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“I'm happy to be home.”
“I'm sure you are. I'm sure Wyatt is too.” He wiggles his brows as he pulls back and smiles down at me.
“You know him too? Is there anyone you don’t know?” Danny rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t seem mad. I think he’s trying to tease me and maybe flirt? Owen’s right, he has no game whatsoever. I hope he’s better at baseball than he is at flirting.
“Welcome to the world of Mulberry Lane, Danny. If you know one of them, you know all of them. They make this small world feel a little bit smaller.” Jesse drapes his arm around my shoulders and squeezes me. “They’re the friendliest group of people you’ll ever meet and they welcome you into their family with open arms.”
“Mulberry Lane? Is this a real place?” Danny’s brows draw low on his forehead.
“Yes. I grew up on Mulberry Lane. My dad and Wyatt’s dad built seven houses so they and their friends could live together. We’re a family.” I lift my shoulder in a shrug. “I have more aunts and uncles than I can count and all of their familiesbecame my extended family too. I'm pretty sure if I ever get married, there will be a few hundred people invited on my side alone.”
“Who’s getting married?” An attractive man squeezes into the room. He looks to be in his mid-thirties with broad shoulders and a trim waist. He’s at least half a foot taller than me and his smile is practically lighting up the room.
“Oh, Charlie’s just dreaming again.” Jesse rolls his eyes as he teases me.
“Ahh, waiting for your boyfriend to propose.” He nods his head like he understands.
“Nope! I’d need a boyfriend before I could expect him to propose.” I lift my shoulder in a shrug and a slow smile spreads across my face as his grin widens.
“That’s a good bit of information to know. I’m Brent Walker. I’m the lead doctor for the Pit Bulls.”
“Charlie Robinson, the new physical therapist.” I hold out my hand and give him a firm handshake.
“It’s very nice to meet you. I’m sure we’ll be working together quite frequently.” He winks at me and for the first time in a long time, my attention is on a man other than Wyatt Everson.
“It’s nice to meet you too.” I turn towards Danny, more than ready to get out of this office. I know Jesse will be teasing me forever about Brent. “If you don’t need me for anything else, I'm going to find Gary so we can go over things before the day really starts.”
“No, go ahead.I’ll catch up with you at the end of the day.” He gives me a tight-lipped smile and I wonder if he’s upset Brent was flirting with me.
“Bye, Uncle Jesse.” I stand on my tippy toes and kiss his scruffy cheek.
“Bye, sweetheart. I’m sure I’ll see you before I leave. I think we have some things to discuss.” His eyes light up with mischief and I let out an audible groan. He chuckles and shakes his head. We both know it’s going to be about Brent.
“Let me walk you out.” Brent motions for me to exit the room ahead of him.
As he matches my stride, he places his hand on my lower back and guides me to the physical therapy room. Butterflies are swarming in my stomach and I actually feel a little guilty over that.
For so long I’ve been Wyatt’s girl. Even after we broke up, I still saw myself as his girl. I wasn’t attracted to other men and I was happily single the entire time.
But Brent is making me wonder if I'm finally not viewing myself as Wyatt’s anymore. Maybe I’m ready to move on from him.
“Hey, Charlie,” a deep voice rumbles. A voice I’ve heard so often that I could read a text from him and hear him saying the words in my head.
“Hey, Wyatt.” I stop and spin around to face him. We haven’t spoken in person since he dropped me off at the airport and I know things are going to be tense between us.
“How areyou?” He stuffs his hands in the pockets of his athletic shorts and drops his gaze to his feet, looking more uncomfortable than ever. I swear he’s never looked more like the Wyatt I fell in love with. The boy who stole my heart before I even realized I had one to give.
“Busy. I wish I had a little more time to get settled in before I had to come to work, but it will be fine.”
“Did you find a place yet?” He raises his gaze and stares at me through his lashes.
“Not yet, but honestly, I haven’t tried very hard yet. My grandparents moved back into their house so my room is free again and let’s be real, if Wes could keep me at home forever, he would.” I grin.
“That sounds about right.” He chuckles. “My offer still stands if you’re interested.” He glances at Brent, then back at me. Clearly, he isn't comfortable with Brent hearing our conversation, but he isn't backing down either. It’s nice to see him willing to fight a little, but I'm not sure it’s enough.
“I don’t know, Wyatt. I'm not sure that would be a good idea,” I say softly.
One part of me wants to jump at the chance to live with him. Wyatt was my best friend for so much of my life. It’s weird to be around him now and not be able to feel comfortable.
