“Well what?”
“What’d you think of her?”
“She’s like a tornado.”
“Yeah, in a good way.”
“You know, you don’t have to pick me up Tuesday morning.”
He gently took her hands in his. “You tell me yes or no for something, deal? But if I make an offer to do something for you, it’s because I genuinely want to do it. Okay?”
She nodded.
“Can I pick you up Tuesday and take you to work?”
Nervous jitters filled her. This was moving so fast, but even though part of her wanted to say yes simply as a way to repay him for all he’d done for her in the last twenty-four hours, part of her wanted to say yes for herself.
And that’s why she nodded again. “Why do I get the feeling there’s another reason you want to take me to my appointment with Nate?”
“Guilty. I want to make sure you go, for starters. Because he’ll be certain to give me a ration of shit if you cancel. Plus, I want to watch him and see what he does, if there’s anything I can pick up from him that might help you. If you don’t mind, that is.”
She thought her heart might melt over that. “Aw. Thank you. I don’t mind.”
“So no more asking me if I’m sure?”
“No more asking.”
“Good.”
“Can I bring anything for dinner Wednesday?”
His smile widened. “Seriously, Papi loves dark chocolate. I usually pick him up several of those gourmet bars of flavored dark chocolate. Momma won’t buy any for him because she’s worried about his weight. He recently lost a lot because his doctor had been bugging him about it. But Momma knows the kids will buy it for him. She hides it from him when they give it to him and doles it out as a reward to him.”
That mental image made Holly laugh. “Will they be okay with me there?”
“Absolutely. Fair warning—bring your appetite. Momma and Papi both cook up a storm. I’ll pick you up here and drive you, if that’s okay.”
“That sounds great.” How long had it been since she’d been to a “family” dinner?
Over six years.
“Sorry if I’m a little overwhelmed. This is just…so much to take in.”
“No worries. Now, do you feel like eating out, or should I run out and buy stuff to cook for you?”
She was tired, and hurting, but she didn’t want to stay in. “Let’s eat out. As long as it’s not someplace fancy or expensive.”
“Neither. How about Italian?”
“Love it.”
“Is there anything you can’t eat?”
“That’s a loaded question. Depends on how I’m feeling. Sometimes I go through bouts of chronic pain nausea and there are very few things I can eat and keep down. But normally I don’t have any restrictions. No food allergies, either.”
“Okay, good.”
Ten minutes later, she was sitting in the passenger seat of Walt’s truck and they were heading to a restaurant he knew of.
“I really don’t have the words to thank you for all of this,” she said.
“It feels good to help. I like being able to do things. It’s not often in my job I can actually fix something. I do a lot of good, I help, I can teach patients and their families to mitigate hearing loss, and I can make positive impacts like that. But it’s rare I have a patient with a hearing issue come in and I can just wiggle my fingers at them and ‘cure’ them.”
“That must be hard.”
“Not really. Because the patients I see, nearly all of them are healthy and will go on to lead perfectly happy lives. It’s simply a matter of evaluating their level of hearing loss and working with them and their families. Sometimes, a hearing aid will help them. Some patients can go with cochlear implants. Some learn sign language and go on about their lives. Sometimes they need referrals to a speech therapist. I rarely deal with a patient who also has a life-threatening condition. In that way, I consider myself lucky. I have patients who stop by to see me who were just babies when I first met them, and now they’re adults starting families of their own.”
“I’ve never known any deaf kids.”
“Years ago, there was a stigma attached to pediatric hearing problems by the hearing population who wasn’t educated about it. An older person who lost their hearing, that was considered ‘normal.’ But a deaf child was sometimes equated with having developmental disabilities. And before all the technological advances we have now with texting and computers, yes, there were some developmental delays caused by a lack of proper teaching resources to properly help a deaf or hard of hearing child, not because the child had a developmental disability.
“In modern times, if someone’s deaf or hard of hearing, it’s not a standard of living issue like it used to be, as long as a child’s hearing loss is recognized early enough so it doesn’t negatively impact their education. There are so many adaptive and assistive technologies out there to minimize the impact and accommodate them. Sometimes the hardest part of my job is educating the family and getting them into sign language classes if necessary, because the patient is fine, they just can’t hear. My job’s actually gotten easier over the years, fortunately.”
“How did you and Kimbra meet?”
“In college. She saw me at the library, signing with a couple of fellow students from one of my classes. I used to make money on the side as an ASL tutor. She was in the process of working on a paper for one of her classes about representing defendants with various disabilities. We got to talking, I asked her out, and we really hit it off.”
“What about the kinky stuff?”
“Yeah, I already knew I was kinky, and we talked about that. I was okay with her not being kinky, because we had a lot in common.”
She wished she hadn’t taken him down that conversational path when she saw his expression grow wistful. “She was brutally honest with me from the start, but we got married anyway. I mean, I didn’t think I was going to turn her kinky, but I fell in love with her. Hard. It’s no joke that she’s married to her job. I think her mom and dad played a large role in her marrying me. They loved me when they met me, and I loved her whole family.”
“How long were you married?”
“Six years. Then we finally reached a point where Kimbra asked me what we were doing. She was at the office late every night, or at home she was head down in her files, working on cases. She did a lot of pro bono work even back then.”
“So you divorced her?”
“No, actually, she kept hinting about it and finally drew up the paperwork. Even after we were divorced, we still lived together for nearly six months. I wouldn’t move out, and she wouldn’t make me. I kept hoping to change her mind. She finally moved out. She was making more than I was and got another place. I could afford the apartment on my own, though.”
“Never got married again?”
“Nope. I spent a lot of years avoiding serious relationships with people because I always hoped I’d be able to win her back.”
He winced. “Sorry. I know that came out sounding really wrong.” He stopped for a red light and met her gaze. “I’m past that now and ready to move on. We’ve been divorced twelve years. I’m always going to love her as a friend, but that’s all.”
She felt the good kind of heat fill her. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I know a lot more now than I did back then.”
“You’re eleven years older than me. That doesn’t bother you?”
His blue gaze never wavered. “Should it?”
“I’ve got a lot of issues.”
There was something wickedly lovely about his smile. “Then lucky for you I’m an extremely patient and persistent man.”
* * * *
By the time they finished dinner. Walt knew without a doubt he wanted to pursue more than being just friends with Holly. He hadn’t felt this way about anyone since Kimbra.
If Holly wanted that, obviously.
She was smart despite how she put herself down in ways
big and small. He didn’t see a woman with both health and personal issues. He saw a beautiful woman who’d managed to keep getting back up and fighting, hard, every time life smacked her down.
He saw the inner fire that brightly glowed behind her eyes, even if she couldn’t recognize it.
Nothing about an “easy” relationship attracted Walt. He wanted a good relationship with a partner he could love and respect and admire.
All those things he saw in Holly, even if she didn’t.
If nothing else, he was a very patient man. He suspected convincing Holly of how he felt and how he saw her would be the biggest battle.
When he returned her home, he had to load his tools that he’d brought with him. Once he’d finished that, standing inside her front hall he gently hugged her. “Thank you for today.”
She cocked her head in confusion. “I’m the one who needs to be thanking you.”
“You have no idea how much fun I had.”
“But you worked your butt off.”
“Yeah, and I had fun doing it. What time do I need to be here Tuesday morning to pick you up?”
For a moment, he thought she was going to argue with him again about that, but she surprised him. “I have to leave here by eight fifteen.”
“Okay, then. I’ll be here no later than that.” He wanted to lean in and kiss her so, so bad.
As she stared up at him, her sweet brown eyes almost shielded behind her glasses, he sensed a battle being silently waged.
Then she rose up on her toes and brushed a quick kiss across his lips.
“Don’t be afraid to tell me to back off if I’m coming on too strong,” he said.
“I don’t think you’re coming on too strong.”
“Good, because I really don’t want to scare you off.”
“You got the memo I’m not a masochist, right?”
He smiled. “There are many kinds of sadism. And that’s totally not the point. I really would like to spend more time with you.”
“Any time a guy’s said that to me in the past, it ended quickly when he realized how screwed up my body is.”
“You’ll find out I’m not your average guy.” Yep, cue one white knight. That’s what he felt like, but he was beyond caring. “And if you need anything tomorrow, I’ll be upset if you don’t call or text me.”
Her gaze narrowed. “You were already planning to show up here tomorrow night to work on another project, weren’t you?”
He grinned. “Guilty. Wow, you’re good.” He leaned in and gently rubbed noses with her, but before he could back away, she cupped a hand behind his neck and pulled him in for another kiss.
He gladly let her, not even caring if she could feel how his cock stiffened in his jeans. Her kiss felt tentative, like she was afraid he’d pull away. He let her control it—this time—his eyes falling closed when her tongue lightly traced his lips before she broke the kiss.
He opened his eyes. “Fair warning, you keep doing things like that, you’re going to have a hard time getting rid of me.”
“Unfortunately, scaring guys off seems to be my superpower.”
“Well, that’s my good luck, then. Because I’m not your average guy.”
Walt let her decide when to end their embrace. After he finally bid her good-night and got into his truck, he fought the urge to let out a victory scream.
The world was a very strange place sometimes, full of coincidences and good fortune.
For once, it seemed like maybe things might work out in his favor.
Chapter Eleven
Holly spent the night tossing and turning and thinking about Walt. Everything he’d done for her that day, not the least of which was introducing her to Kimbra.
Getting her hopes up usually got her heart broken, but this time, Holly had a feeling maybe fortune was finally turning her and Louis’ way for a change. There was something intense about Kimbra. Focused, driven. Even Holly could tell that in the short time she’d spent with the woman.
What Holly didn’t understand was why Walt might possibly be interested in her. Kimbra was beautiful and intelligent. Tory was beautiful and intelligent and could take a beating from him.
Then there was her. But Walt definitely appeared to want to pursue her.
Maybe I shouldn’t question that. She knew she should just enjoy Walt’s attention for as long as it lasted, until he finally got tired of her inability to do things and having to change or cancel plans at the last minute because her body wouldn’t cooperate.
When Holly awoke Monday morning, she stood under a hot shower and waited for her sore body to want to loosen up. What Nate and Walt had done Saturday night had helped in the short term, she could tell, but it was already starting to wear off.
Then another thought hit her—Joyce.
Dammit.
The last thing Holly wanted was the warm inner glow of yesterday spent with Walt ruined by her “friend.”
Holly didn’t park in her usual spot when she arrived at work. They didn’t have assigned parking, but both she and Joyce normally parked in the same general area so they could walk out together later. She even went out of her way to avoid Joyce’s car, although it took her a few extra minutes to decide where to park and it cost her an extra spoon in terms of energy from the longer walk.
At that point, she didn’t care.
She still felt pissed off at the woman for once again not thinking before she acted. This time, however, Holly had been caught squarely in the crossfire.
No, she wouldn’t deny that meeting Walt had been a good thing, but that wasn’t the point. Joyce had once again gone off half-cocked about something. Thank goodness Holly hadn’t been stuck in some bar or something, surrounded by drunk strangers.
After Holly clocked in and walked to her workstation, she made a point of ignoring Joyce, who sat three desks away and was already on a call.
If Holly played her cards right, she could probably avoid speaking to the woman until at least lunch time.
Maybe longer.
That’s exactly what she did, until Joyce walked over, her purse in her hands. “Are you still mad at me?”
Holly had managed to calm down, but the tone in Joyce’s voice—like Holly was being the irrational one—riled her up again. “Seriously?”
“I apologized.”
“Yeah, but then you ask me that like I don’t have a right to be upset?”
“That’s not what I meant. And if it means anything, Luke won’t call or text me back now.”
Holly stared at her. “Are you serious? You think that makes it all better?”
“Well, you should be satisfied, at least.”
“No! I’m not satisfied that you blew up your own whatever that was because you once again flaked out. You do realize that this is a pattern with you, right?”
Holly realized there were a few people glancing their way, and she didn’t even care.
Storm clouds darkened Joyce’s expression. “What are you talking about?”
“What do you mean, what am I talking about? Off the top of my head I can think of about ten guys you’ve ‘dated’ in the past year.”
Holly used finger quotes around the word for emphasis. “Some of them in situations you were damned lucky not to have been hurt. One of the assholes you met on Craigslist that you didn’t get to meet in person was arrested before your date for attempted murder!”
Joyce’s face reddened. “I didn’t know he was a criminal,” she muttered.
Holly grabbed her purse and stood. “I can’t even with you today,” she said as she headed for the door, a few heads turning to follow them.
Joyce fell into step behind her. “Can’t we at least eat lunch together?”
“I’ve got plans,” Holly lied, not even knowing what to do now.
“What plans?”
“I’ve…got an attorney to go talk to.”
Joyce finally dropped off behind her, going into the women’s bathroom in the main lobby. Holly picked up the pace
despite her screaming muscles and headed for her car. She didn’t want Joyce to see where she parked today.
As she pulled out of the parking lot, her AC on full blast against the brutal Sarasota afternoon heat, she realized she wasn’t even upset about the possibility of losing Joyce as a friend now.
Huh.
* * * *
“Tell me you’re dating her.”
Walt’s next patient wasn’t due for over an hour but he hadn’t left for lunch yet. He leaned back in his chair and wished he hadn’t answered his cell phone. “Why?”
“Because I told Momma that you’re bringing your new girlfriend to Papi’s birthday dinner Wednesday night.”
He winced. “Why did you do that?”
“What am I gonna do, huh? Have you show up with someone and not tell them?”
“You said they’d be okay with her there.”
“They will be, as long as I don’t blindside them. But…”
“What’d you do?”
“I told them she’s your girlfriend.”
He rubbed at his temple. “You did get the whole fibromyalgia memo, right? That she might barely be vertical come time for the dinner?”
“Oh, I warned them about that. You’re welcome, by the way. It means you have a ready excuse to leave early, if you want to.”
“How’d Momma take the news?”
“She sounded a little sad, but said it’s about time you had yourself a girlfriend.” Kimbra snickered. “She said it with that tone that blamed me for everything. Nothing new there.”
“I hope Holly’s not overwhelmed.”
“Well, I also told Momma about Louis, and she nearly had a conniption fit. You’d think he was her own son.”
Walt leaned forward again. “Stacking the sympathy deck, huh?”
“You betcha. This ain’t my first rodeo, Fingers.”
“Serious question. How sure are you that you can get him a new trial?”
“Pretty damn certain. I’ve already drawn up the paperwork notifying the court I’m his attorney. I need to get my hands on the actual evidence from the trial and go through it. I’ll probably have to file some discovery motions, which might raise a few red flags in the prosecutor’s office, but that’s okay.”