Page 36 of Stick Side
Sam returned her smile and sauntered off down the hallway toward their resident GP’s office.
Melody was just about to dip behind the reception desk to see if she could find anything that might point to Captain Thom’s whereabouts when she spotted an unknown man leaning against the wall beside the doorframe leading into the atrium.
Curiosity aroused, she made her way over.
“Hi,” Melody greeted when she was within a couple yards of the stranger. “Can I offer you a hand with something?”
The man looked up from his phone. Friendly blue eyes met hers.
“Hi,” he said warmly as he tucked his cellphone into his back pocket. “I’m just waiting for my grandpa. He should be down any minute.”
Melody returned his amiable smile. “That’s nice,” she said and meant it. She loved seeing friends and family visit the residents. It meant so much to them, which in turn meant a lot to her.
“I’m Melody,” she offered by way of polite introduction. “I’m part of the medical team.”
Surprised recognition lit his eyes. “Nolan Rogers,” he said, offering a polite hand in greeting.
She accepted his outstretched hand as she quickly catalogued his features. Objectively, the man was gorgeous. He reminded her of what the love child of Brad Pitt, Zac Efron, and James Marsden might look like. He had Zac Efron’s prominent eyebrows, signature scruff, and thick, stylized hair; Brad Pitt’s full lips, pleasantly angular jawline, and well-developed masseter muscles; and James Marsden’s winsome smile and boy-next-door vibe.
She felt an echo of recognition. There was definitely something familiar about him, but she would bet money they hadn’t met before. He seemed like the type of man a woman would remember.
Melody was just opening her mouth to speak when a chipper voice reverberated through the room. “Nolie, my boy,” Captain Thom greeted in the carrying tone she imagined he’d used throughout his naval career.
Nolan’s smile grew as he pushed off the wall and greeted Captain Thom with an affectionate hug. “Hi, Grandpa. It’s good to see you.”
Captain Thom turned to her when he pulled back from the embrace, a self-satisfied smile lifting his lips.
“Melody, my dear,” Captain Thom said with a proud smile, “I see that you’ve met my grandson, Nolan.” His face swam with poorly disguised mischief. “He’s the one I’ve been telling you about.”
“You don’t say,” Nolan commented before shooting his grandpa a look of patient affection. “This morning’s SOS message wouldn’t have anything to do with this chance meeting, now would it?” The inflection Nolan placed on the word “chance” suggested he didn’t think their meeting was any more coincidental than Melody did.
“What?” Captain Thom lifted his hands in mock defense. “I was just trying to tell you to be careful what you texted me because your mom was standing over my shoulder. Someone over shoulder. SOS.”
“Right . . .” Nolan responded, dragging out the word. “Because it’s so common for me to text you with details I wouldn’t want Mom knowing.”
“You never know,” Captain Thom contended.
“Uh huh,” Nolan humored, an affectionate smile still pulling at his lips. “And it didn’t occur to you that I might have misinterpreted your SOS when I said I’d be right over?”
Captain Thom shrugged before slipping his hands into his pockets and rocking back and forth a few times.
“If there’s nothing serious that needs seeing to, Captain Thom,” Melody interjected into the conversation, “you were supposed to be in my office for PT fifteen minutes ago.”
Captain Thom regarded her with wide, innocent eyes that were fooling no one. “Oh?” Captain Thom said, scratching the side of his neck. “Was that today?”
“It was,” she confirmed patiently.
“Huh,” Captain Thom voiced. “I’m sorry. I must have gotten my dates mixed up.”
Good thing Captain Thom hadn’t been in special ops. He was a terrible liar.
“Convenient that you booked an extra-long session today and still have your usual time left in the appointment,” Melody added, suspicion coloring her tone.
“Convenient indeed,” Captain Thom agreed, his tone jovial.
When Melody glanced over at Nolan, she could see his shoulders were shaking with silent laughter. It didn’t look like he was falling for his grandfather’s innocent act, either.
When Captain Thom had booked a longer treatment for today, she’d presumed he’d developed a new issue that required assessment. Based on the current state of things, it seemed like the wily old fellow had simply wanted the extra time to further his matchmaking agenda.
