Working It Out (6 page)

“About time,” Garrett’s voice came again. “You’re mom
hasn’t stopped calling or texting for updates since before they took you in for
surgery. She wants you to call as soon as you can talk.”

A hand patted his arm. “Good, you’re awake,” said the voice
Seth now assumed was a nurse. “As soon as you’re feeling up to it, I need you
to drink something for me.”

Seth knew he should try to open his eyes again and fully
wake up, but all he really wanted to do was go back to sleep. He wasn’t
remotely thirsty. Nor was he in the mood to talk to his mother, especially
since he’d have to reiterate once again that she didn’t need to come. His
parents owned a bookstore in another state, and Seth knew how difficult it was
for either of them to get away.

“You doing okay?” the nurse asked, patting his arm once
again.

“I’m tired, but fine. Thanks,” said Seth.

A ringing sounded, and Garrett sighed. “Hey, you ready to
talk yet? She’s calling again.”

Seth lifted his hand, still keeping his eyes closed.
Garrett answered the phone then pressed it into Seth’s palm.

“Hey, Mom,” Seth murmured, still feeling a little out of
it.

“I should have come,” she said without preamble. “I
should be there right now to take you home from the hospital and make sure you
do as you’re told. I’m not sure Garrett can handle you. Does he know what a
horrible patient you can be?”

Seth smiled. That was his mother’s way of saying she was
worried, which he appreciated. “If I promise to follow all the doctor’s orders,
will you please stop stressing? I’m fine. Garrett’s going to crash at my house
tonight, and the doctor said I’ll be feeling good in no time.”

“Your dad can manage for a few days without me,” said his
mother, as if she hadn’t heard a word Seth said. “Just say the word, and I can
be on a flight tonight. I’m sure Lanna can pick me up from the airport.”

“You’ve talked to Lanna?” Seth said with a frown. He
wasn’t ready for Lanna to find out what had happened to him. He wanted her to
forgive him on her own terms, not out of pity.

“No, but I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. Is she there right
now?”

Seth forced his eyes open to look around the room. The
nurse typed something into a computer, while Garrett sat next to the bed,
looking bored. “No,” Seth answered. “She’s not exactly talking to me at the
moment.” The words were out before Seth realized he shouldn’t have said them.
He blamed the anesthesia.

“Why?”

He sighed. “Because she’s Lanna, that’s why. Do you mind
if we don’t talk about this right now?”

“But who’s going to see that you eat something decent?
Garrett can’t cook, and Owen’s even worse.”

Seth grinned. Good thing Garrett hadn’t heard that. He
prided himself on the three dishes he knew how to make. “I promise you, I’m going
to be just fine.”

A nurse with short blonde hair held out a large Styrofoam
cup with a drinking straw. “I need you to drink this for me,” she whispered.

“Mom, I’ve got to go. Nurse’s orders. I’ll call you once
I get home, okay?”

She hesitated. “You sure you’re okay without me?”

“Thanks for the offer, but yeah, I’m sure. I’ll call you
later.”

Seth handed the phone back to Garrett and took the drink
from the nurse, forcing the cold liquid down his throat.

“How are you feeling?” the nurse asked.

“Like I’ve been drugged.”

She laughed. “Don’t worry, that’s normal.”

“My knee doesn’t hurt at all. Is that normal too?”

She gave him a rueful smile and rubbed his arm in a
motherly way. “Give it time. The local’s only going to last so long. Enjoy it
while you can.”

Seth nodded, feeling antsy. He couldn’t wait to get back
to the comfortable surroundings of his house. The large, flat-screen TV. The
couch. His bed. “When can I head home?”

“Just as soon as the doctor goes over a few things and signs
the release papers. I paged him when you woke up, so he should be here any second.”

As if on cue, the doctor breezed through the door with a
chart in hand. With his gray hair and wise eyes, he looked confident and
capable. When they’d first met, Seth had liked him right away.

“Looks like our patient’s awake,” said the doctor. “How
are you, Seth?”

“Ready to go home.”

“I’ll bet.” The doctor chuckled, flipped through Seth’s
chart, and set it aside. “The surgery went well, as should the recovery. Whenever
you’re not doing that list of exercises I gave you, keep your leg in the
immobilizer, elevated, iced, and use that compression dressing. We want to
minimize the swelling as much as possible. I also took the liberty of having one
of my staff set up your first appointment with the best PT in the area. Her
name is Grace Warren.”

“Her?” Seth wasn’t so sure about working with a woman. He
wanted someone to push him hard, not coddle him.

“Trust me on this. She knows her stuff.”

Seth shrugged, still a little skeptical. But if the best
orthopedic surgeon in Seattle said Grace Warren was the best PT in Seattle, who
was he to argue? “I just want my knee back, Doc. The sooner the better.”

“Which is why I had my scheduler make the appointment.
Grace is always booked, but we’ve worked together for a while now, so she squeezes
in my patients as a favor to me. Your appointment’s tomorrow morning at ten.
Don’t be late.”

“Yes, sir.” Seth almost did a mock salute, but kept
himself in check.

“I’ll make sure he’s there on time,” said Garrett.

Seth snickered. “Only if we leave ten minutes earlier
than necessary.”

Garrett raised an eyebrow. “Hey, you’re more than welcome
to drive yourself. Oh, wait—y
ou can’t
.”

The doctor’s lips twitched as he patted the rail on
Seth’s bed. “Looks like I’m leaving you in good hands.”

Seth relaxed against the pillow, looking up at the
ceiling. “If by ‘good’ you mean a therapist who knows her stuff and the world’s
safest chauffer, then yeah, I guess I am. I’m sure I’ll be better in no time,”
Seth said dryly.

The doctor offered a look of sympathy. “Well, I wouldn’t
say ‘no time,’ but you’ll get there eventually.”

Suddenly, the estimated six to nine month recovery seemed
like forever to Seth. He hoped this PT knew what she was doing so it would be
closer to six.

“G
race, your
next
appointment’s here,” said the receptionist as she handed Grace a
file. She dropped her voice. “And he’s a hottie.”

Grace bit back a smile. If a patient happened to be a male
between the ages of 25 and 35, Kelli thought he was hot. “Thanks. Tell him I’ll
be with him in a second.” Grace finished the sentence she was writing then
opened the file of her newest patient. She scanned through the paperwork.

Name: Seth Tuttle

Reason for visit: Post ACL reconstruction
rehabilitation.

The moment Grace read the name, she frowned. Although it
had been weeks since her last encounter with someone named Seth, the name still
acted as a trigger. She hadn’t even met her newest patient, but already he made
a nervous pit form in her stomach. How would a self-appointed, ego-driven, chaos-wreaking
patient do with ACL rehab? She tapped the pen against her lower lip. If this
guy was anything like the last Seth she’d met, the next several months might
prove to be difficult.

With a sigh, she stood and pasted a smile on her face. But
when she rounded the corner and pulled open the door to her waiting room, her
smile disappeared.

Oh no. Not
that
Seth. It couldn’t be.

From his profile, Seth looked exactly the same as he had
the night of the auction. Exactly. Same two days’ worth of growth on his face,
same sweatpants, same navy hoodie—only this time it lay on the chair next to
him, giving Grace a view of his sizable biceps that stretched the sleeves of
his t-shirt. She didn’t know what upset her composure more, the fact that he
was even better looking than she remembered, or the fact that she wasn’t nearly
as prepared to see him as she wanted to be.

Seth flipped through a magazine, completely oblivious to
the fact that he was about to get reacquainted with the woman he’d outbid and
kissed.

Grace suddenly wanted to duck back through the door and
tell her receptionist that Seth Tuttle would have to reschedule with a
different therapist in a different office, and—if possible—a different state. Grace
didn’t want to be anywhere near the aftermath of the chaos he was bound to
cause.

As if sensing her presence, Seth lifted his head and met
her gaze with striking blue eyes. She stiffened, waiting for the recognition to
come.

“Are you Grace?” he said, all innocence, as though he’d
never seen her before.

Grace blinked as realization struck. He didn’t recognize
her. She should be thrilled by that knowledge—elated, even. Not only did it give
her the opportunity for a fresh start, but it gave her the upper hand, in a
way. Yet her annoyance won out. All this time, she’d stewed about that night,
relived it over and over in her mind, trying to figure out where she went wrong
and how she could have handled things differently. While Seth, on the other
hand, had apparently forgotten all about her the moment she’d walked away.

She forced her feet forward and lifted her chin. “I take
it you’re Seth Tuttle?”

“I am.” He grabbed the crutches at his side and hoisted
himself up easily. Shooting the receptionist a look, he said, “Hey, my friend’s
parking the car right now. When he comes in, would you mind telling him I’ve
already gone in?”

“Of course. I can send him back if you’d like.”

“No, I’m sure he’d rather wait here.” Seth turned his
attention to Grace and smiled. “So, you’re Grace Warren. Dr. Ross tells me
you’re the best PT in the Seattle area, which I’m hoping is true. I want my
knee back as soon as possible and need a PT who can bring it.”

Whether it was because he didn’t recognize her, or
because he questioned her professional skills, Grace bristled. “Dr. Ross is
wrong.”

Seth raised his eyebrows in question.

“I’m the best physical therapist
anywhere
,
including Seattle.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked back through
the self-closing door, not bothering to hold it open for him like she usually
did for patients with crutches or wheelchairs. When the sounds of Seth
struggling to get through the door reached her ears, a smile tugged at the
corner of Grace’s mouth. He did say to bring it.

She strode past Cameron, who was working with another
patient, and stopped next to a table, where she waited for Seth.

As he made his way toward Grace, Seth nodded briefly at Cameron
then did a double-take and stopped. “Hey, aren’t you that guy from the
auction?”

Oh sure, he recognizes Cameron,
Grace thought
dryly.

Cameron glanced up. His face reddened as his eyes darted
from Seth to Grace and back to Seth again. “What are you doing here? I mean, Lanna
said we were square—that I didn’t have to . . . you know.”

Grace rolled her eyes as Seth chuckled. “Yeah, we’re
square. No worries. I only bid to get Lanna to take the money.”

“Oh.” Cameron visibly relaxed. “Next time do me a favor
and clue me in beforehand, will you?”

“Let’s hope there won’t be a next time.” Seth shifted his
weight, easing off his left leg. “Otherwise I’ll be on Lanna’s blacklist
permanently.”

Cameron chuckled. “Personally, I’d be more worried about
Grace if I were you. I seriously doubt you’re ever going to get off
her
blacklist.”

Seth’s forehead crinkled in confusion. “What do you mean?
Apologize for what?” Seth’s gaze moved to Grace.

She fought the urge to direct a scathing glare at Cameron.
So much for a fresh start or having the upper hand.

“Do we know each other?” Seth asked her. “Now that I
think about it, you do sort of look familiar.”

Grace returned his gaze. “Depends on what you mean by ‘know.’
If you’re the type of guy who goes around kissing girls at random then forgets about
them, I guess we don’t.”

“Wait, he kissed you?” Cameron’s voice rang out. “You
didn’t tell me that.”

Grace nearly groaned. Only minutes into their
appointment, and Seth was already at it again. A self-appointed god of chaos
suddenly seemed like an understatement. He was more like the god of havoc and
misery and embarrassment all rolled into one. There wasn’t a name for what he
was.

A slow smile spread across Seth’s face as recognition
finally dawned. “You’re that girl from the auction, aren’t you? Wow. Talk about
a small world.”

“I can’t believe you kissed her, man,” Cameron said,
still laughing. “You’ve got some serious guts.”

Ignoring Cameron, Seth kept his gaze trained on Grace.
“I’m actually glad I ran into you again. I wanted to apologize. You know, for
outbidding you.”