Page 73 of Hold Me Instead
Sandra:A lot of clinical rules are flying out the window. See your ass in a few.
Zachary grabbed his things. When he stepped into the hall, he found Charlie heading his way. Her steps slowed, and she stopped a foot from him. The satisfaction that coursed through him as her cheeks flushed only made him scold himself internally.She’s not a toy.
“How’s your head?”
“A little fuzzy, but better than earlier.” The pinch in her brow lessened as she gave him a soft smile, then the smile slipped. “You okay?”
“Fine.”
“You look upset.”
“Just my face.”
She shoved her hands on her hips. “You have ‘upset resting face’ now?”
He shrugged. “It’s a thing.”
She glanced around, then stepped closer. “Really, Zachary. Are you okay?”
The concern in her voice tugged him toward her, and before he realized it, his hand was brushing a wild strand of hair behind her ear. “Sandra just texted. Guess Dad’s having a rough day.” It was half of what weighed on him, but it was the half he understood most.
“Oh.” She blinked multiple times as his hand left her. “Anything I can do?”
“You mean aside from offering your personal number to every client that comes around? I think you’ve done your good deed for today. Maybe even longer. Probably for the life of Pickles.”
She chuckled lightly, capped it with a shrug. “It’s through our texting system, she won’t have my direct number.” She shifted her feet, a guilty expression falling across her face. “She’s lonely. I wanted her to know I heard her. She’s not my biggest fan, so if I can go an extra step to win her over, I’ll do it.”
“Why does she need to be on Team Charlie? She can go somewhere else if she’s not happy. Or going to be a constant pain in the ass.” He already counted her in the “most likely to leave” column when they raised their prices—a detail he’d have to discuss with Charlie soon, though now wasn’t the time.
“She loves your dad. Really, she represents numerous clients with a similar devotion to him and not the woman who’ll take over the practice. No matter how much he mentored me.”
That he thought she could ever manipulate things to get into the family business when she lived and breathed the work made him disappointed with himself.
“They’ll come around. Some of us need a little shake to get our head out of our ass.”
She gazed up at him with a smirk. “Maybe a little more than a shake, huh?” She wiggled her eyebrows, then stepped around him. Her back practically slid along the wall, giving as much space as she could in the narrow hallway, like she was afraid with one touch they’d combust. “Give your dad my best, okay? I’m assuming they won’t be coming to the cookouttomorrow.”
“Not sure. You don’t want to swing by and see him now? He’s in a mood.”
“Ha, tempting. I need to turn in early. Try to get rid of this. Big day ahead.”
He stopped her, his hand grazing hers, and she inhaled sharply. His own pulse kicked up a notch. He took a small step closer. “Can I get you anything?”
She gave him a small shake of her head. “I’m good. Thanks.” She twisted her hand and squeezed his, then continued backward toward their office, in those ridiculous paw-print scrubs with the squiggly hearts as berry pink as her shoes. His fingers flexed with the memory of pulling her close.
“See you tomorrow.” She gave him a full smile, so bright it seemed to imprint on his eyelids when he blinked. Then she disappeared into the office.
Well, fuck him. Zachary had his first adult-sized crush.
Chapter 21
Charlie
“You’rehereearly.”Zachary’sdeep timbre vibrated beneath her skin.
Charlie shivered and turned from the window. “So are you.”
Maple shuffled over with a happy greeting, then settled onto the dog bed. Charlie inhaled sharply when she looked up, watching Zachary’s slow approach. He wore one of the clinic’s long-sleeve navy T-shirts, the name and logo printed in white across the chest, with little paw prints floating on the top left. It was the same one she wore, and it looked way better on him than it had a right to, especially paired with his well-worn jeans.
