Road to Recovery (11 page)

Her face started to flush. His eyes
sparkled. “No problem. You can bump into me anytime you want.”
Resting his hands on her hips, he watched her shiver, then adjusted
her body to give him some room.

Once they were in his Range Rover,
Lucas put the car in gear. “Which mall?”

She drew her eyebrows together. “What
do you mean?”

“
There are two malls in
Albany,” he stated. “Didn’t you know that?”

“
Oh. No, sorry, guess I
haven’t gotten out much. I was planning on going to the one on
Western Avenue. Not sure if it has a name or not.”

Backing out of her driveway with one
hand on the wheel, the other on the armrest between them, he simply
replied, “Yes, it has a name. Crossgates Mall.”

“
Any special store you want
to start at?” he asked a few minutes later when he pulled off the
exit ramp.

“
No, no plans. Park wherever
you like. I’ve got all day.”

***

A few hours later though, Brooke
started to feel the telltale twinges in her thigh and lower back.
She wasn’t accustomed to the long period of time on her feet. At
least she’d planned ahead and wore comfortable flats.

Aside from her soreness, she was having
a great time. She’d never had so much fun shopping before. Shopping
was serious business to her. But today she laughed more than she
had in a long time. And Lucas actually seemed to be enjoying
himself as much as her. As reluctant as she was to stop, she really
needed to sit down soon.

She wasn’t sure how he talked her into
buying so many things. Maybe it was his charm, or her willingness
to please him. Which she sincerely hoped wasn’t the case, since
that would have validated her mother’s upbringing.

But he had looked so cute and funny
pointing out pieces in the windows telling her how that particular
color would look great with her eyes, or how that dress reminded
him of her at work. At one point he picked out a bright purple
shirt in a women’s store and said, “I love that color, but it would
look shocking on me.” She knew it was all good-natured flirting,
and maybe she was a sucker, but she couldn’t help
herself.

Besides, she loved shopping and it was
as good an excuse as any to buy a few new things. At least that was
what she told herself every time she pulled out her credit
card.

The only awkward moment came when they
passed by a popular lingerie shop and he tried to pull the “that
would look better on you than it would me” while he pointed to the
window with a devilish grin. She grinned back, ignored him, and
kept walking. She actually had a moment of panic when she thought
he was going to grab her hand and pull her in there as he had to
other stores.

Secretly she had hoped he would do just
that, but in the end realized it was for the best. She’d never let
a man pick out lingerie before, and she wasn’t about to start now.
And definitely not with someone she was barely dating, if they
could even call it that.

“
Are you okay?” he asked a
few minutes later.

“
Yes, why?”

“
Well, it looks like you’re
limping a bit. Maybe you should have worn more comfortable shoes or
something. Even though you look great to me.”

She had been concentrating so much on
blocking out the pain that she didn’t even realize she was limping.
“I’m fine, just starving.” She tried to change the subject. “Why
don’t we grab a bite to eat? The lunch crowd has thinned
out.”

She could see him processing what she
said. He debated for a second, then agreed. They mutually decided
on one of the restaurants in the mall over the food
court.

They were seated at their table, with
drinks ordered and menus in their hands, when she stated, “I have
to say I was a bit nervous about you tagging along with me today. I
didn’t know what to expect. You hear all these stories of how men
hate shopping unless it’s for electronics or sporting
equipment.”

Lucas glanced up from his menu, the
laugh lines crinkling around his eyes. “How many men have you
shopped with in order to form that opinion?”

“
None,” she replied
honestly, feeling shy all of a sudden.

Brooke was thankful the small talk
continued until their lunches arrived. He was so easy to talk to.
There never seemed to be any lapse in conversation. They moved from
one topic to another with ease, a flow she had never seemed to
accomplish with anyone else. Then again, she had never known anyone
quite like Lucas.

“
I don’t think I’ve ever
smiled this much in one day. And that sounded pathetic, didn’t it?”
she added when she saw him lift an eyebrow at her. “Anyway, I meant
I’m having fun. It’s been a good day.”

His eyebrow returned to normal, but his
smile was bright. “Good. Hope I can keep it up. Making you smile,
that is.”

Before she could respond, she felt the
muscle in her thigh tighten and knot painfully. Wincing, without
thought, she brought her hand to her thigh to apply a bit of
pressure. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled, forcing her body to
relax rather than tense, which was always her first
instinct.

“
Seriously, what’s going on,
Brooke? Don’t try to blow it off either.”

She knew there was no way to avoid it
at this point, and it was best if he knew beforehand. Because if
things continued the way they were going, he would find out soon
enough. It was hard to hide those kinds of scars when
intimate.

“
It’s nothing really. Just
an injury that is still pretty fresh. I’m not used to being on my
feet for as long as I was today. It’s just a cramp,” she added
hastily, hoping that would satisfy him.

“
What kind of
injury?”

Guess not, she thought. She sighed,
tried to play it down like always. “I was in a car accident last
year, ended up with a few injuries that required surgery, but I’m
good now. Only some nagging muscle aches and pains.”

Lucas didn’t look like he was buying
her attempt to downplay it. He sat up straighter and looked at her
face, which she knew was most likely white from the sharp pain.
“Surgery, where? More than one, I’m guessing?”

Realizing there was no way out, she
opted to give him just enough information for now, hoping it would
appease him and they could drop it. She hated talking about it.
“Four surgeries, two on my leg, two on my back. I shattered my
femur, and I had a few vertebrae fused together in my lower back.”
When she saw his look of sympathy, exactly what she was hoping to
avoid, she added, “But it’s all good now.”

“
Aw, baby, why didn’t you
say something? We could have stopped a while ago.”

She was momentarily shocked by what he
called her. Even though it caused her heart to race and her skin to
tingle, a totally new experience for her. She wasn’t sure she had
ever felt that way with another person. She drew herself together.
“Because it’s not something you just say. Oh, by the way, I’m
recovering from a car accident. I had surgery on my leg and back.
So how are you doing? Stupid, right? I don’t hide it, but I don’t
announce it, either. I wasn’t trying to hide it, and I would have
told you. I would have before...”

“
Before what?” he prompted,
when she stopped mid sentence and looked across the
restaurant.

The pink color started at her chest and
moved quickly up her neck and face, making the white of her shirt
seem even brighter.

“
Oh,” he said with a grin.
“Yeah, probably would have been smart to tell me before I saw you
naked. I know I would have been focused on other things, but pretty
sure that wouldn’t have slipped by me.”

“
Yeah,” she replied,
shifting in her seat, her eyes darting anywhere but his face. “It’s
not very pretty looking. But not much I can do about it either. I’m
lucky and I know it, so I’m thankful too.”

She wasn’t sure if she was happy it was
out there, or annoyed that he was assuming he was going to be
seeing her naked eventually. Then again, she knew it was going to
happen anyway, so she might as well be relieved it was out in the
open.

Thankfully, the waitress placed the
check in the middle of the table, giving Brooke a chance to take
the attention off of her injuries. She turned to pull her wallet
from her purse when his voice stopped her. “I’ve got this.” He
pulled out his credit card. “Call me old school, but I’ve never let
a woman pay for a meal and I never will. It’s bad enough you bought
all those clothes today, even though I felt like you wouldn’t have
if I didn’t point half of them out.”

He slid his card into the billfold for
the waitress and set it on the edge of the table. “I didn’t do it
with the intention of you spending money. I was hoping to get you
something today.”

Brooke was flustered. She hadn’t been
trying to insult him, but he had looked annoyed when she reached in
her purse. “I’m not comfortable with you buying things for me, or
anyone for that matter. I can take care of myself. And besides, we
haven’t known each other long enough for you to be buying me
clothes. That seems too...intimate.”

He laughed at her, reached over and
patted her hand. “Intimate would have been you letting me buy you
that ivory bra and panty set I saw in the window, not a dress that
I commented looked like something you would have worn to work. But
I guess I’ll take what I can get, for now.” He winked at
her.

She knew there was a double meaning
there.

They had a great time on Saturday at
the mall. Sunday he had a prior commitment, which was just as well.
She had chores that she’d let slide already and a few projects to
think through for work the following week. And she needed some time
to herself. She’d never been dependent on someone else for her
happiness or entertainment and wouldn’t start now.

She kept herself busy all day, which
had been her goal. When she settled into bed that night she heard
her phone chime. Learning over, she grabbed it from the bedside
table.

Did you think of me
today?

She felt a sappy grin spread
across her face and replied with a few clicks.
Maybe.

Playing hard to get, huh?
Well, I’ll be direct. I thought of you. Even my brother wanted to
know why I was grinning into space all day
.

Brooke’s heart felt like it
was going to leap out of her chest, pounding so hard and fast she
could actually hear the rhythm of it.
She
typed back fast, sappy grin and all still plastered on her
face.
Really?

Really! Well, I wanted to
say good night.

Brooke responded back with a quick good
night, shut off her beside lamp and promptly fell asleep with the
same grin on her face.

Before she knew it, it was Monday
morning again and her phone was ringing as she finished dressing.
Recognizing the ringtone, she resigned herself to running late
today. She really wished her mom would stop calling her before
work. Maybe she should stop answering, but guilt always won out in
the end.

***

Lucas had waged an internal debate all
day Sunday. He hadn’t wanted to pressure Brooke. He wanted her to
make the next move. But by the time he was in bed last night, he
realized that wasn’t going to happen. Not willing to risk all that
he gained the day before at the mall, he finally caved and
contacted her first—and was glad he did.

But all it served was to increase his
need to see her again, making him rush out the door earlier than
normal on a Monday morning.

Now, glancing at his watch, he knew she
was most likely already at her desk working. Maybe he could think
of an excuse to go visit her now. When she stepped in the elevator
right as it was closing, he thought fate was on his
side.

She made eye contact with him, her eyes
softened, and a bright smile started to spread across her face
before she caught herself and stopped.

As more people started to enter behind
her, he decided to have a little fun with her. He reached down,
tugged at the shoulder strap of her purse.

Looking over sharply, she sent him a
warning glance. He continued to look at her innocently, raised an
eyebrow, and whispered, “Sorry.”

She composed herself, looked toward the
front of the elevator, and ignored him.

He lifted his hand, touched hers
slightly. Before she could jerk her hand away, which would no doubt
have some heads turning, most likely what she was trying to avoid,
he hooked his pinky around hers, held on tight and grinned. He
soothed the pulse beating at the base of her wrist as his thumb
stroked her and saw her head move around the elevator to see if
anyone noticed them, but no one could see them in the
back.

Then she looked over at him once more
with another warning glare. He added a wiggle of his eyebrows to
his grin. “What?” he asked.

She closed her eyes and took a deep
breath. He saw the corner of her mouth lift slightly, then settle
back before she could grin.