Beyond Broken (20 page)

I did and waited a few seconds in case he took a few shots.

“Hey!” Bekah’s voice distracted me and I turned toward the sound.

“Hi there.” I smiled a welcome.

“Hey, Braxton.” Bekah waved and winked. I still was trying to wrap my head around calling Dr. Solomon by his first name. But Bekah had taken to it quickly.

“Hi, Bekah. I was just taking a picture of your roomie here. Stand next to her? There. Yeah. Smile.” He took a few more and then handed the phone back to me.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. I think they turned out well.” He shrugged, then glanced to Bekah, taking a step forward. His eyes cut back to mine and in a low whisper he said, “I’m here if you need anything, Sophia… I’ve always been here.” He placed a warm hand on my shoulder, then left, walking up the beach toward the house.

“Um… am… I interrupting something?” Bekah asked as she glanced from me to Dr. Solomon’s retreating form.

“No, he was just making sure I was alright. He said I’ve been a little out of sorts this past week.”

“Does he know why?” Bekah whispered, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Yeah, I think he at least has his suspicions.”

“I bet that’s not going over well.”

“Hmm?”

“Nothing. I’ll tell you later. Are you about ready to go?”

“Yeah. Let’s make sure we’ve got everything and say goodbye. I need to hit up the pharmacy and get some aloe vera… I’m a little crispy.” I touched my skin and it turned white immediately only to fade back into a burnt pink.

“Yeah… I knew we needed more sunscreen…”

“It’s okay. I’ll be warm tomorrow but it will heal quickly.”

“Let’s hope so.” Bekah studied my skin dubiously and then gave me a weak grin.

“Not all of us can have olive skin that tans perfectly.” I quipped back at her disbelieving expression.

“Not all of us are perfect.” She sighed and began walking toward the beach house.

A wide smile split my lips, reminding me that they were sunburned as well. With a rueful grin I trudged through the sand back to the house.

Chapter Fourteen

I sent Greyson the pictures when I got home. He hadn’t called me all day, which meant he was in meetings still. My heart hurt for him and I was guilty knowing I had spent the day having fun while he was miserable. The pictures Dr. Solomon had taken were perfect. The light breeze had blown my hair just slightly, enough to make the picture come to life. The pictures of Bekah and I were just as good so I sent them to Greyson as well. Sure enough, I also posted one of mine as my new profile picture.

An hour later my phone buzzed with a text. I glanced down, fully expecting to see Greyson’s name light up. But it was a different number. I opened the message.

Glad you came. Have a great rest of the weekend and see you Monday
—Braxton.

I studied the screen, my eyebrows furrowed.

“What’s up?” Bekah asked.

“Um, nothing really. I thought Greyson texted me back from the pictures but it was actually from Dr. Solomon. He was saying thanks for coming.” I shrugged.

“Yeah, I bet.” Bekah raised an eyebrow and walked over to the couch, turning on the TV.

“What do you mean?”

“Okay, you know how when we got there, I asked if there was something I should know?” Bekah’s blue eyes were wide as she studied me.

“Yeah.”

“And you know how later I asked if I was interrupting something?”

“Yeah… and?” I gave her my best,
get to the point
expression.

“Dr. Solomon, Braxton, yeah, he wants you, girl.”

“What?”

“He is attracted to you, he watches you like, all the time. You got hit in the head with the volleyball, who got to you first?”

“Dr. Solomon.”

“Yeah, and he was standing the farthest away. You were sitting alone on the beach so what did he do?”

“Sat next to me?”

“Bingo! We have a winner. Seriously, is this how he acts at work?”

“No, I don’t think so. I mean we eat lunch together sometimes and there’s the Holy Wednesday joke—”

“Okay, back up, Holy Wednesday?”

I explained the joke I had made up and Bekah just shook her head. “Only you would think of that. But still, just keep your eyes open. He might know or have suspicions about Greyson, and he’s going to see him as competition.”

“Really?” I sat down in the chair. Hadn’t I had my own suspicions? Yet they seemed so far-fetched. There was nothing about me that would attract them… or so I thought. Maybe I didn’t see what they saw, but still. It seemed crazy.

“When you get to work Monday, just keep your eyes open.”

“I will but… Bekah, I’m just me. I’m no one special. I—”

“You have light. You have joy. You’re genuine. That alone attracts people, especially men like Greyson who have been deprived of that light their whole lives. And also men like Braxton — Dr. Solomon. He sees the darkness every day of his life, and you’re so astoundingly different he can’t help but be attracted as well.” Bekah shook her head the paused, glancing down with a furrowed brow. “Just be careful because you want a guy to love you for more than that. You deserve more than that.”

“Thanks, Bekah.” I walked over to her and hugged her, thankful for her insight and wisdom.

My phone rang and I rushed to grab it from the kitchen table. Greyson’s name lit up the screen and I grinned widely.

“Hey,” I answered, my heart happy just to hear his voice.

“Hi, Beautiful. How was your day?” Greyson’s tone was strained, tired.

“Better than yours by the sound of your voice. Are you alright?” My smile faded as concern over took me.

“Yeah, just got back from hell.”

“Not a prime vacation spot.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. I don’t want to go back.”

“Did everything turn out alright? Did you get the dispute resolved?”

“Yeah but I really, really don’t want to talk about it. Please, distract me from my miserable life.”

“First, your life is not miserable. Second, I sent you pictures. Did you get them?”

“Actually, I just called as soon as I got a chance, I didn’t even check. Hold on.”

I heard a few taps and waited.

“Damn, you’re beautiful.” Greyson’s voice shook with reverence.

“Thanks.”

“Where did you go? It looks like you’re at the beach, but I can’t quite tell. I’m too distracted by that grin of yours.” A smile returned to his voice and I grinned, relaxing.

“Yeah. I was at the beach.” I hesitated to tell him I was at Dr. Solomon’s house, remembering his reaction when he found the note.

“I wish I’d been there with you.”

“So do I.”

“So what did you and Bekah do… that
is
Bekah in the other picture right?”

“Yeah, that’s Bekah.”

“So…?” I heard him sigh heavily.

“Relaxing?” I guessed as I heard a faint rustling.

“No, undressing.”

“Oh.” My face heated as the mental image of his shirtless stomach assaulted me full force.

“Yep, first my shirt and now I’m unzipping—”

“Okay! I get the picture, let’s keep it clean.”

His deep chuckle vibrated across the line.

“Fine, have it your way. I’m done now anyway.”

“Good.”

“Yep, naked as the day I was born.”

“Awesome.” I closed my eyes and fought the blush that burned in my face.

“Are you blushing?”

“Yes, are you happy now?”

“Yep, best part of my whole day… the only thing that would make it any better is if you were here and na—”

“And we’re done.”

“Abstinence is killing me.” He groaned into the phone.

“I’m sure you’ll survive.”

“I have my doubts.”

“I have faith in your self control.”

“When you put it that way I kinda have to rise to the occasion, don’t I?” He groaned.

“Yep.”

“Sucks. Okay, I’m ready for a distraction. What did you and Bekah do today?”

I bit my lip as I thought over what I should say. The truth was always the best choice, so with a deep breath I plunged ahead.

“We went to the barbecue at Dr. Solomon’s beach house. It was a lot of fun, Bekah got to meet a bunch of people from Willow and Oak, and I got hit in the head with a volleyball. Twice.”

“You know you can duck, right?” Greyson chuckled and I relaxed.

“Yeah, but when it’s speeding through the air like that you don’t always have time.”

“At least it’s soft.”

“Tell that to my bump.”

“Poor thing.” Greyson’s tone was light and I could picture the gleam in his eye as he spoke the words.

“Thank you. I appreciate your sympathy for my war wounds.” Bekah snorted in the background and I turned to her and glared.

“Did your team at least win?” Greyson asked through a chuckle.

“Uh… not exactly.”

“So you lost?”

“No… not really.”

“Was there random flying volleyballs and no game?”

“I was the referee.”

Greyson burst into a laugh on the other end and I grinned, seeing his expression in my mind’s eye, missing him all the more.

“So you didn’t even play? But got socked with a spike anyway? Awesome.”

“Glad I could entertain you,” I responded dryly.

“You did, thank you.” He groaned slightly as if stretching. “Well, I’m glad that you had fun. At least one of us did today.”

“Yeah, we had a good time. I’m more than a little sunburned though.” I glanced dubiously at my shoulder.

“Spiked with a volleyball and sunburned… I’m starting to rethink my statement. Maybe I had more fun than you today.” Greyson’s voice was thick with amusement.

“Ha-ha.”

“Well, at least you took some amazing pictures. I’m going to show them off tomorrow.”

“What?”

“Show them off? Seriously? I already posted two of them on Facebook.”

“You did?”

“Yeah! Of course! Five likes guaranteed. Tell Bekah she’s a great photographer.”

“Uh, okay. I’ll pass that along but Bekah didn’t take the picture. Dr. Solomon did. Bekah was in the picture, remember?” I teased.

“Oh… yeah. I just assumed…” Greyson grew quiet.

“What?” I asked carefully.

“Nothing. Honestly? I’m just wretchedly jealous that he got to hang out with you all day, take pictures of you and I’m stuck here.” Greyson expelled a heavy sigh. I imagined him rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and biting his lower lip.

“Yeah, but he was taking pictures of me for you, Greyson.”

“But does he know that?”

“I’m not sure… I think he suspects something, but…”

“If you say anything it will jeopardize your job,” Greyson said, his tone raw and tired.

“Yeah, me kissing a patient isn’t exactly proper behavior, Just in case you didn’t realize that,” I teased, yet my heart was still wary. I could easily lose my job if they found out, or had more than a suspicion like Dr. Solomon.

“Well, in your defense, I did back you into a corner that first time.”

“A door. You backed me into a door.”

“Details, details.” Greyson chuckled.

“But yeah, give it a few weeks and it will be okay, but right now, I need to be careful still.”

“I understand. I don’t like it. But I understand. Plus, once it gets out that I have girlfriend the rags are going to hound you. I want to be there or have you here when that starts. In fact, just to make sure I’m going to take down the picture I posted of you.”

“What do you mean the rags will hound me?”

“It will be hot news for about a week, then it will die down, but in the meantime I don’t want to leave you by yourself to fend off the sharks.”

“Thanks?” I questioned.

“I’m worth it.” Greyson chuckled, but sobered. “Sophia, I’m going to try to come down to see you this next weekend. Okay? I really want — I
need
to see you.”

“I hope you can make it. I kinda miss you.”

“Kinda?”

“Yeah, just kinda.” I smiled, though I knew he couldn’t see me.

“Killing my ego here, Sophia.”

“It can be brought down a few sizes…”

“Sophia…” Greyson warned.

“I miss you a lot. And you better come and see me soon if you know what’s good for you.”

“Oooo, bossy. I like it. What else do I have to do, Sophia?” His voice dropped to a low rumble and I got the impression he was talking about something else entirely.

“Go to bed.”

“I’m really liking this—”

“And go to sleep.”

“Okay, not where I wanted this conversation to go.”

“Noted, but you need your sleep. Remember, Greyson, you have to stay on top of it or else—”

“I know, Sophia. I know.” He spoke calmly, with awareness I was relieved to hear lacing his tone.

“Good night then,” Greyson murmured.

“Night, Greyson.”

I hung up and lay back on my bed, imagining him doing the same. I missed him so much my body physically ached, my heart hurt, and I closed my eyes against a flood of tears that threatened to spill. It felt foolish, to miss someone so much when you hadn’t known them for very long. But emotions, feelings, weren’t always rational. I shook my head, trying to talk some sense into myself and stood, wiping away a few of the stray tears that made it through my self-determination. I needed to keep it together, because as much as I wanted to give my heart to Greyson, as much as it felt like I already had, my heart still wasn’t mine to give. I knew he wasn’t able to love me like I needed, not yet. But hope springs eternal. And each day I hoped that he’d get there, learn to lean on grace. Something I needed to do myself.

****

Monday morning came bright and early. The sun was bright in my eyes as I drove to the center and I was thankful for my cheap sunglasses. The morning went by quickly and soon I found myself sitting at the table across from Dr. Solomon eating lunch.

“So did you guys have fun at the barbecue?” Dr. Solomon asked just before he took a bite of his sandwich. His crystal blue eyes watched me, a mixture of curiosity and amusement in their depths.

“Yep. Little burnt but none worse for the wear,” I joked.

“Good. Though I doubt you’d say ‘no’ to such a direct question.” He smiled.

“True, but lucky for you, I’m telling the truth.”