Finding Forever (Living Again #4) Read online

  As he stepped in the steaming hot shower, his mind drifted back to Lacey. He really hoped she was there this morning. He knew what he had to do, and that would mean that Max would have to wait five extra minutes to see him.

  Brant swung open the truck door, getting the box carefully out of the passenger seat. Attached to the box was a balloon that said Happy Birthday, and a stuffed dog that looked like Max was on top of the box. It was the most effort he had ever put out for someone he just met the day before, but he felt like she needed a good cheering up.

  Propping the door open with his foot, he guided the balloon into the lobby of the vet’s office, then let the door go and slid his shades on top of his head. He wasn’t sure who he was more nervous to see this morning: Lacey or Max.

  Karen, the receptionist, eyed him as he made his way to the counter. “Good morning, Mr. Tucker.”

  “Good morning,” he answered, not responding to the question she had in her eyes about what he was carrying. “Is Dr. Russell in?”

  Karen looked over her shoulder, and he turned to see Lacey standing in the doorway to one of the exam rooms. Today she was wearing multicolored fish scrubs, her hair loose around her shoulders. Her eyes jumped from his face to the balloon bobbing above him, and she lifted an eyebrow.

  Taking several steps towards her, he smiled, his heart rate picking up even though he attributed it to nerves. “Good morning, Lacey.”

  She looked back at him, her crystal eyes piercing through him as she studied his face. “Good morning, Brant. What do you have here?”

  He indicated behind her. “Can we go in?” Her eyes widened fractionally, but she nodded her answer, turning to walk into the room. He set the box on the counter, taking the stuffed animal and the card off the top.

  “This is for you,” he started. “To say thank you for what you did for Max yesterday, and to say Happy Belated Birthday.”

  She took the stuffed animal and card from him, hugging it to her chest while looking at an invisible spot over his shoulder. She was embarrassed, he surmised.

  “How did you know it was my birthday?”

  “I heard your sister tell you yesterday, at the river. I just thought that you should maybe get a birthday do-over.”

  “A birthday do-over?” she repeated.

  “Yeah,” Brant shrugged. “You know. Pretend today is actually your birthday so it doesn’t have to be a sad day, and I was the first to give you a present.”

  Her mouth opened and closed a few times, and he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Her hands worked the soft fur of the stuffed animal, her eyes linked to his.

  “Y-you did this, for me?”

  He nodded, wanting badly to step closer to her, to envelop her in his arms. But he forced himself to stand still and wait for her. “Open the box.”

  She broke eye contact, reaching for the box. Taking the lid off, she gasped. Brant had stopped at Let’s Eat Cake, the best bakery in town, and gotten her their specialty, a ginormous apple streusel. It was a place of weakness for him, and he stopped there at least once a month to indulge his sweet tooth in between shoots.

  “Brant.” His name sounded like a breath, and it did something to him that he wasn’t sure if he liked or loved. “How did you know?”

  “Know what?”

  She turned back to him, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. Uh oh. He had done something wrong. “These were my mom’s favorites. We used to go there every Saturday for breakfast.”

  Shit. Here he was, trying to do something nice, and he made her upset again. Out of all of the things they had there, he just had to pick the thing that she shared with her mother. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” she said, surprising him by coming closer to him instead of running for the hills. “It’s so ironic.”

  “What is?” She stepped forward and put her hand on his forearm, and he swore he visibly jumped. She touched him.

  “All of this,” she whispered. She tipped her face back to look at him, and all he could think about was tasting those sweet lips of hers, right here in the middle of the vet’s office. “Meeting you, yesterday, seeing you at the river, now this. It’s like…”

  He knew what she was going to say, but he wasn’t going to finish her sentence, and neither was she. He wasn’t overly sure he believed in that four letter word, but if he ever had, it might be right now.

  “I’m sorry if I overstepped, yesterday and now. I can’t take seeing a beautiful woman upset.”

  She smiled, a breathtaking, oxygen-sucking smile, her hand still on his forearm. “Thank you. This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a really long time. And this looks just like Max. He has quite a personality on him.”

  “He’s awake?” Just like that, the tension in the room lifted. He wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or upset.

  “He had a good night, and was looking for some food this morning when I got here. He didn’t attempt to get up, which is good, but he did put his big head on my arm and look up at me with those big, brown puppy dog eyes.”

  Brant laughed. “That’s Max! I told you he knew a beautiful woman when he saw one.”

  A blush crept over her cheeks and she looked away. “Would you like to see him?” Brant nodded, and she put the stuffed animal and box back on the counter, leading him to the rear of the office.

  As they approached Max’s kennel, Max lifted his head and saw Brant. His eyes roved back and forth between Brant and Lacey, settling on her. I don’t blame you, man, Brant thought. I’d stare at her over me, too. Lacey opened the door and Max licked her hand, making her giggle.

  “Max, you dirty dog, licking the girls,” Brant teased. He leaned over and ruffled the dog’s fur on his head. “I see you aren’t going to let a broken leg keep you down. I’m so glad you’re okay, man. You sure scared the shit out of me.”

  Max nuzzled him, and Brant fought the emotions that had been swirling in him since yesterday. “You’re a good boy, Max. You have to rest up and then we can go home.” He turned to Lacey. “Is he in pain?”

  “We’re keeping him on a pain killer and an antibiotic,” she said, indicating his IV. “He’s being a really good boy, not messing with his leg or his IV. As long as it stays that way, he gets a lot better pain management through IV. Once he goes home, he will take pills.”

  “No sign of infection?”

  She shook her head, making the scent of her shampoo waft into his nostrils. “Not yet, but that’s why we will keep monitoring him.”

  “He was lucky,” Dr. Jenkins appeared behind them. “He’ll be good as new in a few weeks.” He leaned down and stroked Max’s head, glancing over him as he did. “You just have to stay out of the road, fella. That’s not a good place for you.”

  “Can I stay and visit with him for a bit?” Brant asked.

  Lacey looked at Dr. Jenkins. “Sure,” he answered. “We have a slow day today. I have a few patients right now, so as long as you sit here, you can stay as long as you would like.”

  Brant nodded, looking out of the corner of his eye at Lacey. He wondered if he could push his luck and ask her out to lunch. He’d wait until Dr. Jenkins walked away. “Thank you, doctor.”

  Lacey moved a few steps away but didn’t leave altogether. He watched her check on a few other dogs, cats, and even a rabbit that were also recovering in the kennels. Even Max was watching her, and that made Brant chuckle out loud before he realized it.

  She turned back to both of them. “What’s funny?”

  “If Max could talk, he’d so be asking you out right now,” Brant teased, indicating the big dog’s eyes following her everywhere.

  Lacey laughed, moving closer again and petting Max’s head, running her hands along his jowls like he liked. “Is that so?”

  Brant nodded. “But, since he can’t, maybe his owner can get the guts to ask you to lunch.” The second the words left his mouth, he wanted to kick himself. He was twenty-seven years old, for God’s sake. He just sounded like a fifteen
year old teenager that had no clue how to treat a woman. “I mean…”

  “Yes,” Lacey answered, interrupting him. He stared at her for several seconds, unsure if he really heard her just say yes that easily. She said yes? She said yes.

  “Really?”

  “Really,” she teased. She was teasing him now? “It’s the least I can do, after you were so kind to bring me a birthday present.” Wait. Was this a pity date? “Stop overthinking it.”

  It was his turn to be shocked. How did she know that he was doing exactly that, overthinking things?

  “There’s a great little deli down the road we go to all the time. I have some work to do but I’ll be back in about an hour and we can go. Sound good?”

  “Sounds good,” Brant answered. “I’ll be right here whenever you’re ready.” She turned to walk away. “Oh, Lacey? Don’t forget to read your card.”

  “Want me to drive?” Lacey asked as he held open the door for her. “It’s about a mile away, but I wouldn’t suggest we walk.”

  Brant looked over at her, the way the Tennessee sunshine reflected honey and a little red in her brown hair, and he momentarily forgot what she asked. “I get to be chauffeured to lunch? Lead the way, my lady.”

  Lacey laughed, and he found himself wondering if she was generally a happy person or if he was really bringing that out in her more today. Stopping in front of a red two-door Honda Accord, she unlocked the doors. “Here it is.”

  “Nice ride,” he commented, sliding into the passenger seat. While he preferred trucks, for many reasons, the sleek car suited her.

  “Thanks,” she said, pulling out of the parking space. “It was my first new car ever. I bought it a couple months ago when I graduated from veterinary school.”

  “Quite an accomplishment,” Brant commented. “Did you always want to be a vet?”

  “Yes,” she answered immediately. “I’ve always loved animals. My mom and I used to take care of all sorts of strays when I was a kid.”

  “I’ve always loved animals, too. I grew up on a ranch.”

  “Really! I always wanted to have one. Do you work there?”

  “No,” Brant answered. “I went to college and have my Masters in Business Administration, but I never wanted to take over the family business.”

  “I can understand wanting to make your own way,” she answered, pulling in to the parking lot of the deli. “So what do you do?”

  “I’m a fitness model,” Brant said.

  Lacey turned to him, her face registering surprise. “Really! How long have you been doing that?”

  “I was scouted in high school for small print modeling. Mostly local stuff. As I got into college and really got into fitness, I got an agent and started doing more.”

  Lacey stepped from the car, and he followed. “So, you’re in magazines and stuff?”

  “Yes, I’ve been in some,” he replied. “I’ve done a few book covers as well. I do a lot of print work, advertisements and things also. Mostly products and fitness ads.”

  “So your goal is to travel the world and model?”

  For some reason, he thought the questions she was asking were more than her just being curious. It sounded like an interview. “My career has grown in leaps and bounds over the last few years. In this industry, by my age you are usually passed over for someone younger, but I’ve seemed to continue to be successful. So, to answer your question, I’m not sure where this is going to take me, but I love it and it’s a dream come true.”

  “That’s fabulous,” Lacey said, training her gaze on the menu in front of her. Brant watched her, wondering what she was thinking. “What do you want to do… after?”

  Ah, the million dollar question. What was he going to do once he was too old to keep modeling? “I’ve thought about becoming an agent, scouting for new talent. I’ve even thought about starting my own agency, using my business degree.”

  Lacey stepped up to order, not responding to his statement. He wondered what the change in her demeanor meant, and if she disliked the line of work he was in. It sure as hell wouldn’t be the first or last time someone looked down on him for it.

  Lacey sat down at the table, watching Brant at the register. He refused to let her pay for lunch. So he was a model. A model that spent his days, and probably nights, surrounded by beautiful women throwing themselves at him. He was also in the public eye all the time, and was rather famous. He traveled frequently, and was probably going to hit it big. Every single thing about that made her want to run as far away as possible. This was just like the saying, when something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Ever since meeting him yesterday, he had been nothing but a gentleman. She should’ve known the bottom would fall out, and she’d be thrust back into reality. She didn’t need to be dating anyone, if that’s even what he wanted with her. He was used to women throwing themselves at his feet, she was sure.

  She had seen what the spotlight had done to her best friend and her husband. While Sam was living her dream, it came with a huge price, including almost taking her life. Lacey couldn’t take the chance of any more loss, anything else to destroy her faith in humanity. So she would have this lunch with Brant, finish taking care of his dog, and he would forget all about her and this silly crush he had on her.

  “What happened, Lacey?” Brant set down his tray across from her and slid into his seat, his blue eyes searching hers. Damn, she couldn’t get anything past him. How could someone she had only known since yesterday read her so well?

  She picked up her sandwich and took a bite, buying herself a few more seconds. She didn’t want to seem like a jerk and say that she wouldn’t date him because of what he did for a living. Really, she was proud of him for following his dreams. Just like Sam, she only wished the best for him. She just knew that it wasn’t something she was prepared to live through, no matter how much she liked being around him.

  “What do you mean?” She decided that hurting him wasn’t the way to end this. She would just let things naturally fade away, and he’d easily find another pretty girl who would want all the same things as him.

  He studied her a moment, and she felt the heat creeping up her face. The way he looked at her, it was like he was infiltrating her very thoughts and feelings. Why did she have the feeling that he knew exactly what she was doing?

  “Something just happened. It’s like I watched a wall come down around you. What is it? I’m used to being judged over being a model, so go ahead. Spit it out.”

  She blinked. He sounded almost angry at her. “Brant, I’m not judging you at all. I’m very proud of your accomplishments, and following your dreams. I’m sorry if you think that I was closing down. I was just thinking about… everything. I haven’t been on a date, or lunch, or whatever, in a really long time. Then yesterday, you show up and kind of create a whirlwind around me. It’s just a lot to take in.”

  Brant chewed, watching her. “I get it. I’m sorry, I just get a little testy about my career. Many people, including my own family, don’t think what I do is a career. They see what I do as frivolous, meaningless.”

  “That’s silly,” Lacey said, and meant it. It would be like saying what Sam did was frivolous and meaningless, and she looked up to her best friend so much for realizing her dreams.

  Brant shrugged. “But true. So wait just a minute. You haven’t been on a date in a long time? Why is that? I can’t imagine you not having a line of guys a mile long to date you.”

  Lacey inhaled, a piece of her bread going down her throat and making her cough. Brant looked at her, alarmed, and she waved her hand, taking a sip of water and clearing her throat. “I’m fine,” she choked out. She thought back to the card that Brant had given her this morning for her “Birthday Re-do.” She thought it just might have been the nicest card anyone had ever given her.

  It had been a simple card, it wasn’t that. It was what he wrote in it. She didn’t even need the card to remember what he said, and she knew she would probably remember it forever.
/>   Lacey, it was my pleasure to meet you yesterday on your birthday. I really do think that this should be your birthday re-do day. Your smile is too beautiful to spend your birthday every year crying. Your mom would want that for you. It would make me a very happy man to keep getting to know you, because I know that beauty is only skin deep, and that anyone can be beautiful on the outside. You, however, are both. Thank you for the chance to know you. –Brant

  “Lacey? You sure you’re okay?” Brant broke through her thoughts. She blinked, turning her attention back to him. He had asked her something before she started choking. Oh yes, why she didn’t date.

  “I’m good,” she smiled, clearing her throat one more time. “Why don’t I date? Well, as you know since you were in school quite a while, school took a lot of my energy and extra time. I was determined to graduate at the top of my class, and I did. I had plenty of fun in college, and did have some fleeting relationships, but I just have never quite been a serious relationship kind of person.”

  Brant studied her, and she found herself squirming in her seat at the intensity in his gaze. “So you’ve never had a serious relationship?”

  Lacey looked down at her plate. She didn’t want to get into the whole thing with him. She had already told him too much information yesterday when she saw him at the river. He was probably thinking she was some innocent virgin girl he could show the ropes. Or he was thinking he needed to run now because there was something seriously wrong with her.

  “Lacey,” Brant said softly. “Look at me.”

  She lifted her head, fighting the rising emotion that was threatening to overtake her. Why was he getting to her so easily? For so many years, she had been good at keeping men like him at arm’s length, and here he was, twenty-four hours after meeting her, trying to pry open her iron-clad walls.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it the way your mind is probably spinning it. I’m just curious, that’s all. There’s nothing wrong with it if you have or haven’t had a serious relationship. I admire your tenacity in reaching your goals. It’s obviously worked well for you, since at your age you have landed a great job at the best vet practice in Nashville.”