Wingman? I frown. “I thought that’s what you called a friend you bring with you when you go to a bar, looking for a date or something.”
He chuckles. “Not in the water. It means I have your back.”
Why do I find that strangely comforting? I have two brothers who make it their mission in life to protect and look out for me, which annoys the you-know-what out of me. But this somehow feels different. Like I could do anything, knowing Nick’s there to back me up.
“Okay then. Let’s get moving.”
CHAPTER 11
Nick
Imay have had another agenda in stopping by Hannah’s office. I genuinely wanted to see if she’d give me a tighter band, but I figured she’d refuse. Something you’d expect from a therapist like her—extra caution.
But I also wanted to see her again before the weekend. I’m finding it harder to resist the way my head fills with thoughts of her, even when I’m not around her. It’s a constant replay of how her smile lights up her eyes. The scent of hair when she stands close by to help me work through my exercises and keeps encouraging me to keep going. How she shares funny stories from when she worked with athletes at her previous job while she works on the muscles in my shoulders and back after a workout session.
Some of my favorites are about her furry patients—those I love the most because I can see the depth of her passion for her work. And her incredible compassion and kindness.
Doesn’t seem fair that the woman I’m determined to keep my hands off has hers on me on a regular basis. Talk about torture. Definitely puts my resistance to the test, but that’s when I refocus on my goal of getting my life back.
Hannah parks the car across the street from a house that’s seen better days. A white van with Sarabella Animal Services on the side in simple black letters sits near the opposite curb.
A tall man in a uniform shakes the gate and calls out as we get out of her car. Hannah rushes around her car to stand next to me.
She points at the house. “That’s Pete. He’s the head of the department.”
“How did you two connect?” Part of me is simply curious, but there’s a secret part of me that wants to know if they’re involved.
“Pete used to work for Liam before he applied for a position at animal services, so we worked together for a while before I left for college.” Hannah keeps her eyes on Pete.
“Just worked together?” The question shoots out before I think about it, so much for subtlety.
She starts to reply, but the front door opens, preempting the conversation. At first, the house owner seems agreeable to chatting with Pete. The soft tones of their voices don’t carry well to where we’re standing, but then something shifts, and the man acts agitated.
When Pete turns around to leave, he spots Hannah and shakes his head.
Hannah lurches forward, but I stop her.
She glares at me. “I’m not leaving without Bandit.”
“Just wait a minute. I think Pete’s calling someone.” I lift my chin in his direction.
She redirects her focus to where Pete’s standing on the sidewalk with his phone to his ear. The owner of the house stomps back to his front door, ranting a constant stream of complaints I can’t make out.
A few minutes later, a sheriff’s cruiser pulls up.
I gesture toward the officer, who joins Pete at the gate. “Guess he called in his own wingman.”
Hannah grins at me. “Now we’re talking.”
“More like shouting. That is not a friendly person.” A writhing mass of waving arms and spewing anger, the homeowner strides toward his steps.
“His name is Marcus, and no, he’s not. His neighbor said the same.”
Though more subdued, Marcus continues his rant but opens the gate. Pete and the police officer brush by him and walk behind the house. A few minutes pass until the two men come into view again, with Pete holding a medium-sized dog who looks like he’s in rough shape.
When he nears Marcus, the man goes ballistic, shouting and waving his arms. The officer holds him off as Pete carries Bandit through the gate to his truck. That’s when Hannah darts toward him.
I stay close, keeping a watch on this guy, Marcus. He’s a loose cannon capable of almost anything with that kind of rage. The last thing I want to see happen is anyone get hurt. Especially Hannah.
