Page 24 of Blindsided By Fake Love

“Great!” Even to me, my voice sounds overly cheerful. I glance over at Beau to find him watching me. His eyes dance, and his crooked grin has my pulse skyrocketing. Remembering we have an audience, I turn my attention back to Jack. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

As I walk through the clinic door, the bell jingles. Behind me, I hear Jack whisper. “Is this the girl you were talking about? I think she likes you.”

Beau coughs before clearing his throat and changing the topic. “This is a nice setup you have here, Kit.”

My mouth quirks and I act like my heart didn’t try to take a flying leap from my chest at Jack’s words. Beau talking about me, even if just with Jack, leaves me floating on cloud nine. When I turn to face them, I hope my expression is schooled, but I’m having difficulty keeping a huge smile off my face.

“Thank you. I’m proud of it.” I turn and try to see my office through the eyes of someone coming in for the first time. I stand a little taller. I have done well for myself. When my gaze falls on Beau, the warmth I see there makes my stomach flutter. I immediately shift my attention over to Jack. “Do you have any questions yet, Jack, or do you want to start with the office tour?”

Jack shakes his head. “No questions yet.”

“Okay then let’s start with a tour first.” I head over toward the treatment rooms. “These two spaces are where I see my patients. It’s where I do any initial exams and talk with the owners to get an overview of how their pets are doing. Or try to problem solve if they’re here because something is wrong.”

I glance back to find Jack scanning the room and Beau staring at me. Heat creeps up my cheeks, and I lose my train of thought. Luckily, Jack rescues me with a question.

“What are the reasons people would bring in their animals?” He then points to the scale on the floor. “What’s this big metal thing down here?”

“That’s a scale.” Grateful for Jack’s questions, I do my best to focus on him, not the man leaning quietly against the door frame watching me. Heat lingers wherever Beau’s eyes fall. A jolt cascades through me, and I’m back in vet school trying to pass a final exam.

Lucky for me, neither Jack nor Beau know what I’m talking about, so any mistakes I may make won’t be caught.

Jack notices everything and asks great questions. When we’re back in the reception area. I bring up that I’ll need some help over the summer and ask if he’d be interested. His eyes light up, and a huge smile crosses his face.

“Truly?” he says, eyes wide, and I nod. “That would be awesome.”

“Perfect.” I grab a card and hand it to him. “Have your aunt or grandmother call me, and once I have their permission, we’ll chat and figure out when you can get started.”

“Thank you so much.” The excitement that lights up his face when he examines my business card makes me understand why Beau does this mentorship program. This is my first experience with a mentor program, and I can already sense how it makes a difference in people’s lives. “I didn’t know anything like this was possible before joining Play It Forward. Are you coming with us to the Play It Forward event?”

“Play It Forward event?” My brows pull together, and I turn from him to Beau. “I’m not sure what that is...”

“Every year Play It Forward has an annual bonding event for all the mentors and mentees,” Beau explains.

“You have to come,” Jack insists. “It’s going to be so much fun.”

I glance up at Beau, and he lifts a shoulder. “He’s not wrong; it’ll be fun. You should join us.”

“Maybe I will,” I say, walking out the front door and onto the porch. “Jack, it was so nice to meet you, and I’m excited to get to know you better.”

“Thanks, Kit.” Jack starts to walk down the steps but stops when he notices that Beau isn’t following.

“Go ahead, Jack,” Beau says. “I’ll be there in a second.”

Both of us watch Jack as he makes his way to the car.

“Thanks for asking me to be a part of this. I think he enjoyed it.” I smile as Jack slides into the passenger seat and pulls out his phone. I can see the smile on his face from where I stand.

When I turn back toward Beau, I find his gaze on me, a lopsided smirk on his face. My stomach flutters, and my pulse thrums.

“Are you around later?” he asks. Is it just me, or is his voice hesitant? “I’m thinking we could grab dinner, talk about Play It Forward, and work on getting our story straight.”

I narrow my eyes and tilt my head. “Story straight?”

He beams at me, and my knees nearly fall out from under me. This man is deadly where my heart is concerned. “About our whirlwind romance? The entire town is probably buzzing with the news already.”

I’m not sure about that, only because I don’t know how quick Scott will be to admit his role in our ‘unexpected’ marriage. But there is no way I’m going to say no to dinner.

I’ve been waiting a long time for this chance with Beau Matthews. Genevieve’s gonna die when I tell her.

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