Working It Out (18 page)

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.

He returned to find Lanna laughing at something Alec had
said. “What’s so funny?” Seth asked.

“Alec was just telling me about your new way of playing
basketball,” Lanna said. “I should have known you wouldn’t let your injury keep
you from playing. You’re unstoppable that way.”

“Yeah, well, I would have quit after the first attempt if
it wasn’t for Alec. He gave us a bunch of pointers, and now he’s only slightly
better than the rest of us.”

“Whatever,” said Alec. “Any advantage I had went away a long
time ago, which is fine with me. It makes beating you that much more
satisfying.”

 Seth grinned. “Just wait until these soccer games get
started, and we’ll see how satisfied you feel when my girls end up as the
champions.”

“If you can get them to remember which way to kick the
ball.”

“True.” Seth chuckled, feeling exhausted all of a sudden.
The past couple of days had taken their toll.

Alec let out a breath, glanced around, then placed his
hands on the wheels of his chair. “It’s been real, Seth, but I’ve got to go.” He
nodded at Lanna. “Good to meet you, Lanna.”

“Likewise,” she said.

One last nod and Alec turned, pushing himself over the
uneven grass to his car.

Lanna stared after him. “Okay, who is that guy, and why
haven’t I met him before?”

Seth raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re interested
in Alec.” Lanna said nothing, but the way her eyes continued to follow Alec’s
movements told Seth otherwise. He laughed and shook his head. He should have
known the do-gooder in Lanna would be drawn to someone like Alec. She probably couldn’t
help it. “He’s Grace’s brother.”

Her eyes snapped to his. “Really?”

“Really.” Seth threw the ball her way. She didn’t react
in time, and it slipped through her fingers, tumbling to the grass behind her.
Seth jogged over and kicked it lightly back to her, hoping to start a scrimmage
to get his mind off the reminder of Grace, but Lanna scooped it up and tucked
it under her arm. Her gaze immediately returned to Alec, who was now getting in
his car.

Seth rolled his eyes and grabbed the ball from her,
feeling the sudden need to warn her. “I wouldn’t go there if I were you. Falling
for a member of the Warren family brings nothing but frustration and trouble.
Trust me. Walk away while you still can.”

Lanna finally looked at him, a teasing smile on her face.
“What’s the matter? You finally fell for someone who doesn’t want to follow you
around like a loyal puppy, lap at your heels, and hang on every word you say?”

Seth frowned. “Bark and nip at my heels is more like it.”

She laughed. “Sounds like she’s perfect for you.”

“Yeah, well, try convincing her of that.” Seth had
thought he’d done exactly that, if her response to their kiss had proved
anything, but afterward, when Seth had wanted nothing more than to pull her
back into his arms and pick up where they’d left off, Grace had fled. Now his
calls went unanswered and his texts unreturned. He’d even asked Alec for her
address and went to her apartment last night, but her windows were dark, and no
one answered. Now he was stuck waiting for his next appointment.

Lanna’s hand rested on his arm, bringing him back to the
present. “Don’t worry, she’ll come around. No girl can resist you for long.”

Seth reached up to scratch the back of his head, feeling
suddenly twitchy. “I wish I had your confidence, but I might have rushed things.”

“You? Rush things? No,” Lanna said dryly.

“Hey, I’ve been a very patient patient. I wanted to ask
her out right away, but I held off and gave her time to warm up to me.” The
kiss at the auction didn’t count.

A smile tugged at the corner of Lanna’s mouth. “Meaning
you flirted and teased and got her to go out with you in roundabout ways, like
that day you brought her to the center, right?”

Seth frowned. When she put it like that, he didn’t sound
patient at all. “How else was she going to warm up to me? Not that it matters
now. When I kissed her, she ran away like a scared rabbit.” Seth hadn’t
intended to tell Lanna that—or anyone, for that matter—but the words were out
before he could rethink them.

“You kissed her?” Eyes wide, Lanna gaped at him.

Now Seth really wished he’d kept that part to himself. He
suddenly felt like the kid who’d grabbed a fistful of chocolate cake because he
couldn’t wait for someone to serve him a slice on a plate. Not that he’d
learned his lesson. If he could rewind time and do it all over again, the only
thing he’d do differently was put the phone in the fridge
first
.

Feeling his frustration come back full force, Seth
dropped the soccer ball and kicked it across the grassy field.

A hand on his arm had Seth catching Lanna’s eye once
again. Her smile was filled with sympathy. “You’re the type of person who
doesn’t stick your toe in the water to see if it’s warm or cold before going
in. Instead, you race to the diving board and launch yourself off, splashing
everyone else with one of your cannonballs. It’s the way you approach every
situation. Which is really great and something I love about you. But sometimes,
with certain people, a cannonball is a bit much, you know? A toe in the water
would be better. Maybe Grace is that type of person.”

Seth’s eyebrows drew together. Although he saw Lanna’s
point, he’d already executed a few cannonballs and didn’t understand how he
could go back to simply sticking his toe in the water. Or was she saying it was
too late for that? “So what do I do now?”

Lanna hesitated. “Maybe you should take a step back and let
the waters get calm again, then try approaching her again with a little less oomph,
if you know what I mean.”

Seth didn’t, not completely, anyway. “And how do I go
about letting the waters calm? Find a new therapist and stay away from her
completely?” He didn’t like the sound of that at all.

“No,” said Lanna. “I’m saying that you’re her patient, so
be her patient—a regular, non-flirting, does-what-he’s-told, patient.”

“Sounds boring,” Seth said. Not to mention impossible. He
couldn’t imagine being in the same room with Grace and not trying to coax a
smile or goad her into saying something that would make her blush. Nor could he
imagine not touching her when given the chance. But if that’s what it took to
turn the situation around, he’d give it his best shot.

Lanna gave his arm a pat. “Give her time, and she’ll come
around. You’ll see.”

Seth only hoped she was right.

G
race
drummed her
fingers against the counter as she attempted to concentrate
on one of her patient’s files. But it was no use. Seth would walk through the
door any minute, and her heart felt as though it might burst from racing way too
fast. Almost as soon as she’d made up her mind to give Seth a chance, the phone
calls and texts had stopped. He was so unpredictable that she had no idea what
to expect from him when he walked through that door. What would he say? Do? How
would he act? How should
she
act?

The door handle turned, and Grace tensed. But it was only
Cameron, coming back from his lunch break. Whew.

Calm down, it’s only Seth. You’ve had lots of therapy
sessions with him before. This is no different
. But the jittery feeling
refused to subside. Grace should have answered one of his calls or texts. She
should have called him and gotten that first awkward conversation over with. At
the very least, she should have sent him a text saying sorry for running out on
him the other night. Now she was stuck having to face him again in front of
Cameron.

Oh joy.

“I’m such an idiot,” she muttered.

“What did you say?” Cameron said, making her jump.

She glanced up, meeting his bemused expression. “Huh?”

“Did you just call yourself an idiot?”

Had she said that out loud? Grace swallowed a groan,
trying to think of a reason she’d be calling herself names at 1:30 in the
afternoon. “Oh, yeah. I, uh, just forgot some notes at home.”

Cameron pointed a finger at her as though accusing her of
something. “That’s what happens when you take your work home with you. You
really should take my advice and learn to leave work at work. It’s very
liberating.”

Grace nodded and turned back to the file, grateful he
hadn’t seen through her lie. The click of the door sounded again, and she
stiffened, forcing her eyes to stay on the file as though she hadn’t heard
anything. Was that Seth? Was he walking toward her with that heart-stopping
smile?

Just act like nothing happened. It’s just a regular
day, and he’s just a regular patient
. A really hot, amazingly good kisser
of a regular patient.

Oh geez.

Grace dropped her forehead to her hand, trying to get her
body to relax and her heart to stop racing. She was a professional. She could
do this. She would not freak out.

“Hey, Grace.”

She jumped and knocked over her pencil holder, spilling
the contents all over the counter. As Grace frantically tried to pick them up,
she shot Seth a totally fake smile. “Oh, hey. How’s it going?” The pencil
holder seemed to shrink because the pens and pencils no longer fit. She finally
dropped what remained on the counter and stood, smiling way too brightly.
“Ready for your workout?”

The heart-stopping smile appeared. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Right.” Her hands fidgeted, finally clasping together in
front of her. “I, uh, think you should start with a fifteen-minute swim. Then
we’ll go from there.” Perfect. That would give her fifteen minutes to regain
her composure and stop acting like a nervous teenager on her first date.

“But I thought swimming was for recovery—you know,
after
the workout?”

Curse him for listening . And for probably seeing right
through her.

“Normally that’s the case,” she backpedaled. “But today
it’s going to be your warm up. I thought I’d give you a break from the bike and
rower.” She held her breath, waiting for the inevitable teasing to begin. Would
he accuse her of using
his
swim for
her
recovery? Or would he
tell her to jump in the pool and take the recovery swim while
he
warmed
up on the bike?