Her Fresh Start Family

Rapid tapping on his door broke into his thoughts. His friend and business partner, Alan McKay, strolled in and perched himself on the edge of the desk.

“So, I hear the new lady is here. Is she pretty? Single? Looking for a handsome guy to show her around?”

If Alan was half as attractive as he thought he was, he’d be dangerous. “She’s attractive in a business kind of way.” He wasn’t about to give his friend any ammunition by telling him about the odd attraction he’d felt when he saw her standing in front of the building. She’d looked like a little girl who’d lost her way. When he’d looked into her eyes, he’d realized she was a woman fighting to get through the next moment without losing it. The same way he was. The realization rocked him. Was that how people saw him, keeping a tight rein on his emotions, afraid to set his heart free? He put on a good show. He was friendly and jovial, but inside, he was battling to hold it together. So what was Nina Johnson’s story?

“Meaning what?”

“She’s reserved and a bit closed off.” He rested his arms on the desk. “She reminds me of Olivia.”

“Your eight-year-old? How so?”

“She’s smart and funny most of the time, but away from the family, she is painfully shy. It takes time for her to assess the situation before she’ll step into the action. Maybe all Miss Nina needs is a little time to adjust to her environment.”

Alan crossed his arm over his chest. “Or maybe she’s like your five-year-old. Outgoing and ready for fun, but she just didn’t warm to you.” He stood. “I’m going to go over there and say welcome.”

Bret’s protective instincts kicked in. “Alan, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. It’s her first day, and she seemed really nervous. Give her some time to settle in before you go throwing your charm around.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. But be sure and invite her to the monthly birthday party tomorrow. Then we can all meet her and welcome her into the family.”

“I will, but I don’t think she’s the sociable type. She might not want to be buddies with the other business owners.” The idea saddened him. Kitty had spent much of her free time visiting the other tenants. He had a feeling Nina was more comfortable by herself. Getting her to join the fun would be a tough job. A surge of determination grew in his mind. He wanted her to be part of the group, and he wouldn’t stop until he knew her story and had her firmly integrated into their family. He’d been the outsider once, and the people here had given him back the sense of belonging he’d lost when his wife walked out.

Alan leaned forward with a grin. “So, do I detect some interest on your part? Did the lady capture your attention?”

Bret shook his head and turned his focus to the computer screen. “I have no desire to get involved with anyone.” But he couldn’t deny that something about the new therapist intrigued him. Those big blue eyes in the pretty oval face had lodged in his mind, and the sweet, flowery scent she wore still lingered in his nostrils, though it was at odds with her closed-off attitude.

“I promised Kitty I’d look after her and help her get adjusted. That’s all.” Strictly for the sake of her patients, of course, and Kitty’s reputation. He had a sudden desire to see the lady with her hair down. Literally and figuratively.

“Dude, you need to get your nose out of this job and start noticing women again.”

“You’re the ladies’ man around here. Not me. My two little girls are the only women I need in my life.”

“Bret, old buddy, I’ve known you since we were on the football team in high school, and I know you’re a family man to the core. You don’t do well single. You’re happiest when you’re part of a couple. Married.”

Bret punched the enter key on his laptop with more force than necessary. His friend was right, but he wasn’t going to risk his heart again, or those of his little girls. “I tried that, remember? I failed miserably. Dad and I are doing okay raising the girls.”

Alan exhaled an exasperated breath. This wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation.

“Don’t you think you deserve another chance? Maybe, with the right woman, things would be different.”

“And maybe they wouldn’t. It wasn’t the woman. It was me.”

“Not true. One of these days, you’re going to have to let go of those black bags of guilt you’re still carrying around over that thing in Afghanistan and your wife and allow yourself to be happy again. Lay it at the cross, man. Lay it at the cross. I gotta go. I got to see a man about a donation.”

Alan’s uninhibited personality was a huge asset to Phase II. He had a way of loosening purse strings and opening wallets and getting donations that kept the business afloat. “Hope it’s a big one.” While they charged for many of their services, the donations allowed them to keep the cost of classes and training manageable for the veterans who were on tight budgets. Their main goal was to acquire a government contract that would cover expenses on a permanent basis. So far, no luck in that department, but he felt sure Alan’s bulldog determination and his attention to detail would get them a contract this time around. “How’s it going on that contract application?”

“Good, but I want to make sure I cross every T and dot every I before I submit it. How about you? How’s the Military Appreciation Day event coming along?”

“I have a chamber-of-commerce meeting tomorrow. I’m not hopeful of them planning anything different this year.”

“You mean, other than throwing up a few tents and handing out flyers? That didn’t generate much interest last year. We need publicity. Radio, TV, word of mouth. And we need to make it a fun family day.”

“I agree. Now we just need to convince the members to let go of some money to make it happen.”

Bret was relieved when Alan left the office. His friend meant well, but he didn’t fully understand the heavy burden he carried deep inside. He’d tried to reconcile his failures in his mission and his marriage, but nothing had eased his guilt in the last three years, and he doubted anything ever would. All he could do was try to make up for it with his company, help as many veterans as possible and take care of his girls.

No time to think of that now. He had a class to prepare for. Six vets had signed up for computer classes this afternoon, and he hadn’t even prepared the classroom.

He stood up and walked through the office, his gaze darting to the front door and the office across the hall. How was Nina getting along? Hopefully her secretary, Dottie, would ease her transition. Something told him that Nina had more than just nerves over a new position to contend with. He had a gut feeling that her issues ran as deep as his.

* * *

Nina leaned back in her chair—Kathryn’s chair—and closed her eyes. Most of her earlier anxiety had faded in the soothing privacy of the office. She discovered a pod coffee maker and made herself a cup. The flavored brew settled her nerves. All she needed now was a cup of confidence to go along with it. Her landlord had more than his share of confidence. Normally, that would be an indication that a person was well-adjusted, but he’d overdone the welcome, as far as she was concerned. It probably had something to do with his good looks. He knew he was handsome and behaved accordingly.

She had to admit he had a nice smile and warm, friendly eyes. His close-cropped dark brown hair was long enough to hint at a tendency to wave and gave him a boyish quality.

What was she doing? She set her cup down and shoved her thoughts of Bret Sinclair aside. She had no time to think about anything but her reason for being here. Her goal was to come to the office, meet with her patients, help them in any way she could and keep them on track until Kathryn and her family returned home. When she wasn’t at the office, she would keep to herself. Alone. Quiet. Avoiding the past.

Carrying her cup out to the reception area, she peeked out into the corridor separating the various offices. Sinclair had said there were seven businesses in the building, and he’d seemed eager to introduce her to the owners. She’d have to make sure she was too busy to get involved.

Movement across the hall caught her attention. The offices of Phase II took up the whole west side of the second level. Wide windows on either side of the main entry afforded a clear view of the reception area. A young woman sat at the desk, while people moved back and forth, some in military uniforms. Would they be coming and going all day? The thought twisted a small spot under her breastbone. She wouldn’t think about that.

Bret suddenly came into sight and spoke with the woman at the desk. Nina froze. Then, as if sensing her staring, he rotated and looked directly at her. He smiled, sending a slow, warm wave of awareness through her body. She told herself it was embarrassment at being caught snooping, but she knew it was more than that. The warmth in his green eyes could be felt through the glass. She gave a slight nod and hurriedly turned away.

She didn’t want to give the man any ideas. As she started back to her desk, she heard the office door swish open. Was he coming to talk to her again? Quickly, she formed a plausible excuse to turn him away, but when she looked over her shoulder, it wasn’t Bret, but a middle-aged woman with a bright smile, perfectly coiffed light brown hair and glasses on a chain hanging around her neck.

“Hello, there. I’m Dottie Patterson. Welcome to Hastings. I’m so excited to have you here. Kitty thinks the world of you.”

The woman’s sincere greeting and easy manner instantly calmed Nina’s nerves. “Glad to meet you, Dottie. Kathryn told me you had the answers for all my questions.”

“Ha. Sounds like her.” Dottie piled her purse and several bags onto the desktop. “No. I only have a few answers, but I do know where all the bodies are buried.” She waved her hand. “Just joking. I will help you with everything I can. I’m familiar with her schedule and most of her patients, though of course, not their issues. But I know enough to detect when they really need to see her, or when they just need a kind word.”

The idea of having a filter between herself and her patients was reassuring. “You must have worked for her a long time?”

“Since her boys were babies. Course, I only work three days a week now. Monday through Wednesdays, till noon. Hubby is retired, and I want to spend as much time together as we can.”

“Kathryn doesn’t have a full load of patients?”

“She used to, but a year ago, she decided she needed to spend more time with her family, so she started pulling back. Now she sees patients early in the week. Thursday is for emergencies or new patients, and Friday, she plays hooky.”

“Sounds like a nice job, but I prefer to be busy. I don’t do well with time on my hands.”

“I hope you don’t go stir crazy here, then. We aren’t very busy. Kitty has transferred her most serious patients to other qualified doctors. You’ll be working mainly with the run-of-the-mill neurosis and phobias.”

“I wasn’t aware there were any of those.”

Dottie chuckled. “Sorry. You know what I mean. At any rate, I’ll help you all I can, and of course, you’re welcome to take on any new patients if you like. In your spare time, you can discover Hastings. It’s a very historic town. We have dozens of antebellum homes, a cemetery dating back to the settling of the area and several notable museums.”

Dottie turned on the computer, and then she planted her hands on her hips. “Did you read the letter Kitty left?”