Working It Out (20 page)

Lanna nodded. Then she clasped her hands together and
rocked back and forth on her heels in a nervous gesture. “So I met your brother
the other day,” she blurted. “He’s doing a great job coaching some of these
kids.”

“Yeah, he seems to really like it. I’m glad he agreed to
do it.”

“He’s really nice,” Lanna hedged. “And cute.”

Grace raised an eyebrow and forced herself not to smile.
Lanna was interested in Alec? No way. Although now that Grace thought about it,
they might be a really good fit. “He’s also incredibly stubborn and way too
smart for his own good.”

“He’s sure been great with the kids on his team. Patient,
funny, and kind—the best combination. He even showed up here a time or two to
help out.”

“Really?”

Lanna nodded.

The news surprised Grace. Actually, a lot of things about
Alec surprised her lately. But what really motivated his visits to the center?
Was he drawn to the kids—or to their beautiful and petite advocate? Maybe some
of both?

From the corner of her eye, Grace watched as Lanna continued
to rock back and forth on her heels, looking around at nothing in particular. When
she caught Grace studying her, she chewed on her lower lip for a moment before
saying, “Do you happen to know if he’s seeing anyone?”

Grace laughed, mostly because if Lanna really knew her
brother, she’d never have to ask. “Honestly, I don’t think he’s ‘seen’ any girl
for a really long time.”

“Why not?”

Grace shrugged. “Can’t say for sure, but reading between
the lines, I’d say that he doesn’t think he’s got much to offer. After his
accident, he broke up with his girlfriend because he was afraid she’d dump him
eventually, and he really hasn’t gotten back on the saddle since. At least not
that I know of.”

Amidst the chaos of kids running around, talking, and
laughing, Lanna’s expression turned contemplative, as though she had no problem
tuning everything out. Finally, her eyes met Grace’s once again. “Well, I’m not
usually the type to ask a guy out, but I may have to get over that.”

Although Grace hadn’t known Lanna long, she liked her. A
lot. Lanna was the type of girl who could be really good for her brother. “If
you want to date Alec, then yeah, you probably will.” Grace paused. “And I hope
you do.”

Lanna cocked her head to the side. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Not at all,” Grace said, thinking about the last girl
who’d fallen for her brother. “Just don’t take it personally if he turns you
down.”

 A grin spread across Lanna’s face, and a glint appeared
in her eyes. “Oh, I won’t. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from Seth over
the years, it’s how to wear someone down until they eventually give in. I’ll
get Alec to go out with me if it’s the last thing I do.”

Grace smiled, but at the same time, a worry that had
nothing to do with Alec and everything to do with Seth settled like an
uncomfortable pit in her stomach. If Seth wasn’t the type to give up, why had
he stopped calling or flirting? Why was he acting like a regular patient whose
only agenda was to get his knee strong enough to run and mountain bike again?

“Hey, you okay?” Lanna asked. “I didn’t offend you or
anything, did I? I was only joking. I mean, if Alec’s not interested in me, I
promise not to keep bugging him.”

Grace blinked in an effort to clear her thoughts. Then
she waved Lanna’s concern away. “Oh, I didn’t think you were. I was just, uh .
. .” She paused, not sure how to explain. Normally, Grace didn’t blab about her
worries to just anyone, but something about Lanna made it easy—as though Grace
was talking to an old and trusted friend.

“To be honest, I was thinking about Seth,” Grace finally
said.

A question appeared in Lanna’s eyes, but she said
nothing. Just waited for Grace to continue.

Grace fidgeted, not sure how to explain or if she really
wanted to explain. But one look around the room—Seth’s room—was enough to
convince her that the only thing she had to lose was Seth. Maybe Lanna could
help prevent that from happening.

Grace sighed. “When I first met Seth, he didn’t come
across as the serious type. I sort of felt like an item on his bucket list—something
to cross off before moving on to the next item. But now that I’ve gotten to
know him a little better and realize that’s probably not the case, he’s
different around me. He doesn’t flirt or try to get me to go out with him
anymore. I guess I’m just worried that I’ve missed my window of opportunity.”

“I seriously doubt that,” Lanna said. The contemplative
look reappeared on her face as she tapped her finger against her lips. “Want to
know what I think?”

Coming from someone who wasn’t afraid to be blunt, the
question made Grace squirm a little. Did she really want to know what Lanna
thought? “What?”

Lanna met Grace’s gaze and smiled. “I think that maybe it’s
time that we both got over our pride.”

If only that wasn’t easier said than done.

T
he moment
Seth
showed up for his appointment, Grace presented him with a cupcake
covered in dyed green coconut that looked like grass. As a topper, she’d
printed off a small picture of a runner and taped it to a toothpick.

“Ta da,” she said. “You’ve officially made it twelve
weeks post-surgery today.”

Seth glanced at the cupcake but made no move to take it.
“Are you trying to rub in the fact that I’m not allowed to go jogging yet? Because
that’s not funny.”

“No.” Grace picked up his hand and set the cupcake on his
palm. “I’m trying to tell you that today we’re going jogging. Outside.”

A dark eyebrow lifted. “Jogging . . . as in faster than a
walk?”

“You’re pretty smart for a guy who tore his ACL
attempting a 360 in deep powder.”

The corners of Seth’s mouth tugged up. “I never would
have met you if I hadn’t.” Almost immediately, his mouth straightened, and he
looked away as though he hadn’t meant to voice that thought. But the words had
already been spoken, and Grace wasn’t about to let the moment pass. She’d been
waiting for an opportunity like this for weeks.

“So kissing me at the auction didn’t count?” she said,
attempting to goad him into flirting with her—or at the very least remind him
of another, far more memorable kiss.

His eyes met hers, looking hesitant, as if he wasn’t sure
what to say. Which was a first. “You know what I meant.”

Not exactly the flirtatious response Grace had wanted,
but if he thought that meeting her was a positive aspect of tearing his ACL,
she’d take it.

“Well, I’m glad you did then.” Grace bit down hard on her
lower lip, immediately wishing the words back. Did she really just say she was
glad he’d torn his ACL? What kind of person said that? “I mean,” Grace quickly
revised. “I’m glad I got to know you better, too—not that you tore your ACL.” Oh
geez, this wasn’t going nearly as well as she’d hoped.

For a moment Seth’s mouth formed a smile, and his eyes
took on a teasing quality. But then he ducked his head and glanced once again
at the cupcake Grace had made for him. He held it up. “We’re really going
jogging?”

Grace nodded. Maybe she should do as Lanna had suggested
and just ask him out. But what if he wasn’t interested any longer? The way he’d
dodged her awkward flirting attempts and quickly found a way to change the
subject made her nervous. Had Seth decided she wasn’t worth it?

No. She tossed the worry aside. That kiss they’d shared
was much more than a mild flirtation. She could still remember the heat, the
power, the jolt of something extra that went beyond mere attraction. Seth had to
have felt it, too. Grace just needed to figure out why he was now backing off.
There had to be another reason.

She sighed. “Before we go, I need you to lie down on that
table so I can apply some Kinesio tape to your leg.”

Seth grimaced. “Do you have to? That stuff rips my hair
out.”

“Baby.”

Seth’s lips twitched, but he dropped down on the table, obediently
lifting his leg for her to apply the tape. Grace did so with slow precision,
first cutting the wide tape into thin strips then smoothing it slowly across
his leg muscles, deliberately taking her time. She’d grasp any excuse to touch
him.

Once she’d finished taping, Grace held out her hand to
help him up. He eyed her for a moment before taking it, then pulled himself up
to a sitting position.

Grace reluctantly let go and mustered a perky expression.
“Ready for your first post-surgery jog?” She smiled. “Well, first approved one,
anyway.”

“More than ready.” He jumped off the table and led the
way to the side door.

They walked outside and headed toward the park at the end
of the block. When they arrived, Grace had him do a few warm-up exercises
before giving him the go ahead to jog. Then she trailed behind, studying his
gait to make sure he showed no signs of limping or favoring his injured knee in
any way. Once she ascertained that everything looked fine, she increased her
speed and caught up.

Normally, with other patients, Grace would fall back and keep
an eye on them as they jogged the lengthy trail that circled the park. But with
Seth, she had no desire to watch and wait—not when she’d rather jog next to him.
After today, her appointments with him would drop to twice monthly. The thought
made her feel as though he was slipping away, that it was only a matter of time
before he was out of her life completely.

Grace felt antsy all of a sudden, as though she needed to
do something to stop that from happening. Without really thinking it through,
she blurted, “Hey, want to meet up Monday morning for a jog?” It was as close
as she could come to taking Lanna’s advice about asking him out.

Seth shot her a sideways glance before returning his
attention to the path ahead. “But my appointment isn’t for another week.”

“Two, actually,” Grace corrected. “You’re now at the
point where we really only need to meet about twice a month.”

Seth adjusted his gait, slowing his speed slightly. “So
what’s Monday?”

 Did she really have to explain? Wasn’t it obvious? Or
was she just really that bad at this? “Two friends going jogging together.”

Another sideways glance. “But I thought you didn’t like
to mix personal with business.”

Grace rolled her eyes. Was he making it difficult on
purpose? Grace should have expected this, and would have, if she’d taken the
time to think her offer through a little more before blurting it out. “It’s
just jogging,” she said. “Do you want to go or not?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Will you treat me like a
patient if I do?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Are you going to tell me to slow down if I go too fast?
Make me warm up? Or are you going to leave the therapist title at home and just
jog with me?”

Grace rounded a corner and continued to move smoothly
along beside him. Not too fast and not too slow, the pace he set was right on.
“If you stay about the speed we’re going now and do a warm up on your own, then
no, I won’t say anything.”

He chuckled. “And if I don’t?”

“I’m a therapist—it’s who I am. I can’t turn it on and
off like a light switch.”

 “Fair enough.”

After another long pause, Grace shot him a sideways
glance.
So?
she wanted to ask.
Are we on for Monday or not?
But
she held her tongue, not wanting to sound too desperate. She’d already asked
him twice anyway. The offer would stay as-is on the table, and if he wanted to pick
it up, great. If not, it would stay there untouched.

“What time?” he said after a moment.

Grace bit back a smile of triumph. “Is 6:00 too early?”

“No.” Seth continued to look ahead with an impassive
expression, giving Grace no indication about what he thought or if the prospect
of spending time with her outside of the physical therapy arena excited him.
“Where?” he asked.

“Here?”

He nodded. “6:00 on Monday it is.”