Page 16 of Broken Dreams

“Yes, Dad. And guess what? I convinced Nick to come for dinner again.” She sent him a teasing smile that kicked his pulse into triple digits.

“Great. Bring him in, then. Nick, what can I get you to drink?” Abe greeted him as if he didn't already have four sons of his own. “Lemonade? Iced tea? Soft drink?”

“Whatever you're having is fine.” He stood in the living room across from the massive wall of pictures and wondered if this sensation of coming home was how Shane had felt. For a moment he stood still, as if paralyzed.

Shane had saved his life, and now he was here, stealing Shane's place the adopted son of the Monroe household. Worse, he wanted Shane’s woman, too.

Could he possibly sink any lower?

Amber raced upstairs to find her mother had already gotten herself washed and dressed, and was working on combing her wet hair.

Guilt washed over her. “Mom, I'm so sorry I'm late. Why didn’t you wait for me?”

“You were the one telling me I needed to start doing things for myself,” Alice reminded her. “You can’t get mad when I take your advice.”

“I am not mad, just worried.” She eased the brush from her mom's hand then went to work on the tangles. “So how did it go? You didn't slip or anything, did you?”

“I didn't take a bath, just sat in a chair and showered,” her mother admitted. “Getting in and out was hard enough, even with the help of a chair.”

She momentarily closed her eyes. She was so glad her mother hadn't fallen. Instead of coming straight home after work, she dawdled with Nick. Had taken time to enjoy a few minutes of the jazz in the park festival. And maybe, she'd even secretly hoped for a repeat performance of his toe curling kiss.

She really had to stop daydreaming about the man. He wasn't interested in her, for one thing. Hadn't he been the one who had pulled away after their one and only kiss? Yes. Besides, she didn't like the way her mind constantly compared him to Shane, especially when Shane was the one who came up lacking.

Comparing them was ridiculous and grossly unfair. Shane had been a great friend and a wonderful doctor. He'd fit perfectly into the Monroe family. He hadn't been the least bit arrogant, as she’d often wondered if Nick had been, before his injury.

She helped her mother navigate the stairs, wondering what Nick and her father were talking about. A wry laugh escaped. Oh, yeah, she had it bad. Hadn’t she just lectured herself about getting over him? What was wrong with her? She hadn't felt this excited about seeing Shane when he'd hung around.

Maybe because Nick was an unknown entity, while Shane had been around seemingly forever. She felt certain that once she'd gotten to know Nick better, she wouldn't feel like this weird anticipation about spending time with him anymore.

In the kitchen, she found Alec and Andrea were making dinner. Or, rather, Andrea was doing the work, while Alec directed activities from his seat at the kitchen table.

“It's about time you showed up.” Alec scowled. “Mom was worried. Did you have to work late?”

Gritting her teeth, she flashed a tight smile. “What's the matter, Alec? Cranky because you didn't catch any bad guys last night?”

He ignored her dig. “What's the deal with this Nick guy you're seeing?” He pinned her with a narrow glare. “Fill me in.”

“I'm not seeing him. He's a friend, in town temporarily. I thought it would be nice for him to have a home cooked dinner.”

“Again? Two days in a row?” Andrea wiggled her eyebrows. “Hmm.”

“Knock it off.” This was why she wanted to leave, so she could simply live her life without having to deal with the constant opinions of her nosey family. She peered over Andrea's shoulder. “Your chicken salad looks good.”

“Thanks.” Andrea swiped her hands on a towel, then handed her the bowl. “Please carry this into the dining room.”

She did as Andrea asked. From the dining room, she could hear Nick and her father talking outside on the porch. She paused, blatantly eavesdropping on their conversation.

“No, sir,” Nick was saying. “I don't have any family of my own. I grew up in foster homes and joined the army as soon as I graduated high school.”

“How in the blazes did you manage to get into medical school?” Abe asked in an incredulous tone.

“I was blessed. They gave me a series of standard tests and realized I was brighter than my bad grades indicated.” When he paused, she strained to listen. Nick sounded almost embarrassed. “Seems my greatest strength was science so after I did my first four year tour, I used the GI bill to attend college while staying in the Army reserves. Then I went on to medical school. His voice grew quieter. “The Army helped pay for that, so I had to give the government several years of my life working as a surgeon in the armed forces after I was finished with my residency. All in all, I was very fortunate. Without the army, I wouldn't be where I am today.”

Stunned, she shivered at the depth of emotion in his voice. Nick had been raised in a series of foster homes, barely graduated from high school, and he thought he was lucky.

Many surgeons were arrogant, she'd even assumed Nick may have once been, too. But she was wrong, and now she knew why. His humble beginnings had made him the man he was today.

“Amber?” Her father's voice rose. “Would you please bring us a refill on our lemonade?”

---