1. Big Old Wrinkle
1
BIG OLD WRINKLE
F ourteen Years Later
There had to be springs in her shoes as Angel tried her hardest not to bounce her way to the car to get a look at where she’d be working her first job.
Thanks to Labor Day weekend, and today being Saturday, she had a few days to get situated but couldn’t contain her excitement to see everything now.
Graduation back in May was a greater relief after eight years of college than how she’d felt when the hole was repaired in her heart.
She couldn’t wait to hang up her diploma from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The same school Coy went to.
Boy, did she have to bust her ass to get in. She had never been so proud of herself.
And what other dream was coming true? Coy! That was coming true. Sort of.
Her job was going to be with the man she’d had her first and only crush on.
If she weren’t in her car driving now, she’d be doing a little spin. Instead, she wiggled her butt in the leather seat of her SUV as her form of a booty shake.
She had to get it out of her system to remain controlled in front of Coy.
Angel had never let on once what she felt for him, no matter how many times she was in his presence over the years or in the phone calls and texts he’d sent her during dental school in the form of help.
She was taking a massive risk doing this, but her heart told her when the offer came in, there was no way she was turning it down.
Years ago, Coy had said he was doing things his way and she’d adopted that motto.
“You beat me here,” Coy said, getting out of his Range Rover as he parked next to her. He was just as handsome as he always was when she saw him.
Dark hair blowing in the breeze, his eyes always attuned to her every word.
“I need to sneak out while my parents are at the apartment. They are driving me nuts explaining things. You’d think I never lived away from them before.” She dipped her head down and thought it might be time to start to slide more of the truth of her life and actions in there. It’d been hard work locking it up in his presence for years. “I’m excited. Thank you again for the job offer.”
“My pleasure. I need another dentist desperately,” he said. “I’ve needed one for years, but it’s not easy to get someone to come to the island. Then find someone you know or can trust. I know you.” He gave her a playful nudge like he often did when she went to visit Spencer.
She smiled, her heart racing some over the innocent touch. “You do know me,” she said.
He’d only gotten more handsome over time. It’d been years since she’d seen him, but they had kept in communication while she was in dental school.
He’d aged the best way possible from a boy to a man.
Was she making the biggest mistake of her life doing this?
She didn’t want to think she would be jeopardizing her career. She needed to start somewhere. What better place than with someone that her family loved and trusted?
It’s not like the first day she was here she was going to confess, “Hey, Coy. I’ve been in love with you for years.”
Good thing she’d never told a soul. Not even her mother who knew just about everything about her.
“I do,” he said. “Let’s go in. I’ll show you what room will be yours. I’ve only got one office and we’ll share that if you don’t have a problem with it. It’s not like I’m sitting in there often.”
“No problem,” she said. “I can’t wait to start. I won’t let you down, I promise.” Those damn springs in her shoes were threatening to make an appearance as she felt her knees start to bend and straighten a few times.
He pulled his keys out, unlocked the door, and then punched a number into the alarm.
“I’ll get you a key and the alarm codes,” he said. “I’ll have them for you on Tuesday. I should have brought the key with me now and just forgot. I was rushing to get here.”
“Sorry if you had plans today,” she said. She hoped to hell he wasn’t with a woman. That would put a big old wrinkle in her plans.
To the best of her knowledge, he was single.
She’d had to listen to news of him dating women over the years and grind her teeth to not let it show how upsetting it was for her.
But it’s not as if she’d had any hold on him. Not then and not now either.
What if he found someone else while she was here and she had to watch him with that person?
Hmm, maybe she didn’t think this through as well as she should have.
“No plans,” he said. “I had my nephew Liam last night so my brother Drew and his, wife, Amanda, could go out. He didn’t want to go to sleep when he was supposed to.”
A man who loved kids. Could Coy get any more perfect?
Did she have rose-colored glasses on? Yep, she did and wasn’t afraid to admit it.
“He’s two now, right?” she asked. She remembered everything she could about what she’d heard of Coy in the past few years.
She was thrilled that Spencer went to law school where Coy was in dental school, giving them a few more years together, and were still as close as ever.
“Two and a half,” he said. “And a handful but in the best way possible.”
“That’s sweet,” she said. “And speaking of sweet. Wow.”
They’d walked past the reception area, which was modern and fresh. She didn’t expect any differently with Coy’s family owning the biggest real estate firm in Massachusetts. Not to mention his brother Bode’s construction company.
Spencer had made comments over the years that Coy had ownership in the family businesses and even the retirement community that his brothers had built a few years ago.
Here she was with her first job and just trying to figure out how to pay down her student loans.
“It’s great isn’t it?” he said, looking around with his arms open. “This is your room.”
They’d been walking down the hall and she was glancing into all the rooms they passed.
Everything looked new, though she knew Coy had been in business for seven years.
He’d graduated and opened up his practice right away.
Didn’t even buy one that existed or work somewhere else for the experience, that she knew of.
He dove right in head first.
She supposed when you have the financial backing it does make life easier.
Not that she ever thought of his wealth.
She was more interested in Coy as a person.
A man.
The one that would be her first.
Slow down, girl, she told herself.
First, she had to figure out a way to let him know what she was feeling.
Work would have to be the priority though.
He’d be her boss and that could get sticky too.
She’d figure it out as she’d been doing with everything in her life so far.
She got here and didn’t think that would ever happen. It wasn’t even her who made the move, but her brother who brought it up.
Talk about fate!
The rest would just fall into place.
“It’s awesome,” she said, running her hand along the gray leather chair that her patients would be sitting in. “I can’t wait. I can’t believe how excited I am.”
“I know that feeling well,” he said softly.
He got her. It seemed to her he always did.
And she remembered words close to that the first day they’d met. That he knew what it felt like to feel babied.
“We have a lot of the same feelings,” she said.
“What?” he asked.
“You told me you knew what it was like to be babied when we first met.”
He laughed. “Wow, I did. I can’t believe you remembered that.”
She kept the frown from her face that he didn’t remember every moment with her as she’d done with him.
That would be unrealistic.
And though maybe there were times she lived in a fantasy world, she didn’t get lost there either.
“I remember everything,” she said quietly, then turned to look around the room. “Do I have patients lined up already?” Best to get her mind back in work mode.
“I thought we could start slow the first month,” he said. “Since you’re here now and it’s quiet, we can talk about it some.”
“I get it,” she said. “You want to just watch me. It’s your business. I understand completely.”
She wouldn’t be upset over that.
“Thanks for that,” he said. “I’ll have you doing exams of patients after their cleanings. Then we’ll start scheduling things where I can come in and observe. Or even watch that first week. I could even let you do some of my appointments if the patients are agreeable, but it’s better to schedule people with you so they know.”
“You’ve got to start somewhere,” she said agreeably.
“You do.” He put his hand out. “Welcome aboard Bond Dental.”
The minute her hand landed in his, all those tingles from the first time slammed into her repaired heart and almost caused it to skip and flutter again.
But she knew what it was this time.
“Glad to be here,” she said, smirking. “In more ways than one.”