Seaside Heartbeats: A Sweet Romance (The Seaside Hunters Book 2) (3 page)

Brayden shook his head. "A small part of her dies every time you get a new one."

"But look. It's her favorite flower."

"Well, that changes everything." Brayden laughed.

"You goin' to the big concert tonight?" Cruz asked. "That's all everyone's been talking about today. I might swoop in after closing shop."

"Too tired tonight. I was on call last night, and the ER took full advantage of that. I don't think I had two consecutive hours of sleep."

"Dude, when are you going to open that clinic here in Kittle Falls? You keep talking about it, but haven't actually done anything."

Brayden bit back a defensive comment. "I'm in the process of finding a couple partners. I can't just open an Urgent Care clinic with cardiology and family practice departments by waving a magic wand."

"No kidding, but you could at least look around for a building. Have you done that, yo?"

"Why are you on my case?" Brayden asked.

"I know you don't wanna keep working at the hospital. You never even wanted to start. Hey, I'll skip the concert, and we can wander the town."

"Thanks, but I'm really too tired."

"What about the old elementary school? I heard they're going to tear it down since they built the new one."

"A school? That's too big."

"Hmm." Cruz looked deep in thought. "Hey, I know, dude. The old pancake house behind the bar. That's just waiting to be remodeled."

"Maybe. I'll tell you what. We'll both think about it, and then brainstorm when we have dinner at Mom and Dad's on Sunday."

"Now there's a good plan." Cruz held up his fist, and Brayden bumped it with his fist. "Go get some sleep, bro."

"Will do." Brayden turned toward the door just as it opened. He blinked twice as Lana Summers stepped inside and stopped, seemingly as surprised to see him as he was to see her. She had her hair down, wore a jean jacket over a long yellow top and black leggings.

He held her eye contact, and neither spoke.

Cruz cleared his throat. "Welcome to the Hunter Family Store."

Lana didn't take her gaze from Brayden. "Dr. Hunter?"

He nodded. "Lana."

She looked between Cruz and Brayden, obviously trying to figure out if they were related. At first glance, all of the Hunter brothers looked too different to be related, but that was mostly due to their varied interests. Though there were five of them, they were each as different as could be.

Lana turned back to Brayden. "Do you live around here?"

"I do." Why couldn't he think of something more interesting to say?

Cruz took a step forward. "What brings you in here, Lana? Besides my brother, that is."

Her face turned pink, and then she looked away. "Do you guys carry tea? I was told I could find some here."

"He can show you where it is," Cruz said, giving Brayden a look of approval.

Lana looked into his eyes. "I don't want to put you out. I'm sure you're—"

"It's no problem. I know where everything is."

"Okay. If you're sure."

Brayden walked down the aisles to where the tea was kept, and then gestured to the row of teas.

Lana looked at the choices for a minute before taking a couple boxes of decaffeinated teas. "I decided to take your advice and drink some tea instead of coffee."

"You can still drink moderate amounts of caffeine," Brayden said. "In fact, I wouldn't recommend dropping it if you're used to drinking a lot. You'll have killer headaches for a while." He searched for something more interesting to say, but found it hard to think straight with Lana there.

"Really? I have been drinking a lot lately."

Brayden grabbed a box of black tea and handed it to her. "Add a little honey or sugar to sweeten it up. It has a lot less caffeine than coffee, but hopefully enough to keep the headaches away—and keep you awake."

Lana looked back and forth between him and the box of black tea. "I think I'll try this other stuff first, but if I get a headache, I'll move to this. You know, live life on the edge." The corners of her mouth twitched.

Brayden smiled. "Sounds like a plan." He tried to think of a funny retort, but came up empty. He'd probably think of something after she left. "Well, don't hesitate to give us a call if you have any questions."

"Why don't you give her your number?" Cruz asked, showing up from nowhere. "Then she can ask you directly."

Lana's eyes widened. "Oh, no. I couldn't. I don't want to bother you."

Brayden liked the idea of her calling him at home, but would that be mixing business with pleasure? She was his patient.

"He doesn't mind," Cruz said, whacking Brayden's back. "Do you?"

"Of course not. You might have a question when the clinic is closed. The ER is always open, but you shouldn't need them again." Brayden took out his wallet and pulled out a business card. "Now where did my pen go?"

"Don't you love how old-fashioned he is?" Cruz asked Lana. "Just call her cell phone. Then you'll both have each other's numbers."

Heat crept into Brayden's cheeks. "If you don't mind giving me your number."

"Not at all." She told him her number, and he typed it into his phone. Hers rang, and she looked at it. "Got it."

Brayden ended the call, and then saved her number. He didn't plan on calling her while she was a patient, but it was nice to have. Part of him wished she wasn't his patient. Maybe more than part of him, but it was a good thing because he didn't have any time to date anyone. Not even casually.

Like he'd just discussed with Cruz, he needed to focus on finding a building, and that would likely take up what little free time he had.

Lana put her phone back into her purse. "Thanks for the tea suggestion."

"My pleasure. And if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask." Brayden hated how awkward he acted around Lana. He was used to being a quick thinker, but now he just felt like a geek.

They went back to the counter, and Cruz rang her up.

She said goodbye, holding Brayden's eye contact as she did. Then as she turned around and walked away, he couldn't take his eyes off her.

Once she was gone, Cruz turned to him. "Dude, I totally approve."

"What do you mean?" Brayden asked. "She's just a patient."

"Right. The tension was so thick, I could have designed a tattoo on it."

"You need a girlfriend," Brayden said.

"Not as bad as you do, which is why you need to start getting serious about the urgent care thing."

Sirens sounded not far away as if to prove Cruz's point. Brayden frowned.

"Do you have enough partners to get it started?" Cruz asked.

"Almost," Brayden said. "Have you checked on Dad today?"

"Yeah. He was in here earlier taking stock on inventory."

Brayden yawned. "Okay, so he looked good?"

"That he did. Whistled the whole time."

"If they're still up when you get home, tell them I'll stop by tomorrow. I should be more rested."

"Probably in the morning, man. I plan to hit the concert. You should ask that hot tea-chick to go."

Brayden shook his head, his eyes growing heavier by the minute. "I need sleep, and she needs to take care of her heart."

Cruz frowned. "Is she going to be okay?"

"She should have a long life. All she needs to do is make some minor changes, which it looks like she is."

"Good. So, tomorrow give her a call now that you have her digits."

Brayden raised an eyebrow. "She's my patient."

"Then give her case to another doctor. Both of you are into each other. Don't let the summer go by without at least giving it a chance."

"You're one to talk."

"If the right chick comes along, I won't push her away. But it'll take quite a woman to distract me."

"I don't doubt that." Brayden chuckled. "See you tomorrow."

"If you change your mind about getting a tat, let me know."

"Yeah, I'll do that." He walked toward the door, unable to get Lana's pretty smile out of his mind.

Four

Lana fell into bed, hardly able to keep her eyes open. She'd spent the entire day at the beach with the twins. Herding two dozen cats would have been easier than keeping up with those two. Her mom and sister had stopped by at various points, making her rest, both concerned about Lana's heart.

She insisted she was fine, and could keep living life normally, and that was all she wanted. She had never been weak or fragile, and she wasn't about to start now. It was a minor condition, and every doctor said she should be fine. Her parents had heard it for themselves at the ER.

Lana stayed in the shade as much as possible, and drank as much ice-cold water as possible. It had worked beautifully.

Her heart went into erratic patterns on occasion throughout the day, but nothing like the episode that had landed her in the hospital. When it started to quicken its pace, she did as the hot doctor had said. She either held her breath or coughed, and that was all it took for it to go back to normal.

SVT wasn't going to get the best of her—she was going to kick its ugly butt.

Lana closed her eyes, and instead of picturing the wild boys or the sandy beach, Dr. Hunter's gorgeous face appeared. She sighed, wishing she had a good reason to call him. She'd followed everything he said, and almost felt back to normal.

She hadn't seen a wedding band, but he probably had a girlfriend. And if that wasn't the case, he had to have had women crawling all over him. Handsome, sexy, and a doctor. He was practically perfect.

Why hadn't she asked him for his first name? Had his brother mentioned it when they were in the shop the night before? Lana couldn't remember, but then again, she'd been so nervous. If she would have been smart, Lana would have asked for it when she got his number instead of putting Dr. Hunter for his name in the contact field.

It should have unnerved her that he held such an effect on her, but it didn't. She was always strong and confident, usually scaring away guys because she wasn't the typical damsel in distress. She didn't need a man, and she knew it. Even when she was attracted to someone, it had never been anything like this.

No one else would have thought she'd broken a blood pressure machine. Even though that had been a day earlier, she still felt embarrassed by the whole thing. What if Dr. Hunter had figured out why the machine had such different results? She would never be able to look at him again.

Actually, that was a lie. She could look at him all day long, and never get bored. In fact, she wanted to see him again. Would they run into each other again in town? What were the chances of him being in his family's store if she showed up again?

She tried to think of excuses to call him, but fell asleep. When she awoke, Lana felt rested and revived. She could take on the world, or at least the twins. Instead, she showered and dressed, ready to accidentally run into the doctor.

When she got downstairs, everyone was eating dinner already.

"How long did I sleep?" she asked.

"Three or four hours," Cora said. "I knew we shouldn't have left you at the beach with Ryder and Nolan."

Lana sat and filled her plate. "Nonsense. I was just tired from the other night,
and
I'm not used to chasing after kids." She asked about their day, managing to get the focus off her.

After everything was cleaned up, she announced that she was going to explore the town.

"Do you need someone to come with you?" asked her dad.

"No. I'm twenty-seven. I don't need a babysitter."

Her mom looked at her. "But your heart—"

"Is just fine. I'm following doctor's orders and survived a day at the beach running after these two." She rubbed each boy's head as they ran by chasing each other with toy dinosaurs.

Neither of her parents looked convinced.

"I have my phone if I need anything. The doctor even gave me his personal line, and he lives here in Kittle Falls."

"Well, he must be worried," said her dad. "One of us should go with you."

"Wait," Marcus said. "Why did he give you his personal number?"

Lana's face burned. "In case I had any questions."

"Why are you blushing?" Cora asked, sliding her hand into Marcus'.

"Bye, guys." Lana turned around.

"Oh, no you don't," Cora said. "Is he cute?"

"Is he?" asked their mom. "Did someone finally catch your attention?"

"I said goodbye." Lana opened the door, and escaped before they could question her further. She loved her family, but sometimes they could be too much.

She didn't pay any attention to where she was heading, but before long found herself in front of the Hunter Family Store. Had that been on purpose?

Lana went inside and saw a different cashier. He was busy with a long line, so she wandered the store, not sure what she wanted. Okay, she knew what she wanted. To run into Dr. Hunter and find out his first name.