was going to have to face this alone.
Do not be afraid.
The words rang through her, true and clear, and she knew in that instant that she could face whatever was coming.
His mouth quirked to the side. “Of course, that wouldn’t stop them. I get the feeling they like you a whole bunch.”
A tear tried to force its way out, and she blinked it into submission, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I like them, too. And I’d never ask them to put their families in danger for me. I can do this. On my own.”
He tapped his long tan fingers on the table where her hand had been, and she suddenly missed the reassurance of his touch. But the warmth in his eyes wrapped around her heart.
She could face this. Whatever it was. Whoever it was.
“So here’s the thing. Those ladies, they’re like my big sisters. And their husbands, they’re my bosses and friends. If I let anything happen to you, I’m pretty sure they’d take out my other knee.” He chuckled at the half joke, but the truth about his injury kept his jaw tight.
“What are you saying?”
He shrugged. “I’m available.”
She knew what he meant, what he was offering. She just wasn’t ready to give him an answer. Accepting him meant allowing him into her life, and her track record with that had led to her very worst mistake. Even if this wasn’t a romantic relationship.
But refusing him left her out in the open, unprotected.
Neither was a good option.
So, instead of responding to his offer, she asked a question of her own, forcing her smirk back into place and hoping to make him squirm. Just a little bit. “Are you trying to ask me on a date?”
Without missing a beat, he winked and replied, “Whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
With a shake of her head and a low chuckle, she sighed. He was far too charming for his own good. For her own good. But his proposal was too important to ignore. “Don’t you have something better to do?”
“As a matter of fact, I don’t.” He thumped the brace on his leg. “I’m supposed to be resting my knee when I’m not in physical therapy. My life is looking pretty dull from where I’m sitting.”
“A SEAL without a mission...”
“About the worst hand a guy could be dealt.” There was truth in his tone, a longing in his voice to return to a life of significance.
Except...well, she wasn’t sure a guy in his condition could keep her safe.
As soon as the thought crept in, she laughed it away. He’d saved her from a speeding car while using crutches and carrying his dinner. And he’d kept his cool the whole time. He was capable, even with his injury.
But letting him help her also meant allowing a man back into her life. It meant being reminded of another relationship that had turned sour, that had turned her into someone she hated.
Do not be afraid.
She could handle this. She would handle this, by setting up the boundaries from the start.
“Just so we’re clear, I was joking before about you asking me out.” He raised an eyebrow in question. “There’ll be no—” she waved her finger back and forth between them “—dating.”
He winked again, that saucy grin falling back into place. “Whatever you say.”
Her stomach swooped and tightened, and she leaned toward him, needing him to understand, to agree. “That’s a nonnegotiable. I don’t date patients. Period.”
Both of his eyebrows went up this time. “So, I’m a patient now?”
She was as surprised as he looked. When had she decided to take on his case? She hadn’t. Not consciously anyway. But...
“I suppose so. I spend most of my time at the office, and if you’re going to be around, you might as well be getting your feet back under you.”
His smile turned from playful to appreciative. “I won’t let you down.”
She wasn’t going to overanalyze whether he was referring to her situation or his healing. Either way she was stuck with him now. At least it would be on her terms. “All right. But no dates.” His Cheshire grin never wavered, and she had a sinking feeling that his flirting was going to play a prominent role in their relationship.
It was worth it.
Because maybe, just maybe, he could help her stay safe long enough to figure out who was trying to kill her.
Mandy spent the entire night before Luke’s first appointment calling herself every name in the book. She was a special kind of crazy to take him on. If she had half a brain, she would have found a way to put as much distance between them as she could.
Except she hadn’t had a choice.
And his eyes had spoken volumes across the table two nights before. He could help her. And as much as she didn’t want to need him, she did. The exact kind of professional help he could offer.
But the more she thought about having Luke around, the more she recalled the other man in her life. The one who had wormed his way into her personal life and into her home. Who had made her miserable.
Chills raced down her arms, and she hugged her knees into her chest, pushing away all thoughts of someone else being in her house.
Suddenly being alone was too much, and she threw back the covers on her bed and ran for the bathroom. Slamming and locking the door behind her, she got ready in record time. Her hair was still damp as she raced down the road to her office.
She skidded into her regular parking spot on the side of her building and ran through the nearly empty lot, past the scene of the would-have-been hit-and-run.
When she reached the glass double doors, they were already unlocked. She hesitantly ducked her head inside until Tara waved at her from behind the desk. “Morning, boss.”
“Hi, Tara.” Mandy slipped the rest of the way in, wrestling her overstuffed tote bag through behind her.
“You’re in early today.” Tara’s grin sparkled as though she knew a big secret.
Mandy covered a yawn with the back of her hand. “I didn’t get my paperwork done last night.” There. That was a very valid excuse for running away from her own home.
“Su-ure.” Tara singsonged the word as if she knew more than Mandy gave her credit for.
“And I need you to pull out an inactive file. I took on a new client.”
Tara’s eyebrows rose, her forehead wrinkling as she steepled her fingers beneath her chin. “Oh.” Again, that knowing tone. “Do tell.”
“Dunham. Luke Dunham.”
With a low cackle, Tara pulled his file from a stack on the side of her desk. “I had a feeling we hadn’t seen the last of him.”
“It wasn’t... I... Things changed.”
“Uh-huh.” Tara tapped the point of a pen against her tongue before scribbling a note on the chart. “First appointment?”
Mandy hated the guilt that tumbled within her. She still owned this practice. She was still in charge. So why hadn’t she told Tara about Luke’s appointment until today?
There wasn’t time to dig into her real reasons for it, and if she let the conversation go any further, she’d have to explain to Tara about nearly being hit by a car and someone breaking into her home. Better to keep this conversation short.