Stitches and Scars (11 page)

“Hey! I didn’t say anything about having sex with you. You really are a spit fire, aren’t ya?”

“What?” She stared at him blankly.

“You heard me. Look, I pulled over here because I thought maybe you needed some help. Now are you going to let me help or not?”

She was shocked. Never in her life had a guy actually talked back like that before. Yell profanities? Cry? Grab their balls and run? Yes, but never stand up and say what they actually felt.

“Fine, you can help.” She gave in. His sexy smile returned, and he rolled his shoulders back in pride before reaching for the wrench. “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked.

“You said I could help.”

“Help, yes. Take over? No.”

“Aww man, what do you want me to do then?” He hung his head much like a little boy being punished by his mother. Elle’s insides grew warm, and she felt herself giving in.

“Here, you can hold these.” She shoved the lug nuts into his huge hands. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly snapped it shut with one glare from Elle. She didn’t say another word as she went about her work.

Just as assumed, it didn’t take her long. When she was finished, she looked down at her filthy hands and realized she still had to go to the store. With a mischievous grin, she looked over at the stranger who was still beside her. “You still want to help?”

“I thought I was helping,” he said in a mocking tone while cocking his head to the side.

“Smart ass. I mean, you want to do something really useful?” She took a step closer to him.

“Sure. What did you have in mind?” He lifted his eyebrows suggestively.

“Take off your shirt,” she said.

The jock’s face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. He let out a hearty laugh. “Whatever you say.”

He reached his hands over his shoulders, grabbed onto the back of his shirt and pulled it forward over his head. Elle could tell even before he had his shirt off that he had a good body, but she wasn’t expecting what she saw. And she couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped her mouth.

She stood wide-eyed, starting at the gorgeous creature before her. In her line of work, she’d seen her fair share of half-naked men, but never in her life had she been turned on like she was at the moment. His chest was perfect: ripped abs and chiseled pecs all under gloriously tan skin. She felt her jaw go slack and heat spread through her entire body. Quickly snapping her mouth shut, she swallowed and turned her attention back to her grease covered hands.

“Well … what do you want me to do?” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Let me lick you. Or better yet, take me right here on the side of the road,
she thought before shaking her head, attempting to clear her mind.

“Give it to me.” Elle held out her hand, making sure to keep her distance. She didn’t trust herself to get too close to the slice of heaven standing before her. Mostly because her body tended to have a mind of its own and right now it liked what it saw.

The stranger looked down at Elle’s hands, covered in grease and all he did was laugh. Clearly he’d figured out her plans. His light green eyes lit up and he tossed her his shirt, hitting her in the face.

With a roll of her eyes, Elle went to work getting every last bit of grease from her hands. She kept her eyes down and pretended to ignore the man that was still standing in front of her. To say he annoyed her was an understatement. His cocky attitude and smart ass comments got under her skin. Yet there was something in his smile that melted her heart.

“Here.” She took a step forward and pressed his shirt against his chest. Before she could pull away, his large hand covered hers, pushing her palm flat against his pecs. “Thanks for all your help,” she said, sliding her hand out from under his and dragging it down his bare stomach.

Oh my … please help me now,
she moaned silently to herself.

“No problem. I’d be more than willing to
help
you out anytime you need it,” he said with a laugh, sending vibrations up the length of her arm.

“Yeah, I bet you would.” Elle spun on her heel and walked over to the driver’s side. Climbing into her seat, she could feel his eyes on her, watching her every move.

“So that’s it?” He looked down and shuffled his feet side to side, kicking some loose pebbles around.

He didn’t have to explain his question. Elle knew exactly what he was referring to. He expected her to be the typical girl. The girl that would bat her lashes, give him her phone number, and practically beg for a call. But Elle McLean was not that type of girl. If he wanted her number, then he was going to have to ask, although something about him told her that he was not the kind of guy who did that. Girls swooned after him, not the other way around.

“Yep, that’s it. Unless, of course, you need help changing a flat tire,” she said innocently.

“No, I’m good. But if I ever need any help, I know the right girl to call.”

“I never gave you my number,” she said, while closing the door. His mouth hung slack and he blinked slowly. “Thanks again for your help,” Elle said. “Your shirt really came in handy.” She gave him her most mischievous smile and slowly drove away.

***

Trent watched as the hottest girl he’d ever seen drove away, leaving him standing on the side of the road like some love sick adolescent.

Hot damn, what a girl,
he thought. He’d had his fair share of beautiful women, but she was gorgeous. Not only that, she was a gorgeous smart ass who knew how to change a tire. And her apparent disinterest drove him crazy. He was used to girls falling all over him, practically begging to get in his pants, and she didn’t even bat a lash. He wondered briefly if something was wrong with her. It took him all of two seconds to realize that there was absolutely nothing wrong with her. In fact, she was the complete opposite. She was everything right. But if she was so right, why didn’t he ask for her number?

Trent knew the answer to his question as soon as he thought it. He never asked for chicks’ numbers. That’s how it had always been and how it would always be. He shrugged it off as her loss and climbed back in his SUV.

A half hour later, he walked into his condo, slamming the door behind him. The entire car ride home had done nothing but give him time to think about the tire chick and make him aggravated that things hadn’t turned out the way he planned. He was making his way into the kitchen for a beer when he noticed Ethan putting away some groceries.

“Bad afternoon at your parents, T?”

“Yeah, you could say that,” he said while walking over to the counter to sit down. There was a moment of silence between the two friends, and Ethan eyed the grease smudged shirt.

“Something wrong with the SUV?”

“No.” Trent crossed his arms.

“Look, I’m not going to talk to you if you start moping. Just tell me what happened.”

Trent didn’t want to sound like a complete idiot, but he knew in this situation it would most likely be inevitable. “I was on my way home from my parents’ when I saw a girl on the side of the road with a flat tire. I pulled over to offer my help.”

“And by ‘offering your help,’ do you mean you offered to get into her pants?”

“No, I was being nice. I just asked if she needed any help, I swear.” He held up his hands defensively. Ethan looked doubtful, but didn’t say anything. He waited for his friend to continue. “Anyway, I offered and she said she didn’t need help. She already knew how to change a tire.”

“Lots of girls know how to change tires,” Ethan said with a shrug.

“Not girls like
her
. Man, you should have seen her. She was wearing these high heels and this skirt. And her legs? Man, they were amazing. She was gorgeous, and you know I’ve seen a lot of good looking girls. She was the hottest I’ve
ever
seen.”

Ethan watched his friend in amusement. “So, when are you going out with her?”

“I’m not,” Trent said dejectedly.

“She turned you down?” Ethan laughed. “Trent, that has gotta be the first time that’s ever happened. Well, except for Kathy Harris but that was in ninth grade. What did you do to her?”

Trent suddenly felt very defensive. His ego had already taken a beating and he couldn’t bear much more. “Hey, first off, Kathy Harris only said no because she was infatuated with you. And I didn’t
do
anything to this girl. You should have heard her, E. She had a mouth on her. I swear I’ve never been talked to like that before. I have to admit it was kind of a turn on, but that’s beside the point. We aren’t going out because she didn’t give me her number.”

Ethan closed his eyes and took a calming breath. “Please tell me you didn’t ask her out because she didn’t play into your stupid little game.”

“It’s not a game, man. You know how I am.”

“If you mean that I know you’re a complete ass, then yes, I know how you are. You finally meet a girl who wouldn’t put up with your crap, and you let her walk away because she didn’t give you her number?”

Trent listened as his friend lectured him. Normally, he would fight back, but today he didn’t. He knew Ethan was right. “Okay, so it was stupid of me. But it’s too late now. Maybe I’ll get lucky and see her again someday.”

Ethan stopped talking and shook his head as he went back to putting his groceries away. After the third bag of fruit, Trent looked at him with narrowed eyes.

“What’s with all the produce? Are you making some big dinner or something?” Ethan paused for a second, but didn’t say a word. “Ethan? I said, what’s with all the produce?”

“Nothing, I just felt like getting some more fruit and stuff.” He shrugged his shoulders casually, but there was no hiding the slight tint of pink that colored his cheeks.

If Trent knew Ethan—which he did—there was only one thing that made him blush and that was girls. “All right, who is she?” he asked, drumming his fingers on the granite countertop.

“She who?”

“Dude, Ethan, I know you. You met someone, I can tell. So who is she?” His friend shrugged again, attempting to play it cool. “You know I won’t give up until you tell me. I can get really annoying if I need to. Do I need to remind you about summer camp of ninth grade?”

Trent thought back to that summer the two friends spent at Camp Trexler. After they got home from a summer of fun, Ethan wasn’t acting like himself. He refused to tell his friend what was going on. Eventually Trent got him to admit it involved a girl and wouldn’t let it go. He’d followed him around for days singing, whining, and repeating anything he said until Ethan finally broke down. He eventually admitted to making out with one of the senior camp leaders, something that Trent still gave him major kudos for to this day.

“Fine. Yes, I met someone,” Ethan said.

“I knew it! Was it today?”

“No, it was actually a week ago.” Trent listened closely as Ethan told him all about the mystery girl he met—Kate was her name. He told him about what happened at the hospital, how he almost kissed her, and how Lisa dropped the bomb about Cindy.

“I never liked that Lisa girl. There is something about her. It’s like she’s always plotting something.” Ethan nodded. “So did you see her today, then?” Trent watched Ethan unload the last bag of groceries and waited for his response.

“Yeah, on my way home from work, I stopped off at the grocery store, and I bumped into her.” He closed the fridge with a click and leaned back on the stainless steel surface.

“And … ?” Trent asked with wide eyes.

Ethan stood up and started to walk out of the room before stopping in the doorway.

“All I’m gonna say is that I’m officially a
big
fan of the produce section. I sure as hell won’t ever look at it the same way again.” His face lit up with a wide smile, and he turned on his heel to leave.

Trent sat in shock. He couldn’t believe Ethan was leaving him hanging. How could he drop a bomb like that and not explain? He quickly hopped down off his chair.

“Wait!” he yelled. “Did you jump her? You did, didn’t you? You got down and dirty with her right there in the middle of the produce section. Come on, tell me! You were playing with her melons, weren’t you? Oh, man, you are so the luckiest S.O.B. I’ve ever met!” Trent followed after his friend, begging for the details of his illicit grocery store rendezvous.

Chapter 11

Reservations

K
ate looked back and forth between her two friends and wondered if they’d know who she was referring to.

“Who’s single?” Logan asked with puzzled eyes.

Sophie didn’t have to ask. There was only one person who Kate wanted to be single, and that was Doctor Ethan.

“What?” she yelled, hopping off Logan’s back. “How did you find out? Did you just see him? What did he say? What did you say? Are you guys going out, then?” She was so excited that one question ran into the other.

“I just saw him at the grocery store,” Kate said with a smile.

“And?”

“We talked for a while. And I helped him pick out produce.” She tried to hide her blushing face as she grabbed her bags, headed over to the kitchen, and started putting things away.

Sophie gave Logan the ‘girls talk’ look, and he disappeared into the living room to watch some TV.

“Why are you blushing like that?” Sophie asked, knowing there was something going on.

“Blushing like what?”

“Oh, don’t try and play coy with me, missy,” she said while waving her finger in Kate’s face. “I can tell there is something going on behind that smile of yours. Now spill it!”

Kate fiddled with the corner of her shirt, trying to decide where to start. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the door opened and Elle walked in.

“What’s up, bitches? Who’s up for some amazing chocolate covered Oreos and margaritas?” She walked into the kitchen, bags in hand, and a huge smile on her face. Both Kate and Sophie stared in wonderment. They were used to Elle’s more than colorful ways of greeting them, but this was different. There was something else going on.

“What happened to you?” Sophie asked.

“What? I can’t be happy without you guys thinking something’s going on?”

Again, the two girls looked at each other with wide eyes.

“Umm …” Kate mumbled. “It’s just that you seem really, really happy.” She looked at Sophie with pleading eyes, begging for help.

“Kate’s right. You only get this happy when you’ve had a great lay. And since I’m pretty sure you’ve only been gone an hour or so, I’m guessing that’s not it.” Sophie pulled her brows together and shrugged. “I suppose it could be possible. You are pretty ballsy,” she pointed out.

“All right, Soph, you can stop jumping to conclusions. That’s not why I’m happy,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Then again, I
did
meet someone.”

“You did?” Kate asked, while leaning forward in interest.

Elle’s eyes glazed over, her mind stuck on something else while she spoke. “Yeah, I got a flat tire and some hot jock pulled over and tried to help. You know, since I have the words ‘helpless big-breasted bimbo’ stamped across my forehead.”

“So, you let him help you?” Sophie asked surprised. “That’s a first.”

“Yeah, Elle, he must have been really hot for you to allow that to happen.” Kate watched her friend closely for any reaction. She had a feeling there was more to her story.

“Oh, believe me, he was hot. And there was something about him that looked familiar. Then again, I’m pretty positive I’d remember a hot asshole like him.” She shook her head, dismissing her previous thoughts. “Anyway, yes, he was hot and cocky and adorable and annoying.” She prattled off a few other attributes and told them the entire story. Both Kate and Sophie stared with their jaws hanging open.

“So … are you going out with him, then?” Kate asked hesitantly.

“Did you not just hear what I said? You guys, he was a complete … I don’t know, he was just so …” She rubbed her hands across her forehead in frustration.

“Hot,” Sophie said, finishing her sentence.

Elle dropped her shoulders and let out a little sigh of defeat. “Yeah, he was hot. It still doesn’t change the fact that he was an ass.” She sat down at the table, propping her head up with her hand.

Kate sat down next to her. “What’s the problem, then? Why didn’t you give him your number?”

“Because!” she yelled. “He is one of
those
guys!” Elle blinked at her friends like they should know what she was talking about.

“Oh no! Not one of
those
guys,” Sophie teased.

“You know what I mean. Look, can we just stop talking about this? Besides, he’s not the reason I’m so happy.” She waived her hand around dismissively.

Sophie’s eyebrows pulled together. “He’s not?”

“Why are you so chipper, then?” Kate asked.

Elle casually stood up, walked over to the counter and started pulling out the Jose Cuervo and limes, obviously taking her time in an attempt to drive her two friends crazy.

“Oh, you know, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I got a call from Graham earlier,” she said with an indifferent tone.

“And?” Sophie asked, bouncing on the tips of her toes.

“And he gave me some great news.”

Both girls waited anxiously while Elle reached into a bag and pulled out a chocolate covered Oreo. “I’ve been booked to open a show for Alexandre Beaumont next month,” she said casually while taking a bite.

“You have?” Kate hit her friend’s shoulder in excitement, causing flecks of cookie to crumble to the floor.

“That’s great news.” Sophie added. “I told you to be patient.”

Elle nodded and took another bite. “That’s not all he told me. There’s more,” she said with a full mouth.

“More?” both girls said in unison.

She swallowed. “He told me some other pretty amazing news.” The smile on her face grew wider and her friends knew it was big.

“So?”

“I’m one of their top two choices.” She blurted quickly, not able to contain it any longer.

Sophie and Kate looked at each other. “Whose choice? What?” Kate asked.

“Spill it!” Sophie yelled, unable to take it any more.

“I’m one of the top two choices for the cover of the swimsuit issue of
Sports Illustrated
!”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up! Are you serious?!” Sophie’s high pitched squeal rang in the air.

“Dead serious,” Elle said, still in awe. “You guys, I’m just so excited. I mean, being in the spread was a big deal, but being on the cover? If I land that … it’ll be surreal.”

Kate stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her two friends. “I think this means we need to go out and celebrate,” she suggested.

“How about I make reservations at Union Trust Steakhouse?”

Kate’s eyes lit up. “I’ve wanted to try that place out. It’s been getting great reviews and the interior is supposed to be amazing. You know, it used to be a bank,” she said excitedly.

“I know, silly,” Sophie said proudly. “After all, this celebration is for you too, you know.”

“What?” Elle asked, eyeing them both.

“Kate hasn’t had a chance to tell you
her
big news yet,” Sophie said with a smirk. “Go ahead, tell her.”

“He’s single,” Kate said with a smirk.

Just like Sophie, Elle knew exactly who she was talking about. “He is? How did you find out?”

“I bumped into him at the grocery store, in the produce section.” She paused for a minute and smiled. “We talked for a little while.” Kate dropped her eyes to the ground shyly.

“Wait a minute.” Elle crossed her arms. “What’s going on? What happened between you two?”

“Right? I sensed something too!” Sophie added. “She was just about to crack when you walked in.”

“Actually, Elle, I think you would be really proud of me,” Kate said with a wide grin.

“Why? What did you do? Did you jump him? You did, didn’t you? Right in the middle of the produce section. Man, what I wouldn’t give to see
that
go down.” Elle’s eyes glazed over as she became lost in her own world.

“No, I didn’t jump him. I just gave him some pointers on picking out produce.” She shrugged indifferently.

“What kind of pointers?” Sophie asked, taking a seat beside Elle.

“You know, the usual. You want to make sure you pick out the cucumbers that are nice and
thick
and
hard,
” she said in a casual tone. “Make sure you feel how
smooth
and
firm
the bell peppers are, that sort of thing. I thought for sure he’d lose it at one point, but he actually stepped up his game and fed me a strawberry right in the middle of the store.”

Both Sophie and Elle stared with wide eyes and slack jaws. They were speechless.

Logan, who, up until this point, had been in the living room, was the only one to speak. “Damn. That guy didn’t stand a chance. I bet he’s home right now taking the coldest shower of his life.” He shook his head, feeling sorry for the complete stranger who had been tortured by Kate’s sexual innuendos. “Humph, the produce section,” he laughed to himself as he walked back into the living room.

“Kate,” Elle said calmly. “If I wasn’t so shocked right now, I would be kissing the ground that you walk on. You make me so proud.”

“Thanks, I try,” her proud friend said with a triumphant smile.

The group of friends spent the next hour preparing dinner and discussing Kate’s encounter with a now single Ethan. Both friends agreed that Kate’s choice not to give him her number was a risky move, but worth it.

Later that night, Sophie called to make reservations for the following evening. “It’s all set,” she said, flipping her phone shut. “We have reservations at seven, so make sure you’re there by quarter till. I don’t want to lose our table.”

“We’ll be there, don’t worry,” Kate said as they walked into the living room. Elle was sitting on the couch, yelling at the TV, while Logan sat in the recliner, shaking his head back and forth.

“What kind of a play was that?” she yelled. “Stupid idiot, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Sophie laughed as she climbed into her boyfriend’s lap. “Your sister is nuts when it comes to sports,” she whispered in his ear.

“Believe me, I know. Her sports rage can be scary.” He laughed and pulled Sophie into his chest. “What do you say we get out of here? Head home where I can draw you a nice warm bath and then crawl into our warm bed …” His voice trailed off.

“Why, Mr. McLean, are you trying to seduce me?” Sophie said with a bat of her lashes.

He looked down at her, his brown eyes alight. “Maybe I am. Are you okay with that?” He smirked.

She gave him a quick wink. “Baby, I’m more than okay with that.”

Without a second word, Logan stood up and tossed her over his shoulder. He turned to the other two girls in the room. “Bye, Kate. Bye, sis. We’ll see you guys later,” he said as he walked through the doorway.

“Bye, girls! We’ll see you tomorrow night. Don’t forget be on time!” Sophie yelled, straining her head so she could catch one last glimpse of her friends.

The two girls looked up just in time to see the door slam shut. “Those two are perfect for each other. If I didn’t love them both, it would make me sick,” Elle said, turning her attention back to the TV.

Kate agreed with a nod and pretended to focus on the game when really her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of a certain doctor and whether or not he’d find her phone number.

***

After giving Trent a few details about his shopping experience so he would leave him alone, Ethan was finally able to take a cold shower. He tried to keep his mind clear of thoughts of Kate, but it was impossible. She was all he could think about.

His body was exhausted and all he wanted to do was crash, but he couldn’t. Just the thought of having Kate’s phone number and address within his reach kept his adrenaline pumping. He quickly got dressed and headed back to the hospital.

Ethan made his way past the nurses’ station without anyone noticing. Although he knew it wasn’t a big deal to be seen, he also knew that looking up a patient’s information for personal use was not acceptable. But he did have honest intensions of doing a follow up call. Just to make sure Kate’s stitches were healing properly. Or at least that was what he was telling himself.

He headed for the locker room first. Four days ago, when Kate walked out of the exam room, she’d left behind her shirt. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever see her again, but had kept it just in case. Now he was beginning to see how keeping it could really work to his advantage. It would give him an excuse to stop by her home this weekend.

Just as he opened his locker to grab the shirt, someone caught his eye.

“Hello, Dr. Montgomery.” Ethan jumped slightly when he saw Lisa. It was as if she appeared out of nowhere.

“Hey, Lisa. Didn’t hear you come in.”

“Well, that’s just because I’m so light on my feet,” she giggled.

It was clear that she was flirting and that was not something Ethan felt like doing at the moment. “Um, yeah. I guess that could be it,” he mumbled.