinner and take it from there.” He chuckled. “And I can’t believe I have to coach you through this. You’re the ladies’ man, not me.”

  “That’s not really going to help me here.”

  “Tell Mrs. Evans you won’t need dinner, then go work your magic.”

  “I guess I could.” I shrugged the crutch back into place under my arm. “We both have to eat.”

  “Try to sound a little more enthusiastic when you ask her,” Jeff said. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks man, I’m probably gonna need it.”

  9

  Sabrina

  I closed the book I was supposed to be reading and rested it on my knees. For nearly two hours I sat perched on the window seat, book in hand, staring at the words on the page, but not reading any of them. The only words filling my head were Dan’s.

  No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t put them out of my mind. Not only the words, but the manner in which he said them. He actually looked sorry and slightly embarrassed. That’s more than I got when I confronted him ten years ago. Back then he’d been a bit cocky and not the least bit apologetic.

  Is he really sorry, or is it just an act?

  Should I even care?

  No, I shouldn’t.

  Do I care?

  Unfortunately, and totally against my will, I do.

  But why? Why after all these years do I care whether or not Dan is sorry?

  If I’m being totally honest with myself, the answer to that last question is because he’s the first boy I ever loved…truly loved, not just had some schoolgirl crush on. There wasn’t anyone before him and there sure as hell hasn’t been anyone since. No one who matters anyway.

  Let’s face it. Dan has left some sort of indelible mark on me that I can’t erase. Subconsciously, I’ve compared every man I’ve dated since college to him. And sad to say, not one has measured up.

  I flopped down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. As depressing as my thoughts are, they’re one hundred percent true. Instead of blocking all these facts out, I’ve decided that I better face them if I’m going to be strong. Face things with my eyes open, as they say. Dan has been making subtle moves on me all week and I’m determined to not fall for his charming smiles and sweet words. I can’t risk it.

  My watch alarm chirped signaling that it was time for Dan’s next therapy session. Time to face him again. I got off the bed and headed for the door. With every step I took toward the gym, I steeled myself against him.

  I can do this.

  I gave myself a pep talk all the way through the house, to the gym. Three more weeks, four at the most and I’ll be gone…five on the outside. At any rate, this is only temporary. Soon I’ll be able to leave and pick up my life right where I left off, a bit richer in the process.

  The partnership I’ll obtain upon my return to the clinic will definitely put me into a new tax bracket. But it’s not just the money, it’s the satisfaction of reaching my goal that’s spurring me on. In the end, it will all be worth it. Before long, this time with Dan will be a distant memory, but the partnership will last forever, or at least until I die. I just have to keep my focus.

  When I stepped into the gym, my jaw nearly hit the floor. I kept my focus all right. I focused right onto Dan’s bare chest and bulging biceps as he curled hand weights. I have to admit that, despite his various flaws, Dan is one fine specimen of manhood.

  Being a physical therapist, I’ve seen all sizes and shapes of men in various states of undress and haven’t batted an eye. And as I look at Dan, I still haven’t batted an eye, because I haven’t blinked once.

  His back and shoulders are broad and I find myself fascinated as his muscles flex and relax with his movements. The angle he’s sitting at also gives me a view of his magnificent chest and six-pack abs, which are covered with tawny hair that disappears in a straight line into his gym shorts. That line is like an arrow directing my eyes to his shorts and what lies within them.

  I had just dragged my gaze from the area of his anatomy that I have no business staring at when Dan noticed my presence. He turned his head so quickly in my direction, I couldn’t help but wonder if he felt my eyes on him the entire time. I covered my emba
rrassment with hostility.

  “Don’t you know that you should never lift weights without a spot?” I marched toward him.

  He actually looked amused, which pissed me off even more.

  “I think I’ve heard that somewhere before.” He lifted the weights into my line of vision. “But as you can see, these are only twenty pounds each, so unless I accidentally bash myself in the head with them, I think I’m safe.”

  What he was saying was true, but I didn’t want to admit it, so I ignored the statement entirely. I retrieved a Styrofoam ice cup from the freezer and prepared to get down to business.

  Kneeling beside him, I removed his brace, and iced his knee. As I did so, I explained a few slight alterations I made to his routine. “If it’s too much, let me know. I don’t want you to push yourself too hard.”

  “Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?”

  His abrupt change of subject, as well as his question, threw me off guard. “What?”

  “Would you like to go out to dinner tonight?” he repeated in an overly patient tone.

  “Oh.” I stood and wiped my hands on a towel. “I don’t think so.”

  Annoyance, then determination shone in his eyes. “Come on, Bri. Except for Lexi’s practice, neither one of us has left this house. Jeff has a date and I told Mrs. Evans she could go home since Lexi isn’t here.” He flashed a smile that lit up his whole face. “So it’s just you and me.”

  I thought about that for a minute. Since I can’t boil water without scorching it and the last time I’d seen Dan cook, he burned the food way past the point of recognition, we’d probably have to order out anyway. And, given a choice, I’d rather eat somewhere in public with him than at home alone…it’s definitely the lesser of two evils.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  I laughed out loud at his shocked expression. Apparently he thought he was really going to have to turn on the charm to persuade me.

  “Great.”

  “But first we have to finish your workout.”

  “Right.”

  “That’s why I’m here, you know. To get you all better,” I reminded him, lifting his foot and moving his leg in a series of pre-workout warm-ups. He flinched as I held his heel and rotated it from side to side.