Catching Summer (Second Chances, #6)(9)

“And before you say anything,” he grumbled, “I’ve kept my distance from her since we work together. Besides, she’s hard up over that douchebag motocross racer.”

Tilting my glass, I drank the rest of the wine and winked. “I think she’s decided to move on. Just be careful if you choose to make a move. If something were to happen, it’d make it awkward on all of us.”

He sighed. “That’s why I haven’t done anything about it.” I guess I could see why he would grow attached to her. They were always together. After he wiped off the counter, he focused on the door. “Are you still seeing Dr. Parker?” he asked.

“Yeah, why?”

He nodded toward the entrance. “Because he just came in.”

Quickly, I turned to see Philip walking through the door, dressed in a pair of jeans and a plaid button-down shirt, his dark hair mussed. “I’ll be right back.”

“No rush,” he added as I left the bar.

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so normal,” I joked, glancing up and down at Philip’s clothes.

“My last patient canceled so I was able to go home and change. I do have a life outside of my practice,” he said, chuckling.

“Summer, would you like me to find him a table?” Delaney asked from behind me.

I smiled at her and shook my head. “No, I got this one.” Philip followed me to the back, where I always seated him. He made it a point to show up every Wednesday night. “Do you want the usual tonight?”

He sat down, pursing his lips. “Actually, I think I’m going to try something different. But first, tell me about your day. How did it go with your CPR training?”

Thoughts of Evan and Derek bantering back and forth brought a smile to my face. “It was…interesting. I enjoyed being around the team. It was a change of pace. I’ll be working with them for the next couple of weeks.”

“That’s good. Will I still see you on Tuesday?”

“Of course. I told you I’m not ready to let you go just yet. You’ve gotten me this far and I know I still have a little more to go. I’m getting there, though.” Hopefully, soon.





Chapter 5


Summer


Since Kate and Cooper lived in the house next door, Lara and I just walked over when it was time for breakfast the next morning. “Do I look okay?” I asked her as we ventured across the lawn.

Lara smirked and glanced down at my yoga capris and green tank top. It was September and the humidity was horrible at this time of year. I knew Kate was going to have me work out with the team since she wasn’t capable, so I figured I should at least be comfortable. Lara had talked to her last night and filled me in on my duties.

“You look great. I’m sure you’ll fit in great with the cheerleaders,” she said sarcastically. Judging by the look on her face, it could only mean one thing. Ever since we moved here and Kate became Lara’s best friend, she’d gotten the inside scoop on the team. She knew everything about their schedules and how they worked. I’d learned many things too, from all of them hanging out at the restaurant.

“Please don’t tell me they’re catty bitches.”

“Most of them aren’t, but there’s a couple that used to give Kate hell about Cooper. Just giving you a heads-up.”

“Gee, thanks. I didn’t realize we were still in high school.”

She knocked on Kate’s front door and stepped back. “It won’t be that bad, Summer. Stay away from Lindsey, though. She’s Evan’s ex-girlfriend.”

Ah, yes, Lindsey Rink. I remembered her all too well. Every time she and Evan would come to the restaurant, I’d see her eyes wandering to other men. The day he found out she had cheated on him, he spent hours at the bar getting drunk. He recovered quickly and found someone else within the week. I was never one to understand how someone could jump from one person to another. Lara did it all the time. I guess that was one of the differences between me and her.

With a huge grin, Kate answered the door and ushered us in. “Great, you’re right on time. I hope you’re hungry. I’ve been craving pancakes so I made three different kinds: buttermilk, blueberry, and banana.”

We followed her to the kitchen, where stacks of pancakes sat on the counter. Cooper stared at it all, wide-eyed. “We probably should’ve invited the whole team with all this shit you cooked,” he teased, winking at Kate.

She pointed the spatula at him. “Hey, I’ve seen how much you can eat. And I know Lara can put away some pancakes.”

“You got that right,” I laughed.

Lara snorted and filled her plate up with a stack of blueberry ones and doused them in syrup. Cooper chuckled and put his arm around her, whispering in her ear. “And it’s the only thing Kate can cook, isn’t it?”

Kate froze, her mouth dropping. Scooping up a half-baked pancake, she turned around and hurled it straight at his head. It smacked him on the forehead and fell to the floor, but not before we all burst out laughing. “I heard that,” she hollered, giving him an evil glare but trying hard not to laugh.

Cooper snickered and approached her cautiously, wrapping his arms around her waist. “But I still love you even if you can’t cook.” He kissed her cheek and she smiled, gripping his arms tight. They were the perfect couple. The whole scene reminded me of the time I tried to cook breakfast for Austin the first morning we spent together. I was so nervous that I burned everything. Our toast was extra-crunchy.