Fastball (Wilde Players Dirty Romance)
Page 20
“I see.”
The doctor stands there and stares. Then it registers that he's waiting for me to give my permission. “Yeah, fine. They can come in.”
He opens the door, and a couple of guys in uniform shuffle in. They tell me how sorry they are about the accident and then ask me what I remember. Closing my eyes, I give them my twenty-five second replay of the ugly scene. All of the important facts, such as the make of the car, the color, and the license plate number are nonexistent in my mind. Basically, I'm no help whatsoever. After shaking my left hand, they leave.
As time passes, it doesn't take long for everyone to see that I'm a dick-a fucking assface and a terrible overall patient. After Aunt Shelly gets me back home, it only takes a day for her not to want to put up with my sorry ass anymore and ends up firing herself as my nurse. She hightails it back to Raleigh and her family once she hires someone to take over for her.
Now I have Rita, a tiny woman who could fit inside a shoebox, taking care of me. And I'm six and a half feet tall. Not to mention that woman is a saint. I don't know how she puts up with my jackhole moods, but she does. I'm cranky and foul-tempered as I struggle with needing someone else's help.
“No, Mr. Fletcher, you mustn't-” she wags a finger at me when I try to get out of bed the day after my surgery.
She must be deaf, because she never flinches when my foul mouth runs off as I get back in bed hating life. I think it's the dogs she stays for. She probably feels sorry for Boomer and Brady. And weeks later, during my recovery, it's easy to see the bond the three have formed. Won't they be sad tomorrow when she's gone? It's her last day since I'll be cleared to drive. After my ACL repair and recovery, I'm finally ready to begin physical therapy.
Rita scares me. One afternoon she threatened if I threw any more plates on the floor she would beat me with the broom she was holding. That shut me up real fast. Now she's driving me to my PT session, and that frightens me even more. Her speedy turns that feel like we are tipping on two-wheels have me pressing my imaginary brake, wondering if we'll make it there alive.
“Where'd you learn to drive again?” I ask for the millionth time.
“Why?” She looks innocent.
“You're scary. You'd make a fighter pilot sweat bullets.”
“Good. I hope you sweat a lot.”
That was the extent of our conversation. I'm sure she's had more than her fill of me already, too.
Now I just keep my mouth shut and eyes closed, praying we'll make it to my destination in one piece.
Sitting in the waiting room, I've finally finished filling out all the crazy paperwork for my appointment when a voice with a familiar ring to it calls my name.
“Mr. Wilde.”
Struggling to stand, I hobble toward the back, taking great care on my newly repaired ACL, ready to be put through the ringer. No one has to tell me how grueling this is going to be. My focus is on my feet, so I don't pay much attention to the blonde-haired therapist until she stops and spins around.
“Hello, Fletcher.”
What the fuck! My head snaps up in disbelief. Almond-shaped hazel eyes, the very same ones I used to get lost in for hours at a time, peer at me beneath a feathering of thick lashes. Her gaze takes a lazy trip up and down the length of me, scrutinizing me as though I were an insect, or some other undesirable life form. I get the distinct feeling if she were taller than her five foot seven inches, she would be staring down her cute little nose at me in a haughty manner. Even still, she is every bit as gorgeous as she was the first day I saw her in high school. Scratch that. She's better-more mature in a refined way. But as usual, it's her pouty-lipped mouth that holds my attention the longest. Images of what that mouth can do-wait! What the hell am I thinking? “No. This isn't going to work.”
A smirk appears on that gorgeous face of hers. The one I used to be so in love with. The one I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with.
“Fine. Feel free to see someone else. Let me warn you, though. We only have one other therapist in this office, and he only works half-days every other Thursday. So good luck with that. Unless you want to drive all the way to and from Asheville every day.”
Then she has the nerve to wink at me. And all I can think about is her dumping me. Bitch.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
A.M. Hargrove
One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, USA Today bestselling author, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So she made a quick decision to quit her job and reinvented herself as a Naughty and Nice Romance Author.
Annie fancies herself all of the following: Reader, Writer, Dark Chocolate Lover, Ice Cream Worshipper, Coffee Drinker (swears the coffee, chocolate, and ice cream should be added as part of the USDA food groups), Lover of Grey Goose (and an extra dirty martini), #WalterThePuppy Lover, and if you're ever around her for more than five minutes, you'll find out she's a non-stop talker. Other than loving writing about romance, she loves hanging out with her family and binge watching TV with her husband. You can find out more about her books at http://www.amhargrove.com.
Terri E. Laine
Terri E. Laine, USA Today bestselling author, left a lucrative career as a CPA to pursue her love for writing. Outside of her roles as a wife and mother of three, she's always been a dreamer and as such became an avid reader at a young age.
Many years later, she got a crazy idea to write a novel and set out to try to publish it. With over a dozen titles published under various pen names, the rest is history. Her journey has been a blessing, and a dream realized. She looks forward to many more memories to come.
You can find more about her books at www.terrielaine.com.
STALK TERRI E. LAINE
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For Other Books by Terri E. Laine Visit her Amazon Author’s Page or
www.terrielaine.com
Cruel & Beautiful
A Mess of a Man
Chasing Butterflies
A Beautiful Sin
Sidelined
STALK A.M. HARGROVE
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annie@amhargrove.com
For Other Books by A.M. Hargrove visit her Amazon Author’s Page or www.amhargrove.com
A Beautiful Sin
Cruel and Beautiful
A Mess of a Man
Sidelined
For The Love Of English
THE EDGE SERIES:
Edge of Disaster
Shattered Edge
Kissing Fire
THE TRAGIC SERIES:
Tragically Flawed, Tragic 1
Tragic Desires, Tragic 2
THE HART BROTHERS SERIES
Freeing Her, Book 1
Freeing Him, Book 2
Kestrel, Book 3
The Fall and Rise of Kade Hart
Sabin, A Seven Novel
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