Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
B rielle marched down the street for what felt like the thousandth time that morning. Ryan’s veterinary clinic was set a little apart from the other businesses, which gave him space for a large animal building in the back of the property, but right now, it still felt too small.
The gray clouds overhead perfectly fit her mood as she waited for word that her dog was done with his biopsy. Ryan had promised to be the one personally taking care of her best friend and because the tumors were on his hind legs, they planned to use a local anesthetic instead of full sedation, but Brielle was still on edge.
She couldn't seem to help herself. Ryan was capable and good with animals, she knew all this. But it was Sparky. Sparky inside there. The one creature in the entire world who loved Brielle simply for being Brielle.
He didn’t care about her looks or lack thereof. He never got tired of her company and never scolded her for blurting out a snarky comment without thinking first. He trusted her wholly and completely and always looked at Brielle with adoring eyes, and she couldn’t imagine losing the one anchor in her difficult life.
Her feet stuttered to a stop as she realized that Antony was probably feeling very similar sensations to her at the moment. His surgery was happening this week, probably today, and Maeve had said the family was frantic, mostly because Antony wasn’t responding to anything.
He wouldn’t talk or react to anything they said, in fact he was refusing to make eye contact with anyone, and Maeve was at her wit’s end with her stubborn brother.
Sharp pain pierced Brielle’s chest. Losing Sparky wasn’t quite the same as an actual limb, but like Antony, it seemed as if a piece of her was being torn apart and she could barely breathe. Life was hard, and sometimes people were thrown into situations that made it harder.
Losing Sparky was going to be devastating, and Brielle was trying to prepare herself for the inevitable. Antony, however, couldn’t have seen this coming. Every pet owner knows there will come an end to the relationship, but no one takes on life assuming they’re going to have part of their body removed.
Brielle closed her eyes and hung her head, whispering a soft prayer of gratitude for the time she had with Sparky and begging for help for the Harrisons. Between Mr. Harrison’s illness and Antony’s injury, right now they needed all the help they could get.
“Brielle?”
She spun, nearly losing her balance when Ryan’s call came from the doorway. “Is he alright?” she hurried to ask, rushing to his side. She looked past Ryan’s shoulder, but didn’t see Sparky and instantly her heart jumped into her throat. “Did something happen? What’s going on?”
Ryan held up his hands, his shoulder holding the door open. “He’s fine,” the vet reassured Brielle. “But he was growing anxious, so we ended up putting him under. Right now he’s still coming out of the anesthesia, so it’ll be a bit longer before you can take him home.”
Her shoulders slumped and relief gushed through Brielle’s system. “I’m sorry he gave you trouble. He’s usually pretty chill.”
Ryan nodded. “He was, but as I started to work, his heart rate went up and I was worried because of his age, so we made the call to just make it easier all the way around.”
Without thinking too much about it, Brielle grabbed his hand, clutching it tightly to her chest. “Thank you for caring,” she whispered thickly. “I…it makes it easier to know he’s in good hands.”
Ryan gave her a sad smile. “Don’t thank me just yet. We still have to get those results back.”
Brielle dropped their contact and stepped back, nodding and pretending that holding onto Ryan hadn’t been thrilling. This ridiculous man had no idea how bad her craving for his touch had become.
After he held her at his house two days ago, she’d thought of almost nothing else. No one had bothered to hold or try to comfort Brielle for a long time, and though it was partially her own fault, she wished someone… anyone …would see past the facade and give her a place to breathe and set down her load.
Shaking her head, she brought herself back to the real world. The one where Sparky had just had a small surgery, and she was going to be spending the next few days waiting on pins and needles to see if there was anything she could do. The worst of it was still to come, but having Ryan around was actually making it better, surprisingly enough. She’d been sure that dealing with her high school nemesis would make the process awful and awkward, but it had been the polar opposite.
Don’t get too attached, her inner cynic warned. This whole thing has an end date and then he’ll be out of your life again…this time for good.
“Well…thank you anyway,” she said, forcing a smile. The smile faded as Ryan studied her. “What? Did I miss something?”
He glanced back at the quiet office, then to her again, rubbing the back of his head. “Would you like to grab lunch with me?”
Brielle froze. Would she like to? Yes, yes! A thousand times yes! But should she? Absolutely not.
He gave her a tired smile. “It’s okay. I understand. I know you’re worried about Sparky. We don’t have to go. ”
“I’d love to.” Wait, what? Alarm bells were ringing through her head, and Brielle struggled to tell if it was apparent on her face. Their flirtation on Sunday had been fun, but Brielle wasn’t quite ready to assume that his interest was anything more than superficial, which was why her attraction to him made the situation delicate. She could easily lose her heart, while he simply enjoyed the company.
“Yeah?” Ryan’s mouth pulled into a slow, way too sexy grin. “Let me finish washing up, and I’ll be right back, okay? Sparky’ll need another hour or so before you can take him home, meanwhile we’ll make use of my lunch break.” He started to go back in. “Do you like Thai?”
Brielle nodded dumbly, afraid to let her mouth open for fear of what would come out.
“Perfect. I’ve got just the place.” Ryan went inside, the door shutting gently behind him.
In an effort to keep from squealing like a schoolgirl on her first date, Brielle went back to pacing. She needed to move, or she would end up mentally fighting with herself. Going out with Ryan was setting herself up for heartbreak. She didn’t really know if he was attracted to her or if she was merely convenient. His attention had been so fleeting when she was young and stupid, and his dismissal had hurt her deeply.
This time, she wasn’t as young and stupid, yet somehow she was just as confused. Shouldn’t age come with new abilities? Like how to understand men and their flirty ways? Though, he had hinted that he was interested in her…
The door opened again, and Ryan’s smile was brighter than any summer sun they’d ever had in Oregon. “Come on,” he said, offering his hand. “I’ll show you one of my favorites.”
She swallowed hard, trying not to show how much his touch affected her. Brielle was strong enough to admit she was scared, and she hated that feeling.
Man up, Bri, she scolded herself. You can be friends with him. You NEED to be friends with him. Your dog’s life is in his hands and your team’s victory as well. Just be cool, it’s all gonna be alright. Just take it one moment at a time.
Ryan hadn’t felt this at peace with himself in a long time, at least not since Sunday evening. He had to forcibly keep his fingers from fully intertwining with hers. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and never let her go, but it was too much too fast.
Brielle Underwood, in all her stunning glory, was walking beside him, holding his hand and had agreed to spend the entirety of lunch at his side.
It was the stuff dreams were made of.
Or it would be if he couldn’t feel the tension in her entire body. She’s probably worried about Sparky.
“Here we are.” He reluctantly let go of her hand and opened the door of the tiny restaurant. There were only eight tables in the entire place, so it would be tricky getting in and out in time, but the food was definitely worth it. And the fact that it would be a cozy atmosphere, forcing Brielle to sit close to him, wasn’t bad either.
Brielle stepped past him, murmuring a “Thank you,” before coming to a quick stop. Her gorgeous brown eyes widened, and she looked around. “This place is incredible.”
Ryan stepped up right behind her, enjoying the feel of her being so close. “The family still goes back to visit Thailand every year, and they bring new things, which are then crowded onto shelves with every other nicknack you can imagine. He let his eyes trail the room, which was filled with Buddha statues and lucky cats everywhere a person could look.
Brielle gave him a coy look over her shoulder. “What are they gonna do when they run out of space?”
“I think that was about five years ago,” he said with a smirk.
Brielle laughed softly and stepped away from him, breaking their intimate conversation. Ryan wanted it back, but instead he followed like a puppy dog on a leash.
“Doctor Ryan!” One of the owner’s daughters came rushing to greet them. “Good to see you.”
Ryan nodded and smiled. “You too, Dara. How’s Kuman?” he asked, referring to the family cat he’d seen on a few occasions.
Dara’s smile widened. “Fine. Fat as ever. Mom refuses to believe she needs to be smaller. Something about being happier with a full belly.”
Ryan chuckled. “Sounds about right.”
Dara’s dark eyes went from him to Brielle and back. “Table for two today?” There was plenty of implication in her tone, but Ryan did his best to ignore it. The blush on Brielle’s cheeks, however, said she didn’t miss it at all.
“Yep.”
Dara gave a respectful nod. “Right this way. I happen to have one table left.”
As they walked through the other tables in a familiar direction, Ryan (add in a bodily sensation like his heart sped up or something) He’d have to give Dara a big tip at the end. The last table in the restaurant was tiny and tucked in a corner, giving it the most privacy of any other place in the restaurant, but was so small that whoever sat at it were tucked in hip to hip.
Dara winked as she left them with menus, as though she knew exactly what type of favor she was offering him.
Brielle shifted in her seat, looking slightly uncomfortable when their thighs touched, and Ryan tried not to laugh. He really shouldn’t find it humorous that she was feeling a little awkward, but it was so funny to watch the bold and fearsome Brielle Underwood squirm. This was something that as a teenager, he never would’ve expected to see. And the best part was, it all had to do with him. He made her nervous. Which gave him a heady sensation of power. Brielle had never been one to mince words. If she didn’t want to be around him, she would have said so, which left only one option .
If she was nervous around him, it was because she felt the pull as well, though she’d been vague about admitting it. And he was absolutely going to capitalize on that, he’d be an idiot not to.
“So…what’s good here?” she asked, studying the menu.
“Everything.”
Brielle raised an eyebrow at him, and Ryan took the opportunity to tug on her menu. “Uh…”
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
Brielle frowned. “I just let you operate on my best friend,” she stated bluntly. “Why are you asking me this?”
Ryan made a note that he’d been right about her relationship with Sparky, and he tugged on the menu again. “Then let me order for you.”
Brielle fell back against her seat. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that. How in the world would you know what I like?”
Giving the menu one last tug so it was out of her hands, he set it down on the table, grabbed one of her hands and leaned in until they were almost nose to nose. The catch in her breath and the pink in her cheeks said his earlier assessment had been right. She was attracted to him.
“I’ll make you a bet,” he whispered, giving her a challenging look. He grinned when her face shifted. Throwing a challenge at Brielle was like a lifeline. She thrived on them and would step up.
“I’m listening.”
His smile grew. “If you don’t like what I order for you, then you can pick out my dinner next time.”
Brielle narrowed her eyes and hummed. “You’re assuming there will be a next time,” she pointed out. “Which very much sounds like you’re counting this as a date.”
Ryan shrugged. “So what if I am?”
“I thought you were just being nice because you know I’m concerned about Sparky.”
Ryan brought her hand to his mouth and left the lightest of kisses against her fingers, his eyes unable to move from the blush that was rushing onto her cheeks. “I know you feel this too, Bri,” he said softly. “It’s even stronger than when we were kids.”
Mayday, MAYDAY! The sudden drop of temperature and emotion on Brielle’s face told him he shouldn’t have brought up anything from when they were younger, though he wasn’t exactly sure why. She had been the one to walk away from him, not the other way around, so why did it bother her so much?
Brielle leaned back, pulling her hand from his and breaking the humming chemistry between them. She shifted her legs so they weren’t touching and twisted ever so slightly to keep it from happening again.
Ryan wanted to curse, but he bit his tongue. Lesson learned.
“I think I’ll order my own lunch, thanks,” she said, reaching over to grab the menu from his side of the table.
Ryan hesitated with whether or not to push his little game, one that she had been keen to participate in only a moment before, but ultimately he let her take the laminated sheet back. He’d let off for now…but only because he planned to yet fight another day. “Everything’s good here,” he assured her. “You can’t go wrong.”
Brielle snorted and gave him a small smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “So you were hedging your bets on their cooking skills. Nice.”
Ryan shrugged and leaned back in his seat, his mind already scheming with what he could do to bring her guard back down again. Actually, what I need to know is why it went up in the first place. Does she think I hold high school against her? Didn’t we already talk about letting that go?
His eyes narrowed and he tried not to stare as she made her lunch choice, but she was a puzzle—a very beautiful puzzle that he wanted to solve. It was a good thing she was stuck with him for the time being. There would be several upcoming opportunities for him to be near her, and he planned to make use of every moment of them.