Working It Out (11 page)

Cameron was right, though. She did work too hard. Seth
could see it in her eyes—the exhaustion, stress, and worry. Or maybe she just
didn’t allow herself any stress relief. Did she even know how to have fun? To
set work aside and enjoy life? Somehow, Seth didn’t think so, and it was
something he wanted to change.

Grace offered him a look of sympathy. “Don’t worry, your
strength will come back. I know progress seems slow right now, but you’ve come
so far already. Just promise me you won’t slack off. This is about the time
when a lot of patients start cutting back on their workouts, partly because
they’re sick of it and partly because their knee starts to feel stronger and
they think they don’t need it anymore. Those are the patients who end up re-injuring
themselves or who never fully recover.” She twisted her head and met his gaze.
“Don’t be one of those patients.”

“Would you really care if I was?” Seth probably shouldn’t
have voiced the question, but every minute spent with Grace made him like her
even more. Seth wanted to know if she thought of him as just another patient,
or if she might care just a little bit more.

“Yes, I would.”

Seth’s mouth pulled into a smile. He liked that answer.
“Why?”

“Because I care about all my patients.”

Seth’s smile melted away. He should have expected that,
but it didn’t keep him from hoping that he’d made more of an impression than
that.

Grace patted his knee and stood, offering her hand to
help him up. “And it’s because I care that I’m going to make you ride the bike
now.”

Seth groaned. He wanted to throw the stationary bike out
the window, strap his top-of-the-line mountain bike to the roof of his car,
drive it to his favorite trail, and go for a real ride. He wanted to see trees
and bushes fly past, feel the wind on his face, and breathe in the intoxicating,
earthy smell that made mountain biking so addicting.

Seth was sick of pedaling for all he was worth and going
nowhere.

“Isn’t there anything else I can do instead?” Seth said.
“I’m begging you. Please don’t make me ride that bike today.”

Grace drew her lower lip into her mouth the same way she
did every time she mulled something over. Seth found it adorable.

“How about the rower?” she suggested. “I was planning to
wait until next time, but I think you’re ready.”

Seth wasn’t sure what he expected, but a rowing machine didn’t
hold much appeal either. Still, it wasn’t the bike, so he nodded in agreement
and finally accepted her hand. Although he didn’t need the help up, Seth never
missed an opportunity to touch Grace. Her hands always felt soft and cool,
making him want to hold on for longer than necessary.

“Speaking of progress,” Grace said, relinquishing his
hand, “how do you feel about swimming?”

“If it gets me off that bike, I’ll take it.”

She smiled—something she’d started to do more often
around him. “Sorry, but it’s more for recovery, which means you’ll still have
to work out on the bike.”

“I had a feeling you were going to say that.”

Grace gestured for him to sit on the rower and made some
slight adjustments then nodded for him to start. Seth did, trying to picture
himself on Lake Union in a kayak, cutting smoothly through the water. But there
was no breeze, no fresh air, and no smell of lake water. Unfortunately the
rowing machine just wasn’t the same, and before long he started to feel the
stirrings of boredom.

Grace looked up from making notes on her clipboard. “Hey,
I, uh, want to thank you again for what you did for Alec. I’m still not sure
how you convinced him to keep playing, but he’s looking forward to tomorrow. So
really—thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

Seth nodded, glad he could be of help. “No problem.
Alec’s a cool guy.” Seth actually found it hard to reconcile the guy Grace had
described with the one who’d played ball the other night. Alec was funny, knew
his way around a wheelchair, and could throw a great shot. He was the kind of
guy Seth would choose to hang out with.

Grace tapped the pen against her lower lip, watching Seth
closely. “Mind if I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.” Anything to get his mind off the mundane
movements of rowing.

Grace sat in a chair next to him and clasped her fingers
together. “The night of the auction, why did you show up and cause a scene? I
mean, why not just donate the money instead?”

Seth’s eyebrow shot up in surprise. Although Grace was
beginning to lower her guard more often around him, she’d never actually
started a personal conversation. It both thrilled and made Seth nervous at the
same time. In a way, Grace reminded him of one of those roly poly bugs he used
to play with as a kid. If Seth held perfectly still, the bug would feel
comfortable enough to uncurl and come out of its ball, but the slightest
jarring would send it tucking itself right back into its protective shell.

Ever since Seth had met Grace, he had a way of saying
things that made her tuck into a tight ball. But now that she was finally
opening up to him, he was leery of saying the wrong thing. Would she react like
Lanna and refuse to see his side? Or would she understand?

“Uh . . .” Where did Seth begin?

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want,” she said
quickly. “I didn’t mean to pry or get personal.”

But that was exactly what Seth wanted—
to get personal
.
“No, that’s okay. You just caught me off guard, that’s all.”

Grace laughed—actually laughed. It sounded rich, bubbly,
and melodious, nearly taking Seth’s breath away. All this time, he’d tried
jokes, teasing comments, anything to hear that sound, but nothing had worked
until now.

What had he said again?

“Sorry,” Grace said, letting her laughter die off. “It’s just
nice catching you off guard for once. You know—payback and all that.”

Seth made a mental note to let her get some payback more
often. “Just so you know,” he said, “If you ever let me go for a ride on a real
bike outside, that would totally catch me off guard.”

Grace laughed again, making the smelly and stagnant room
suddenly feel a little less like a gym and more like a cozy retreat. Seth could
watch her and listen to that sound all day long.

“You’ll be able to ride a real bike soon, I promise,” she
said.

“Will you come with me when I do?” It was the closest
that Seth had ever come to asking her out. He held his breath in anticipation
of her answer. But when her brows furrowed, and he could practically see her
rolling back into her secure little ball, Seth regretted the words.

“I meant during one of our sessions,” he quickly amended.
“I could bring my bike here and we could take it to the park down the street.”

Her expression cleared, and she nodded. “Yeah, sure—when
you’re ready.”

An awkward silence settled around them, making Seth want
to curse. He felt like they’d taken two steps forward and two back. So much for
progress.

Be patient
, he reminded himself. Maybe if he
opened up a little, she would too. Seth continued to row, bending and
straightening his aching leg as he searched for a way to get back to the
conversation about Lanna and the auction without making it obvious he was
grasping at straws.

When he couldn’t come up with a decent segue, he finally
said, “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to avoid answering your question before. I just didn’t
know how to explain without making you think worse of me than you already do.”

“Why would I think worse of you?”

Seth sighed, focusing on the movements of the rowing
machine. “Well, it goes like this: Right before Lanna’s brother died, he asked
me to look after her. But Lanna—who is practically a charity case
herself—doesn’t think she needs any help, especially not from me. She sees it
as a personal handout and would rather exhaust herself planning one fundraiser
after another than accept anything from me.”

Seth paused, not wanting to go into the details of a
night he’d rather forget. But he’d already started and couldn’t exactly stop
now. “When I found out she was planning an auction, I saw it as my chance to finally
donate a lot of money and force her to take it whether she wanted to or not. I
thought I was doing the right thing—you know, the greater good and all that—but
all I succeeded in doing was to tick her off. She hasn’t spoken to me since.”

The corners of Grace’s mouth tugged into a smile. “You
seem to like ticking people off, don’t you?” It was more of a statement than a
question.

“Believe it or not, I really don’t. Especially not
someone as stubborn as Lanna.” Or Grace, for that matter. Seth stopped rowing
and grabbed a hand towel, wiping it across his forehead.

“I take it you two are close?” Grace asked casually, glancing
at her clipboard as though she didn’t really care about his answer.

“She’s like a sister.” Seth’s only sister.

Grace lifted her head and studied him, tapping her pen
against her lower lip. “I’m surprised she didn’t ask you to be one of the
bachelors.”

 “Oh, she did. I passed.”

“Oh,” said Grace, setting down her clipboard. “Then she
didn’t refuse
all
your help.”

Seth leveled her a look, the same look he’d given Lanna
when she’d initially made the suggestion. “She refused the help I was willing
to offer.”

“I see.” The way Grace said it made it sound as though
she understood something Seth didn’t. He didn’t like feeling like he was
missing something, but did he really want to understand?

“What do you see?” Seth asked, still not sure he wanted
to know.

Grace nodded toward the machine. “Keep rowing.”

Seth started back up, wincing when his knee protested the
movement. Only a minute or two was all it took to freeze it back up again. What
a pain.

“All I’m saying,” said Grace, “is that Lanna would
probably gladly accept your help as long as it’s not in the form of money.”

Of course she thought that because Grace was just as
stubborn as Lanna. “And all I’m saying is that I would never,
ever
consider auctioning myself off to who-knows-what-kind of person just so Lanna
could raise a little more money for her charity.”

“I’m not saying you should.”

Seth flicked a surprised glance her way. “Then what are
you saying?”

Grace leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. “Have
you ever thought of offering to help her raise the money? Or, now that they’re
probably doing okay thanks to your donation, what about offering to help tutor
some of those kids in her after-school program?”

“You want me to volunteer?” Was she serious? The idea held
zero appeal for Seth. He wasn’t the tutor type, nor was he particularly good
with kids. There was a reason he was a business consultant and not an
elementary school teacher.

No, giving money was more his thing.

“Sure, why not?” said Grace. “Or do you have something
against giving up a few hours of your time to help the less fortunate?”

Yes, Seth did actually. He liked spending his time the
way he wanted to spend it. But something told him he shouldn’t admit that to
Grace. He’d have to plead the fifth on that one.

“Because from where I’m sitting,” she continued. “Other
than wheelchair basketball, working out, and playing video games or watching
movies, you really can’t do much right now.”

“I work, too.” Occasionally.

Her lips twitched. “And how many hours does that
‘consultant’ job of yours take?”

“It depends on the week.”

 “On average.”

Seth sighed and stopped rowing again. He wasn’t crazy
about the direction this conversation was headed or how it made him feel—as
though he only cared about himself, which wasn’t true. Seth gave money to the
homeless, donated to charities, and opened doors for the elderly. He’d hired a
mechanic to fix Lanna’s car without her knowing, organized basketball games for
his friends, and had even convinced Grace’s brother to keep playing with them.
He wasn’t totally self-centered. But the way Grace looked at him right now made
him feel like he was pretty close.

Seth frowned, feeling the need to put himself in a more
positive light. “How about this?” he finally said. “I’ll agree to volunteer if
you
agree to go with me.”

It was a brilliant suggestion, actually. If Grace
declined, Seth wouldn’t feel obligated to volunteer. And if she said yes, she
would have to spend time with him outside of work. Either way, he won.

 “Oh . . . I, uh, don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” Seth said with mock innocence. “Don’t tell me
you’re against giving up a few hours of your time to help the less fortunate.”

Grace leveled him a warning look. “No, but you’re my
patient. It wouldn’t be appropriate to do something with you outside of work.”

“But you came to the basketball game,” Seth pointed out.

“That was different.”

“How so?” Seth asked. “It’s not like I’m asking you on a
date or anything.”

“I know, it’s just—” She fidgeted, looking flustered.

Seth cocked his head to the side, molding his expression
into one of sympathy. “Think of the children, Grace. Think of the children.”

She rolled her eyes and threw up her hands in a gesture
of defeat. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I? Okay fine, you win. I’ll
go.” She gestured toward the machine. “Now row.”

Seth grinned and resumed rowing, suddenly feeling as
though he really were in a kayak, cutting through the waters on Lake Union. The
sun warmed his skin, a breeze whipped at his face, and the smell of lake water
lingered in the air. Or was that the smell of triumph?