Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 116031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
I clasp my hands in front of me and raise my chin. I refuse to act like a fan in front of him, even if I am one. “What brings you to Parkdale?”
He looks behind him, then drags his chin over his shoulder when his eyes return to me. “I was in the area.”
Why does he have to be so attractive? Still.
“Yeah?” I feel my cheeks heating just looking at him. Wearing a T-shirt faded to gray with the sleeves hugging his biceps and a pair of jeans that have seen the wash more than a few times are hanging just right on him. I swear his jaw is modeled after the cliffs of La Jolla, with a dusting of scruff covering it. Even his hair is giving a rolled-out-of-bed sexy mess vibe. But I remember his eyes looking into mine like he could see the future.
Or maybe that’s just how he makes me feel inside.
“No.” He chuckles. “I was nowhere near, but I got your message, so I took a chance and drove over.”
“Ah.” I didn’t expect to feel different around him now that he’s a rock star, but I’m almost starstruck enough to have forgotten I called, that I’m married to this man, and will have to explain the mess we’re in when I don’t even fully understand the situation.
It’s disappointing we couldn’t carry on like old friends for a little longer. I’m not sure how he’ll take the news, but I think it probably won’t go well. Shaken from the fairy tale, the reality of our predicament kicks back in, and I say, “I’ll be off work soon. Do you want to wait?”
“I’ll wait for you.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, he says, “I’ll be in my car.”
“Alright. I’ll be done soon.”
He turns to leave, but I catch him looking back over his shoulder, giving me a smile with so much potential. Too bad I’m about to ruin this reunion for us both.
I find the next file and call, “Mrs. Louis?”
Looking pretty in yellow, she comes over and sits in the chair. “I heard Maggie is gossiping about me again.”
It’s incredible how Shane Faris walked right back into my life, consuming me whole, and five minutes later, I’m back to playing mediator between two retirees. “I think if you two tried to talk to each—”
“I’ve tried. The best thing she can do is stick to Tai Chi on Tuesdays and leave me and the gardening club alone.”
My nerves subsided the moment he walked away, so I dig back into helping my patients. This is about to be the longest thirty minutes of my life.
Downside to having to finish work?
Shane Faris waiting for me.
Silver lining?
Shane Faris waiting for me.
5
Cate
Skipping is probably too much.
Running would be worse.
Shane is here, and my heart wants me to burst through those doors to see him and to hear him call me Nurse Cate again. But most importantly, to settle this husband-wife thing we’re tangled up in. But I walk because I’m an adult, not a giraffe-limbed teen anymore.
I do my round of usual goodbyes and then head for the exit. My eagerness to see him wanes as dread sneaks in, reminding me this isn’t a date or a reunion of two friends. I have news to break to him, news that will change his life like it did mine.
It’s not good to be the messenger. I know how that usually turns out.
Tugging at my collar, I push through doors, then scan the visitor’s lot out front. I’m not sure what he’s driving or where he parked. Hmm. I shade my eyes with my hand and even stand on my tiptoes to look around once more before heading in the direction where I parked.
Surely, he didn’t leave . . . I check my watch. It’s only been just under thirty minutes. Maybe he changed his mind and left. I hope not.
“Have a good night, Cate,” a familiar woman’s voice pulls my attention to a car in the front of the building.
Raising my free hand, I wave. “You, too, Misty.” Parkdale’s bookkeeper has her window down and gives me a little wave before driving away.
When it rolls forward, I’m caught by blue eyes that steal the show even under a cloudless sky and a smile that makes me forget who I am. Temporarily. My feet don’t leave the spot where I stopped, trapped in a net of Shane Faris’s attention.
Him, the rock star.
Me, a woman who decided it was a good idea to wear all beige today . . .
Shane Faris is waiting for me.
Me.
In spite of my early morning fashion decision, my heart beats loud like his drums, my breaths come hard and heavy from my chest, and those butterflies start fluttering wildly inside my tummy again. I’m not sure I’m the luckiest woman in the world, but I imagine this feeling is pretty close.