I stood in the lobby for several minutes, praying that by some chance she might return, but she never did. I finally gave up and went back upstairs. After I cleaned up, I changed my clothes and got in bed even though I was too wound up to sleep. I laid there and went over every little detail of our time together, and I found myself wondering if she was doing the same. Unable to resist the temptation, I reached for my phone, and using the number from the card she’d given me, I texted her number.

Me:

Did you make it home okay?

Grace:

Yes. I’m here. All safe and sound. Thanks for calling me a cab.

Me:

No problem. Just glad you made it back okay. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since you left.

Grace:

I might’ve thought about you a little, too.

Me:

A little?

Grace:

Okay. A lot.

Me:

When can I see you again?

Grace:

When did you have in mind?

Me:

Is now too soon?

Grace:

Maybe just a little! But I have to say. It was hard to leave tonight.

Me:

It was hard to watch you go, but hopefully I’ll get to see you again soon.

Grace:

Why don’t you text me tomorrow, and we’ll see if we can work something out?

Me:

Sounds good. Good night, Grace.

Grace:

Good night, Seth

I barely slept a wink all night, so I decided to skip my morning workout and slept in. When I finally managed to pull myself out of bed, I remembered that I had some work that needed to be taken care of, so I took a quick shower and headed over to the office. I had just sat down at my desk when my younger brother, Tucker, came hobbling in. Knowing he should have been on the road with his baseball team, I was surprised to see him, but I was even more shocked to see him using crutches as he made his way into the room.

He sat down in the chair and gave me a half-hearted smile as he asked, “What’s shaking, Doc?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing. What are you doing here?”

“Looks like I’m going to be home for a few weeks.” He sighed as he ran his hand down his thigh. “I’m on the disabled list for a few weeks, or at least until I finish rehab.”

Baseball meant everything to him, so I understood his frustration. He’d been playing since he could walk and even broke a few records on his way to the big leagues. Tucker was a phenomenal pitcher, but his focus was always on the field and rarely had time for anything else, including his family or even dating. I had tried to talk to him about it, but like all the Michaels brothers, he was strong-willed with a mind of his own. Wondering why he needed rehab, I asked him, “What happened with your leg?”

“Not to be an asshole, or anything … but I don’t want to talk about.” He slouched down in his chair like a pouting child as he looked around my office. “What’s been going on with you these days?”

“Just work. Not much time for anything else.”

“I know the feeling. We should probably do something about that.” Tucker chuckled.

“Are you being serious?”

“Yeah … Well, maybe. It might be kind of nice to have someone around now and then.” He shrugged.

“It would.”

“It’s just hard to find the time and all that.” He looked over to me with a disapproving look. “I guess you’d know that better than anyone. Hell, you’re always working. You might as well live in this damn office.”

“Well, actually … I met someone,” I started, but instantly regretted bringing it up. I never would’ve said anything if he hadn’t provoked me, and seeing the curiosity flicker in my brother’s eyes only made me regret it even more.

A smirk crossed his face as he folded his arms. “Well, I’ll be damned. My big brother’s still got some game left in him after all.”

“Never mind. I should’ve never brought it up.”

“Come on, man. Don’t leave me hanging here. I’m injured for crying out loud. Throw your kid brother a bone.” He pouted.

“There’s really not much to tell, Tuck. We had dinner last night, and … I’ve just never met anyone like her.”

“Where’d ya meet her?”

I hesitated for a moment before I confessed, “She came in for a session a few months ago.”

“Wait!” Alarm crossed his face as he sat up in his seat. “This chick is one of your patients?”

“No. It’s not that simple—”

“Dude, isn’t that against some kind of rule or something? Can’t you get in trouble for screwing around with your patients?”

His reaction didn’t come as a surprise. I knew he wouldn’t understand. Hell, I didn’t understand it myself, but there was something about Grace that mesmerized me. There was no way I could explain that to Tucker, so I simply said, “She isn’t my patient. At least, not any longer. That was months ago.”

“But ... she was?”

“It’s hard to explain, but none of that matters.” Becoming frustrated, I told him, “Just forget it. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“Damn. You must really have a thing for this chick.”

“I guess I do.”

He stood up and grabbed his crutches. “Just be careful, Seth. You’ve worked really hard to get where you are. I’d hate to see you lose it all over some chick.”

“I’ll be careful, Tuck. And you take care of that leg and do what the doctor says. Don’t cut corners and try to get back to the game before you’re ready.”

“Any idea where Colton is? I went by his place, but he wasn’t there.”

“He’s been working with his little league team. I bet you can find him over at the park.”

Tucker nodded as he started for the door. “I’ll see you later, and good luck with the chick.”

In my mind, I didn’t think I needed any luck with Grace. I realized it wasn’t a perfect situation, but in my gut I knew she was worth any risk I would have to take. Just thinking about her brought a smile to my face, so I reached for my phone and sent her a message.

Me:

Good morning, beautiful.

Grace:

Hey there, handsome. What are you up to this morning?

Me:

I had to make a run to the office. You?

Grace:

I’m waiting for a taxi and heading over to my sister’s. I promised to help with her daughter’s room. She’s wanting to redecorate or something.

Me:

Sounds like fun.

Grace:

Not so sure about that, but we will see.

Me:

Would you like to grab some dinner when you finish? I can pick you up from your sister’s.

Grace:

Sure. That would be great. It will give me something to look forward to.

Me:

Well, good. Hopefully, you won’t need it.

Grace:

I’ll text you with her address when I’m done.

Knowing that I wouldn’t see her for a while, I tried to turn my focus back to my work, but it wasn’t easy. My mind kept drifting back to her, and I’d find myself sitting there with a goofy grin on my face. Eventually, I managed to finish my paperwork, and since I had some free time on my hands, I decided to head over to the gym for a quick workout. By the time I got there, the place was pretty quiet. The early Saturday morning rush was gone, leaving just a few stragglers lifting weights in the back. Just as I got on the treadmill and turned on my tunes, I heard a familiar voice at my side. When I turned to my left, I found Rita walking on the treadmill next to me. It was like the woman had some kind of supersonic radar or something. I pulled out my headphones and said, “Hey, Rita. How’s it going?”

“Good, but I’ve been dying to hear how things went last night.”

“You haven’t talked to Grace?”

Her smile quickly faded as she shook her head and said, “No. I’m not really allowed to ask.”

Knowing it was better not to ask, I just smiled and said, “It went pretty good I think.”

“So, she showed up?”

“She did.”

“I’m so glad to hear that!” she replied excitedly. “Do you think you will go out again?”

There was no way I was about to step onto that slippery slope, so I simply told her, “I’m not sure. Maybe.”

“Oh.” Disappointment crossed her face. “I hope you will.”

“Stranger things have happened.”

She got off her treadmill and shrugged her shoulders as she said, “You never know with Grace. She can be a stubborn one.”

I had no idea how right she was. Over the next few weeks, Grace and I spent a great deal of time together. We went on date after date, and each time we were together, I fell for her a little more. There was no doubt that there was a real connection between us, but she was holding back. Remembering what she’d told me during our session, I knew she’d had her fair share of disappointments with the men she’d dated in the past, but I held hope that we’d be able to move past that together. I figured I had two choices. I could take the chance that Grace would get there on her own, or I could give her a little push. Being the man that I am, I decided to go with the latter.