Ultimate Courage (True Heroes #2)(57)

He chuckled. “And you can meet Sophie.”





Chapter Nineteen



Elisa was still caught up in her memories as Alex led her back to the main building. But he kept her hand in his as they walked, grounding her even as he left her to her thoughts. The contact was comforting, and yet every few steps he brushed his thumb over her knuckles or gently tightened his grip, kicking her heart into brief sprints and triggering a fluttery nervousness in her belly.

This thing growing between them was radically different from her relationship with her ex. That had been gradual, progressing in stages the way she’d expected it to. She’d embraced the predictability, anticipating the next step without meaning to.

But this chemistry with Alex was the opposite of predictable—from the first time they’d kissed to every intimate moment they’d shared since. She was off balance and constantly surprised, guessing and definitely excited. It was…fun.

For the first time in forever, she was having fun and wondering what was going to happen next.

The project manager in her was horrified.

“Dad! Elisa! Hurry, breakfast is just about ready!” Boom stood in the doorway waving her broken arm. Once she saw them wave back, she turned in the doorway and knocked her cast against the doorjamb.

Elisa winced. “Ouch.”

Alex chuckled. “Actually, she needed fewer pain meds last night. She might’ve forgotten she was hurt until just then.”

“It’s amazing how fast kids bounce back from injuries.” She shook her head.

“Speaking of which, how’s your wrist?” Alex asked, looking down at her.

Elisa lifted her left wrist, opening and closing her hand. “Doing fine. I’ve been wearing the brace the last couple of nights. Helped a lot.”

“Doc at the ER said it was a bad sprain?”

The night they’d met in the emergency room seemed a long time past, but it really had been just a few days. Amazing how caught up in Alex’s world she was getting. Yet, now that she thought about it, there was a rightness to it she didn’t want to overthink.

She nodded. “Ice, ibuprofen, and stabilize it to let it heal. I just hate wearing the brace when I’m typing and I figured since today is a work day I’d end up leaving it off.”

“Doesn’t hurt to bring it along just in case.” Alex gave her hand a squeeze. Then he paused. “Feel free to grab a big freezer bag from the kitchen in the main house and ice from the freezer whenever. We use ice a lot around here.”

“Okay.” He’d brought her ice the first morning. Maybe she should figure out how to set a periodic alarm on the phone to remind her at regular intervals. The faster her wrist healed, the better. There was still plenty of organization she could do for the front office.

They arrived at the doorway, and he let her hand go, motioning for her to head inside. “I’ll let Souze into his kennel so he can have water and some time to himself.”

Boom rushed back to the doorway to meet her, grabbing her right hand. “C’mon, Elisa. I’ll introduce you.”

Elisa let herself be tugged inside and down the hallway into the kitchen area. David gave her a wave from his seat at the table and Brandon was manning the stove. Whatever he was frying smelled so good, her mouth immediately started watering.

Two women were arranging dishes on the breakfast counter. “Lyn! Sophie! This is Elisa!” They turned to her with smiles.

“Hi, there.” The very pretty blonde turned to her first, offering a hand.

Elisa reached out and shook it, smiling at the firm return grip. When she’d been in an office environment, a solid handshake had been an absolute must to show confidence. Once she’d stopped working and had started meeting more of her ex’s colleagues in social situations, the handshakes she’d received from other women had turned limp. Without substance.

It was nice to get a firm greeting again.

Boom continued her brand of introductions. “Lyn works with dogs all over the country, rehabilitating bad behavior. She travels a lot, so she wasn’t here the day you started, and she’s still getting over a bad cold, so don’t let her breathe on you.”

“Ah.” Elisa fished for something to say and came up with nothing.

Lyn laughed. “No worries. I washed my hands just before you came in, and I’m on antibiotics now so I’m not likely to be contagious. I hope. Other people might’ve balked at taking antibiotics so they aren’t allowed to breathe on Boom.”

Lyn sent a warm glance in David Cruz’s direction. He shrugged and winked. “I prefer not to encourage the breeding of uber viruses or bacteria.”

“Uncle David!” Boom flapped her un-casted hand. “Still doing introductions here.”

David held up a fork and waved it as if to say “continue.”

“I’m Sophie.” A dark-haired woman came around the breakfast bar to shake her hand, too. She had the sort of ever-young Asian features that made it hard to pin down her age, so she appeared to be anywhere between eighteen and thirtysomething. “I hear you’re wrestling the chaos at the front desk into much-needed order.”

Elisa blinked. “Well, I streamlined a few things and started up a client database so the forms could be just for newcomers.”

Sophie nodded once, definitively. “Much needed. I’ve been telling them they needed to get someone with a good head on her shoulders to help out for months. If you let these guys go, they’ll do nothing but work with the dogs and forget people even exist.”