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“I have to see him.” Georgia jumped out of her chair, her heart pounding. She danced in place, unsure where to go next. “I have to talk to Alaric. Is he in town?”
She wasn’t sure what she was going to say, but she had to see him. Could she have been wrong about him once again? Did the man she’d fallen for truly exist? Her insides fluttered in response to the question.
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea…” Sally began, her expression turning sour. “He may have gotten you out of this scrape, but we can’t forget that he was the one who…”
“I have it on good authority that he’s at Advanced Therapy for his weekly physical therapy appointment,” Emily interrupted, pressing her lips together in barely contained excitement. “It’s a small clinic a few blocks away. If you use my town car, you could be there in minutes.”
“Right. Yes. Thank you.” Georgia stood frozen in place for a long moment, her insides churning with excitement and nerves. Would he even want to see her?
“He’ll want to see you,” Emily said, leaning forward on her desk, a knowing smile lighting up her face. “Trust me.”
“Right.”
That was all the encouragement she needed. Georgia rushed toward the door, ignoring Sally’s indignant huffs. Emily’s cheers followed her down the hall and bolstered her confidence.
She could only hope Emily was right.
Chapter Seventeen
Alaric heaved himself onto the parallel bars, the muscles in his arms straining with effort to keep his body straight. A trickle of sweat crawled down the back of his neck and he relished in the strength of his own body. There had been a time not too long ago when he’d cursed its limitations. But now, he saw it in a new light — one filled with possibilities. And part of that change was thanks to a woman on the other side of the country with alluring emerald eyes.
A woman who now hated him.
He cringed and slipped a little on the bars, willing himself not to think about her and instead threw his whole concentration into therapy. There was nothing left to do now but move on with his life. Use the valuable lessons he’d learned from his time with Georgia to finally become the better man he’d set out to be. He had a long way to go, but determination had seeped into his very bones.
“How’s the new fit, Mr. Hammond?”
Dr. Anand moved into sight, her long dark tresses pulled into a thick braid down over one shoulder. She wore a royal blue skin-tight athletic shirt embroidered with her name and a pair of snap-up wind pants. Kneeling next to his newly adjusted prosthetic, she waited for him to put his weight on it.
Lowering himself slowly to the ground, he studied how the fit cupped his leg. There was no chaffing or pinching. Nothing to suggest they’d missed the mark. Taking a few tentative steps forward, he admired the smoothness of this newest fit.
“It’s perfect,” he said, looking down at his athletic shorts and the black metal prosthetic beneath. “I think you really hit the nail on the head.”
Dr. Anand nodded her head eagerly and then made a few notes on the clipboard in her hands. Her eyes sparkled with excitement when she looked back up at him. “I really can’t thank you enough, Mr. Hammond. Your investment in my latest prototype is going to make a world of difference for amputees all over the world. I couldn’t have done it without your support.”
Alaric smiled tight-lipped at her, not wishing to draw any more attention to the gift than necessary. Not everyone had the resources like he did to invest in their very own prosthetic limbs. It was his own way of giving back. If his money could make a difference, then maybe he could say everything that had happened to him had been for a reason.
And maybe it would help relieve some of the guilt he carried from betraying the one woman he’d ever fallen for.
“Don’t give him any more praise, Dr. Anand. His head might swell up and he’ll never make it out those doors.” Smithy walked toward them on his two prosthetic legs, his curly head bobbing as he beamed at Alaric. “We can’t all be billionaires.”
Alaric rolled his eyes, but felt a reluctant smile tug at his lips. He’d missed his crazy friend.
“The way things are going lately, I have the feeling you’ll have your own billions to throw around soon enough,” he shot back, leaving the parallel bars to shake Smithy’s hand. “So don’t get too high and mighty. You’ll have your own swollen head to worry about.”
“Never.” Smithy slapped a hand across his heart with a mock expression of hurt. “Dr. Anand, please tell Alaric that it is physically impossible for Kevin Smith to get a giant ego. It’s just not in my DNA.”
Dr. Anand laughed as she glanced back and forth between them, her dark eyes glittering with humor. “I’m not a geneticist, Mr. Smith. My specialty lies in artificial limbs, so I’m afraid you’re on your own for that one.”
Smithy groaned and turned toward her with a hurt expression. “Come on, how many times have I told you to call me Smithy? I thought we were friends.”
She laughed again and turned toward her stack of weighted balls in the corner. “I’ll call you Smithy when you can do four hundred weighted squats without tipping over once.”
Smithy groaned loudly, but couldn’t seem to wipe away the goofy smile on his face. He followed Dr. Anand to the floor mat where they began his therapy routine. Alaric watched them and felt a surprising flair of jealousy burst inside his chest. Smithy had it bad for his doctor, but he was just in the beginning stages of puppy love. The time when everything was new and exciting and no one had had the chance to mess it up.
He wished he could go back in time with Georgia. Back to before the party, the fake relationship, even the first date. He’d do it right the second time. He’d already know what a unique and wonderful woman Georgia Weber was and he wouldn’t falter in his loyalty to her. But life didn’t work that way.
As he turned toward his gym bag to grab a towel, he got the distinct sensation that someone was watching him. He looked up in time to see a figure
