Her Texas Family (3 page)

He faced her again. “I need to help Hunter.” Plus, he needed to finish this appointment in time to grab Mattie from school so she didn't have to ride the bus. He knew she didn't like it, though she rarely complained. His daughter seemed to think it was her job to take care of him instead of his job to protect her.

“But I—” Lucy had finally found her voice. “I wasn't—”

“We'll talk about this later.”

Without letting her finish, Graham turned and walked down the hall. Exasperation snaked under his collar, mixed with a faint touch of guilt for being so short with Lucy. He paused outside the door to exam room two, loosening the knot of his tie. Somehow, he needed to get his mind out of the fog that had descended on him this morning.

For being a Tuesday, today definitely felt like a Monday.

Nothing was going according to plan. First, he'd wanted a qualified person to fill in for Hollie. Instead, he'd got Lucy. He'd known after their conversation Sunday night that Lucy didn't have any experience working in a medical office. Her résumé sounded like an audition for a Broadway show. Yet he'd been desperate. And he knew she was, too. That, coupled with the pressure from Olivia, had prompted him to give working with Lucy a shot.

No pun intended.

The morning had been crazy busy, and Graham hadn't really had time to observe Lucy. Except for the time he'd found her dancing in her chair, their close encounter by the charts...and then finding her and Hunter behind the desk together.

The unprofessional nature of what he'd seen grated. Graham had the niggling sense that he was missing some piece of the puzzle with Lucy. When he'd questioned her about previous employment on Sunday night, Lucy had been vague. She'd mentioned working at a dance school back in Colorado. Until...what? She hadn't really said why she'd left. Only something about a “difference of opinion” with the owners of the studio. Now he wondered if there was more to the story. Had she been unprofessional there? What had gone on between them?

It was obviously something he needed to figure out. Along with whether he'd made a bad choice in hiring her. Did he need to let her go already?

The thought came with an underlying sense of relief.

Why?

Graham didn't want to go anywhere near the answer to that question, because if he did, he'd have to analyze the fact that Lucy Grayson flustered him. She was...young. Flighty. And entirely too beautiful for her own good.

If Brooke were still alive, she'd never be okay with someone like Lucy working in his front office. Graham wouldn't be, either. But Brooke was gone. And Graham should be able to have a receptionist without thinking of her as anything but that.

Only, seeing Lucy in Hunter's arms...something had sparked in Graham that he hadn't expected. A sense of jealousy. Where had it come from? He didn't know. Nor did he want to explore it.

Lucy might be a good fill-in for Hollie on maternity leave, or she might not. The jury on that was still out. But as for any attraction Graham felt for the young woman?

That, he knew his answer to. He'd already had the love of his life. Dating, marriage, love...those things weren't for him. Which meant attraction to his off-limits receptionist wasn't an option.

Chapter Three

L
ucy pushed out the doors of the medical office and screamed up at the mocking bright blue sky.
Oh, my.
Her heartbeats settled from outraged racing to annoyed drumming. That scream had felt good. She'd like to indulge in one more—this time in Graham's presence. But he was still dealing with Hunter.

After Graham had headed down the hall, Lucy stayed until it was time to turn the phones over to the answering service. Then she'd waved goodbye to Danielle—who probably thought she was just ducking out to grab something for lunch—and headed outside.

She didn't want to leave the only real job option she had in this town, but Lucy knew better than to let someone treat her the way Graham just had. His accusations had stolen the air from her lungs and the words from her mouth.

She and Hunter had been totally innocent in that situation, yet Graham assumed the worst.

Lucy didn't like thinking a person was one thing and then finding out they were something completely different. At least with Graham she'd found out right away.

Unlike before.

Words spoken about her years earlier tumbled back. She could still hear Nate talking to his best friend, still picture his arrogant behavior.

After that, she's all yours.

Indignation flared at the memory. Lucy had vowed never to let someone treat her with such disrespect again. Her independent, take-care-of-herself streak had started growing the day she'd overheard Nate, and it hadn't slowed since.

Which meant she couldn't stay working for Graham. Not if that was what he thought of her. Not if that was how he planned to treat her.

She
should
feel relieved leaving. Instead, pinpricks of disappointment riddled her skin.

She needed this job. Too bad Graham had reacted the way he had. Lucy could see now he'd never really given her a chance. He'd thrown her into the position with hardly any training and then he'd jumped to conclusions.

It wasn't as though working as a receptionist in a medical office would end up on her Pinterest board for dream work. If Lucy let herself travel down that road, she'd wish her way into owning a dance school she could run under her own philosophy. But that option wasn't on the horizon.

Lucy paused near her car as a school bus pulled up to the parking lot. The door opened and Mattie got off, clutching some things to her chest.

Hadn't Graham said he was going to pick her up?

The bus pulled away, and Mattie dropped the items she'd been holding on to the grass between the sidewalk and the parking lot.

Lucy approached. “Hi, Mattie Grace.”

The little girl glanced up, shoving her glasses to the bridge of her nose. “Hi, Lucy.” One shoe was untied, but the rest of her looked perfectly put together. A bright, white shirt without a mark on it—something Lucy could rarely boast of accomplishing—a jean skirt, light-up tennis shoes and a pink fleece sweatshirt. The sight made Lucy realize she'd forgotten her jacket inside.

Double drat.
Maybe she could live without it. After all, the weather in Texas was warmer than Colorado.

“What's going on with your lunch?” Mattie's pink-and-purple lunch box was open, leftover contents and containers spread on the ground. Lucy knelt, helping her put the items back inside.

“One of the boys kicked my lunch box on the bus and everything fell out.”

At Mattie's quiet explanation, Lucy's outrage spiked a few degrees. “Sounds like I should pay a visit to your school bus tomorrow.”

The girl's smile was like the sun coming out from behind clouds. “It's okay. He doesn't bug me very often. My dad said he was going to pick me up so I didn't have to ride the bus today, but he must have forgot.”

Oh, be still her heart. No matter how much Lucy didn't like Graham right now, she knew he'd never forget Mattie. “I don't think he forgot, sweetie. I think he just had a busy morning.”

Lucy barely resisted scooping the girl up in a big hug. They closed the lunch box and stood, slipping it into Mattie's backpack.

After Graham and Mattie had left the other night, Olivia had told Lucy that Graham's wife had passed away from cystic fibrosis at a young age—only in her twenties. Since then, it sounded like Graham pretty much worked and took care of Mattie.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, Graham came out of the office and jogged to his car, the
beep-beep
from his key fob interrupting the quiet. Since he was parked on the other side of the building, he didn't notice them.

Lucy and Mattie shared a grin. “Told you he didn't forget. Think we should stop him or let him go?”

“Let him go.”

Lucy laughed. “I'm not sure whether to be impressed or shocked.”

That earned her a giggle.

The thought was tempting. A trip to school and subsequent freak-out would serve Graham right. Smothering her impulse to let him suffer a bit, Lucy called out to him across the lot. He looked in their direction, shoulders sagging when he saw Mattie.

Since his adorable daughter was standing next to her, Lucy would figure out how to talk to Graham in a civilized manner. She would put on her maturity cape—at least, until no little ears were listening—and if she could manage it, beyond that.

He came over, dropped in front of his daughter and pulled her into a hug. Lucy ignored the tug on her heart.
I will not like Graham. I will not soften toward him.
When Graham buried his face in Mattie's hair and inhaled as if he wouldn't live another second without smelling her, Lucy lost the battle. The chant wasn't working.

“Did you take the bus?”

Mattie nodded.

“Why didn't you wait? I told you I'd come get you.”

“It's okay, Dad. I didn't mind.”

Graham ran a hand through his hair, causing the dark locks to stick out in every direction and reminding Lucy of a young boy. She skipped over the thought, concentrating instead on the irritation she'd felt inside the office minutes ago.

“Next time, just wait for me, okay?”

The small shrug told Lucy Mattie's answer was far more of a “we'll see” than a “yes.” Lucy liked the girl more and more by the moment. If only Mattie didn't have that look marring her features. Lucy couldn't figure out if she was sad or serious or both.

“Why don't you go inside and find Danielle?” Graham spoke to Mattie. “I'll be in in a sec.”

“Okay. 'Bye, Ms. Lucy.”

So they'd gone formal. Lucy offered Mattie a fist bump, which she answered with a small nudge.

Graham watched Mattie go inside before facing Lucy. She fought the temptation to squirm, knowing she hadn't done anything wrong. It might have looked strange to find Hunter behind her desk, but Graham could have given her the benefit of the doubt. He could have let her explain.

Instead, he thought she was so unprofessional that she'd throw herself at one of his patients.

Lucy sent up an SOS prayer that she'd be able to talk to Graham in a mature manner and that God would show her how to handle this conversation. After Graham had walked away from her inside, Lucy hadn't even considered asking God for guidance. She'd just followed her instincts. She was horrible at remembering to pray for help, usually barreling forward without stopping to think. Certainly without stopping to pray.

But in this situation, Lucy needed all of the direction she could get. Because not only was she at a loss for what to do if this job didn't work out, she'd never been very good at keeping her thoughts to herself.

* * *

When Graham had realized Lucy was no longer inside the office, he'd wondered if she'd just left to grab some lunch...or if she'd taken off, never planning to return. After the way he'd acted, Graham wouldn't blame her if she had bolted.

Hunter had told Graham what had happened and why he'd been behind Lucy's desk. A very simple explanation. If only the sight hadn't sent Graham into thinking the worst.

He'd jumped to conclusions and been a jerk. Now he was going to have to grovel. The thought almost tugged a smile from his lips. He hadn't groveled in ages—not since Brooke. Though, even then, it had been more in teasing. They'd had a good relationship, not the constant back-and-forth bickering that some couples were prone to. Which was exactly why Graham didn't expect to have anything like it again.

But he did have a bit of experience in apologizing. What husband didn't?

“About earlier.”

She crossed her arms, gaze defiant.

“I'm sorry for my reaction. I was short with you and I jumped to conclusions.”

When she opened her mouth, he braced for her to be angry with him. Instead, like a slowly deflating balloon, her shoulders lowered. “Okay.”

Not exactly accepting his apology, but he'd take it for now.

On to the second order of business. Before he asked her to stay, Graham needed to know what had transpired at her old job. But he had the feeling she wasn't going to like his prying. “Lucy, what happened at the dance school you worked at in Colorado?”

“I don't want to talk about it.” She mumbled a word that sounded a lot like
mature
. After fidgeting with the collar of her green dress, she let loose a frustrated exhalation. “Why do you want to know?”

“If you're going to be working here, and I'm going to trust you, I need to know.”

“But I'm not—” Her sigh scattered across the parking lot. “Fine. It's not like I did anything bad there. I worked at the same school for years and loved it, but when they sold to new owners, we couldn't get along.”

“Why not?”

A man could spend years deciphering the emotions that flickered through her gorgeous blue eyes. Graham focused on her mouth instead, but that didn't help. Her lips pressed together, broadcasting frustration with his questions.

“They were so into the correct dance positions, they were cruel. I mean, I get that they wanted to win competitions. What school doesn't? But they pushed too far. They were way too strict on all of the age groups, but especially the beginner's classes. Those little girls are there to learn to love dance, not to do a perfect plié at age four.”

“That's it?”

“Um, kind of.”

“Lucy.”

“I confronted them about it, asking them to change the way they were treating the students. It didn't go over well. They said I didn't have the right attitude to be one of their teachers. That's when I knew I couldn't continue working there, so I packed up and moved.”

Huh. Graham had thought there might be a skeleton in her closet. Instead, she'd been a defender for the young girls in her classes. Wouldn't he want someone to do the same for Mattie if she were in a class like that? He'd definitely had Lucy pegged as something she wasn't.

This woman surprised him. And Graham wanted her to stay working for him. In one morning, she'd accomplished more than any of the temps. His patients even liked her, and they reacted to change as though he was trying to personally offend them.

“Lucy, will you consider coming back to work?”

She rubbed her arms. “I'm not a huge fan of yours right now.”

“I'm not a huge fan of myself right now.”

Those lips curved ever so slightly. “You know, I wasn't doing anything inappropriate with Hunter. I'd been standing on the chair—”

“I know. He told me. I overreacted.”
And seeing his hands on you
...hadn't bothered Graham in the least. Lucy was too young for him to be thinking about her in that way. Plus, besides his other list of reasons, she was his employee.
Possibly
his employee.

“I'll get a stool.”

Her head tilted, loose curls cascading over her right shoulder as she studied him. “Why do you want me to stay, anyway?”

“You dealt with this morning's chaos better than the temps I've had in, and they had experience. All I've heard today is how delighted everyone is with you.”

Lucy's eyes narrowed. “But I didn't get anything done this morning but handling the phone.”

“But you did handle it.”

She didn't look convinced, but at least she wasn't running for her car. “I'm not exactly qualified for this position.” Her hand flew through her hair with agitation, sending the locks bouncing. One finger pointed at him. “You can't just throw me into a medical office and expect me to have a clue what I'm doing. You have to give me some time to adjust and figure things out.”

“I—”

“And you have to at least try to like me. I'm not asking you to fall in love with me—” Good to know since
that
definitely wasn't on Graham's to-do list. “But you could at least make an attempt to get along. People don't usually have such a hard time with me.”

That was exactly what he was afraid of. Lucy had this energy, this essence that just attracted people to her. Graham felt the tug, too, though he didn't plan to pursue anything more than a work relationship. A friendly work relationship. That he could handle.

“I accept your terms.”

“Really? You're not just saying that?”

He raised his right hand. “I pledge to not be a jerk.” He winced. “I'll do my best. And I really mean what I'm saying.”

Lucy's eyes began to twinkle. “Do you think we can get one purse a month thrown into my salary?”

“No.”

“How about one for the whole of Hollie's maternity leave?”

“No.” His lips twitched.

“We could call it a briefcase, make it a business expense.”

“Lucy.” He groaned. What was he going to do with this woman? He wasn't sure whether to laugh or run in the other direction.

Her shoulders inched up. “I would try to keep bargaining for more, but we both know I'm not that valuable of a commodity. I don't want to ruin my chances.”