She lifted our joined hands and pressed a kiss to the edge of my palm. Her lips were soft and warm, sending a live current through my body and right to my dick, now tenting my pants. A grin split her mouth, andfuckshe was breathtaking.
“Seriously, they’re going to kill us.”
“They don’t scare me.” I winked. “Not being with you, going back to denying everything,that’sterrifying.”
She looked away until I tapped her chin with my knuckle.
“I’ll never let that happen.”
9
Danielle
“I am so beat,”my friend and fellow therapist, Leanne, whined from my doorway. “Is it just me, or do the days get longer here?” She ambled into my office, plopping into the seat at the edge of my desk and raised an eyebrow. “You coming tonight?”
“Probably not. I have a load of paperwork. And you’re right. The more packed it gets, the longer the days seem.” I was only halfway through the charts for today, but I was afraid if I stopped, I’d take a nosedive into my keyboard and sleep until morning.
“Come on, you need a drink. We all do. I hate it when a celebrity comes here. Somehow, a friend always finds out when a famous athlete is here for therapy, and they beg for his autograph.” She rolled her eyes as her head fell back. “I have to explain it’s unethical, blah blah. God help me, but working with Jake Kinney makes me want to drink five rounds.”
“He just wants back onto the field. And prestigious orthopedic surgeon who performed his surgery sent him to this place with the promise we’d get him there. He’s got high expectations of us—and himself.” I shrugged as I closed another chart.
Complaining never helped, but I agreed with Leanne. Football quarterbacks, professional hockey players, anyone whose injury might cost them their livelihood—it didn’t matter; they were all the same. If we couldn’t get them back to where they were, they had a hell of a time acclimating to the idea of a new life. My heart broke for them, but my job wasn’t to give out pity and make things even harder. I was here to give them the strength and tools to move on, wherever “on” turned out to be. I’d studied under a tough, no-nonsense professor in college, and her attitude and work ethic had stuck with me. Were there nights I went home feeling like shit because I couldn’t do more to help my patients? Of course. But I managed to hold in the tears until I stepped into my apartment.
“If I finish, I’ll join you,” I lied as I opened the next chart.
“Right,” Leanne scoffed as she rose from the chair. “Lord help you if one patient note is missed or not flushed out. I admire your dedication, but you need to relax, Danielle. One night, I’m dragging you out against your will. See you in the a.m.”
I laughed as I reviewed the notes for my next case. Jack Taylor, New York City firefighter, injured on a call when the floor gave out from under him. Broken tibia; dislocated knee; muscle lacerations. Arrived at therapy after recovery from surgery.
I was at it for over an hour before my cell phone buzzed across my desk. I peered at my brother’s face on the screen and braced myself.
“Hi, Kyle,” I sang into the receiver.
“Please tell me you aren’t at work,” he sighed in my ear.
“Busy days cause a lot of paperwork. I’ll go home when I’m done.” I was exhausted and in no mood for our usual argument. My brother had always been protective, but after my divorce, he’d become relentless. What was worse? The humiliating ending of my marriage or the way my family babied me afterward? It was a true footrace.
“I actually call at night in the hopes you’re at a bar somewhere. Or a club. Hell, I’d even take a movie theater. I worry about you, Dani. Forcing yourself to work all this overtime and avoid any kind of socialization isn’t healthy. At all.”
“I’m busy during the day, and I update my notes at night. You know this, big brother. Stop making it into a big deal.”
“It’s a big deal because that’sallyou do. You won’t even meet up with friends after work. I hate thathe’sfucking up your head, even now.” I held in a laugh at my brother’s frustrated sigh.
“Please don’t worry about me. I’m okay, really. I was promoted, so I’m getting the more difficult cases now. It’s a lot to keep up with, but I’m happy—really,” I lied, not wanting to have the same conversation for the third time this week. Happiness wasn’t an immediate goal of mine. I’d decided to start slow and aim for not being miserable.
“They gave you Jake Kinney?” The worry in Kyle’s tone dissipated into awe.
“Ugh,” I groaned. “How did you find out about that? Anyway, no. Sorry to disappoint. But they did give me someone else you may be interested in. Remember Jack Taylor?”
“Jack Taylor?” My brother scoffed. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No. I thought you and Jack were good friends.” I didn’t get the sarcasm at the mention of Jack.
“We were. I thinkyoumissed him when we moved a lot more than me, though.”
“Please,” I huffed. “It was a long time ago.”
“Tell him I said hi, and if he’s single, go for it.”
