Finding Forever (Living Again #4) (12 page)

“And Max?”

“Doing well. My sister is with him right now. Sorry I didn’t get to see you when I came to get him. You were at lunch.”

“Don’t be sorry,” she responded. He didn’t like how aloof she sounded, like she was just making regular small talk with an acquaintance. “I know you’ve had a hell of a week.”

“Guess we both have,” he laughed, though it wasn’t funny.

She gave him a sad look that he couldn’t quite decipher, then walked silently next to him all the way back to Sam’s trailer, making him wonder what exactly he missed about the rest of her week.

Act normal,
she told herself.
Not like you didn’t just see the most beautiful model you’ve ever seen grabbing Brant’s ass and obviously propositioning him
. She wasn’t sure who she wanted to smack more: the model, for thinking so little of herself; Sam, for manipulating her into coming there, or Brant, for making her
feel
something when she saw that. She was angry. And jealous. That was a feeling she hadn’t had… ever.

He hadn’t called her back when she texted him, then called him last night. She figured that he saw her as he should see her: a selfish, cowardly woman that didn’t think of anyone but herself. Here he was, having the worst week, and she couldn’t even ask him how he was doing or offer to help him with his dog. Some friend she was. After he had taken her out to lunch and offered to cook her dinner.

And now, to see him here, in his element, it threw her for a loop. When her eyes had zeroed in on that body, standing there in a low-hung pair of board shorts and no shirt, she swore steam must’ve come out of her pores she was so hot and bothered. His tanned, muscular body had cuts and rivets of muscle she wasn’t sure she had ever seen up close on a man before. Actually, she was sure she had never seen them, except in magazines and on television. She knew before then that he obviously had a great body; clothes couldn’t hide that. But to see him like that was something else entirely. That man put the word
sexy
to shame.

His hair had been purposefully tousled, and the look he had on his face when he looked at the camera could only be described as sex. Hot, molten, I-can’t-wait-to-have-you sex. His body had been glistening with whatever they put on him for the camera, and she swore that he was even wearing some makeup. She would’ve stood there forever, watching the conundrum that was Brant Tucker, if it hadn’t been for
her
. That
model
that made it well known she would sleep with him. Why were some women—and men for that matter—like that? Why did they think so low of themselves? While she wasn’t a virgin, she had never found the use or desire to have a one-night (or one day) fling with someone.

They reached Sam’s trailer, having walked the entire way there in silence. Lacey knocked on the door, not sure if she wanted to deck or hug her best friend for manipulating her. She should’ve put two and two together, remembering that Brant had a shoot this weekend, but of course after the whirlwind week, she had forgotten.

“Sam?” Lacey knocked on the door, then opened it. Sam sat on the small couch, grinning from ear to ear, her phone in her hand. Lacey narrowed her eyes at her as Brant walked in behind her. Sam looked at him, then back at Lacey and lifted her eyebrow.

“Hey Lace, Brant,” she said coolly, standing up to hug Lacey. “How’d the shoot go, Brant?”

“It went,” Brant answered. “Stu’s a genius. I’m sure the photos will be killer. Between the individual shots, group shots, and all the in between, I’m sure he nailed it. He’s one of the best in the business. I’m just glad it’s over. I have so much on my plate right now, if it hadn’t have been really important, I probably would’ve canceled it.”

“But then you wouldn’t have met
Lizzy,
” Lacey said, not able to help herself.

“Lizzy?” Sam questioned.

“Oh she was the model Brant was paired with for the last part of the shoot. She was quite… enamored with him.”

Sam laughed. “Ohhhhh… jealousy. That’s a side of you I like seeing, Lacey.”

It was Brant’s turn to laugh, and Lacey felt the blush creeping up her chest and face. She had been trying to be sarcastic, but she guessed that didn’t work out for her very well.

“I like it too,” Brant said, his rumbling laughter doing a number on her. “Believe me, Lizzy types are a dime a dozen in this industry, Doc. It’s part of the job. There was no way I was taking her back to my trailer, whether I would’ve seen you there or not.”

Lacey had nothing else to say after that, so she turned back to Sam. “Nice work getting me here, by the way, dear friend.”

Sam grinned, twisting her long hair into a bun and kicking off the heels she had worn for her last set. “Hey, once I met Brant here and figured out who he was, I thought, hey, what do I have to lose? You’re my best friend, you need a kick in the pants…”

“Samantha Kerrigan-Warner,” Lacey warned, and both Sam and Brant laughed. This was a losing battle, and she knew it. They had joined sides.

“How about that dinner I owe you?”

They were walking out to their cars, and Lacey’s mind had been racing with the possibility of what she wanted from Brant. Or with Brant. When he offered the dinner she had missed earlier in the week, her spirits lifted.

“Really?”

Brant smiled, bumping her playfully. “Yes! I don’t know what I have at home, with the crazy week I’ve had, but we can order in something. Now that my shoot’s over, I can be a little bad.”

Those words echoed through her.
A little bad
. She knew that he didn’t mean it the way she was taking it, but it made her think about how many other ways he could be
bad
. “That sounds great, Brant. I can check on Max, too, see how he’s healing.”

“I’m sure the big guy would love that,” Brant said, unlocking his truck and throwing his bag in the back. “Everyone feels better when a beautiful woman is around.”

Lacey groaned and he laughed. She was enjoying their banter. “I’m sorry that I didn’t contact you this week. It’s been a hard week for me as well, but that’s no excuse.” The amount of relief she felt that her mammogram had been clear rushed through her again. She had been so afraid of that for the last year for nothing. She was healthy, and maybe that was a sign that she needed to start living a little more.

“It’s no big deal, Lacey. I’m glad that I ran into you today. Want to follow me to my house? It’s about thirty minutes from here. Oh, and I need to stop at the hospital and find my cell phone.”

“Sounds good,” Lacey agreed. She walked to her car, her thoughts a jumbled mess and butterflies in her stomach.

They pulled into his driveway, and Lacey looked around. It was an older home, obviously restored, as was most of the neighborhood. A big oak tree shaded most of the front yard.

“Ready?” Brant appeared at her door, and she got out and followed him to the front door. A small
woof
sounded from somewhere in the house. Brant opened the door and let her in ahead of him. His house was amazing. But she was distracted by the beautiful woman that came from the kitchen.

“Hey! How was the…” she stopped as she caught sight of Lacey.

Brant put his hand on the small of Lacey’s back, propelling her forward. “Lacey, this is my sister Heather. Heather, this is Dr. Lacey Russell. She was one of Max’s doctors this past week.”

Heather smiled, extending her hand to Lacey. “Nice to meet you, Lacey. So a vet, huh? You here to check on Max?”

Lacey blushed, taking in Brant’s sister that could’ve followed in her big brother’s footsteps and been a model. “Well…”

“She’s here to have dinner with me,” Brant saved her. “How’s Max been? I stopped at the hospital to find my phone and dad was sleeping. Mom and Brooke said that he had been asleep most of the day.”

“He laid right on his bed all day like a good little boy. He hobbled out to use the bathroom a few times, and slept the rest of the time. I’m going to get back to the hospital. How was the shoot?”

“It was a shoot,” Brant answered, making his way to the family room. Lacey followed, giving Heather a small smile.

“Nice to meet you, Lacey. See you later, Brant,” Heather said, grabbing her keys.

“You too, Heather,” Lacey responded. “I’m very sorry to hear about your dad, also.”

“He’s a tough guy, but thanks. It’s hard to see him that way.” With that, Heather left, leaving Lacey alone in the house with Brant. And Max.

She turned back, seeing Brant crouched down on the floor, his head pressed to Max’s. He was talking to him softly, and Max had rolled onto his side, lifting his leg so Brant could scratch his stomach. Lacey got down next to him, the doctor in her taking over as she carefully unwrapped his leg so she could check the incision.

Brant continued stroking the dog as she looked at him, neither of them saying a word. Satisfied with what she saw, she wrapped it back up carefully. “Looks like you’re doing well, Max,” she crooned, caressing his soft head. “You aren’t going to be relegated to the cone either, buddy. Nice job leaving it alone.”

Sitting back and crossing her legs, she looked over at Brant, who was watching her closely. “He really is okay? I can’t take any more bad news this week.”

“It looks great,” Lacey said. “He’s a model patient. This is why I would rather work with animals. They’re so much better than people, and it’s totally acceptable for them to lick you or put their head in your lap as a thanks.”

Brant laughed. “That’s so true.” Standing up, he held out his hand to help her off the floor. She gripped his strong hand, trying to ignore the feeling it gave her to touch him. “Are you getting hungry? I could eat a small cow.”

Now it was Lacey’s turn to laugh. “I could eat, yes, though I don’t know about a small cow.”

“Pizza and wings okay with you? I’ve been in shoot mode this whole week, so its splurge night.”

“Sounds great to me,” she said, watching Brant as he strolled out of the room and into the kitchen. It almost felt… normal to be here with him, which was crazy because she barely knew him.

Max lifted up his head and met her eyes, then slowly stood up. His leg was supported enough for him to move, but it made her nervous anyway. “What’s the matter, boy? You need to go outside?”

He moved towards her instead of to the door, so she wasn’t sure if he needed to go out or not. When he reached the couch she was sitting on, he laid his big head on her leg, his handsome brown eyes looking up at her. His little nub of a tail wagged furiously as she stroked his soft fur.

“I walk out of the room for a minute and look at you, moving in on the lady already. What, do you think she can’t resist your big brown eyes or your soft fur?”

Max turned only his eyes to look at Brant, then looked back at her. She continued to stroke his head, trying hard not to laugh. She had always attracted the animals. That’s what made her a good vet, because they seemed to know that she loved them and just relaxed around her.

Brant sat next to her, but Max still didn’t move. “Traitor,” he mumbled. “Beautiful doctor and all of a sudden you’re ready to turn me in.” He looked at Lacey out of the corner of his eye and smiled. “If he was able, he’d have his rope and be putting that in your lap to play. But, he doesn’t share it. He acts like he wants you to play, but he really just wants to put that drool-infested toy in your lap and torture you with it. He won’t give it up to let you throw it.”