Chapter Nine

Isaac clenched the steering wheel, willing himself to not look back. If he did, he’d see Leanne, hobbling toward the front door of the clinic, her features scrunched up in discomfort. And then he’d turn around and go back. And stay with her. Hold her hand to help her through it.

That was something he couldn’t allow himself to do. Everyone in town was already planning their non-existent wedding, and if Doctor Bennion, AKA Patty, saw them together like that—well, there would be no stopping the rumors then.

Even as he thought it, his stomach clenched up, though not because of the threat of rumors. It was because this wasn’t the kind of person he was. He pressed his foot to the brake and pulled over. Releasing a sigh, he hung his head. What was more important, the rumors, or Leanne? Yes, he was still hurt by her actions. And angry. But staying with her was the right thing to do.

Besides, he’d just gotten back from a therapy appointment in the city, and he’d talked the full hour about Leanne. Why go to the trouble if he wasn’t going to take his therapist’s advice and work to let the bitterness go? Isaac hadn’t been sure that was possible, but his therapist had given him the assignment of trying to see the world as Leanne did. Walk a day in her shoes, so to speak.

Isaac had told his therapist that he didn’t think he’d look very good in her red high heels—his therapist hadn’t found the humor in it—but had said he’d try.

The problem was, Isaac had no idea how she viewed the world anymore. He didn’t know what she’d experienced in the past two years, and how it had changed her. When he had seen her on the side of the road though, none of that had mattered. All he had known was that she was in trouble, her bike all bent and her body scratched up, and she needed help.

Maybe he couldn’t be with her forever like he’d planned, but he could be there for her today.

He turned the car around and pulled back up in front of the clinic. Leanne wasn’t out front anymore, having already made her way inside. Isaac started second-guessing himself. Maybe she was fine—she had a doctor. She didn’t need him. What could Isaac do, other than sit with her?

He closed his eyes, imaging the world through Leanne’s eyes, per his therapist’s directions. Even though she knew the doctor well, it would be of comfort to have someone else there. Leanne was likely not the only patient, and she’d be alone for some of the time.

Well, that settled that, though he’d already made the decision when he’d driven back to the clinic. Isaac had just wanted some confirmation—something to give him the strength he needed to walk into the clinic and seek Leanne out. It wasn’t easy when he’d been working so hard to avoid her.

Isaac jumped out of the car and quickly walked into the clinic, not giving himself another chance to back out. His gaze swept the small waiting room. Leanne was sitting next to an aquarium that had several fish swimming through Finding Nemo themed decorations. She was filling out paperwork on a clipboard, her long hair falling over one shoulder. Relief swept over him when he saw that no one else was in the waiting room. No one to make things awkward.

As Isaac approached her, he noticed that her hand moved slowly, trying to fill out all of the information. It must have been painful just trying to write. “Can I do that for you?” he asked.

Leanne startled, her gaze snapping up and meeting his. “I…um…” She looked back down at her hand that held the pen, like she was getting its opinion on how long it thought it could hold out. She looked back up and gave him a tired smile. “Yeah, that would be nice. Thank you. I tried to convince Patty that she didn’t need all of this information—she’s known me my entire life.”

“Looks like it didn’t work,” he said, his lips quirking up.

She sighed. “No. Some nonsense about needing to update records since it’s been so long since I’ve been here.”

He sat down next to her and took the clipboard and pen, his fingers grazing hers in the process. His heart leaped at the unexpected touch and his hand shot backward, the pen flying from his grasp and landing across the room, next to the front desk. He hurried over to grab the pen.

When he returned to where he had been sitting, Leanne was grinning, her expression bright. Just how he’d remembered it. His gaze dropped to the forms in front of him. Leanne had already filled out her name, but that was as far as she’d gotten.

Isaac quickly filled in her birth date, known allergies (none), and her past medical history. He laid down the pen and held out a hand. “If you’ll give me your insurance card I can take this up for you.” He was startled to find that she was staring at him, her lips partly opened.

“What?” he asked, a sudden feeling of awkwardness settling over him. He shifted under her gaze.

“You just filled out things that I doubt my own mother remembers.”

Oh.

“I’m sure she—” He cut off when Leanne started shaking her head.

“Just because she’s been there for all of my life’s major events, it doesn’t mean she remembers them in the amount of detail you just included on that sheet.”

Isaac glanced down. He knew the exact date that Leanne had had her tonsils out. But that was only because he was supposed to take her to a Sweetheart’s dance at school that evening, and they’d had to postpone. They had their own in his backyard a couple of months later.

And the only reason he knew the date that she’d broke her toe was because it had been his couch that had done the honors, and it had happened to be the seventh anniversary of their first kiss.

“Um…” Isaac wasn’t quite sure what to say. “Lucky guess?”

Leanne snorted, obviously thinking his explanation was as lame as he did. She nodded to the form he was filling out. “I don’t have my insurance card on me; I lost my purse somewhere when I crashed the bike. But you probably don’t need to do that section, Patty should still have that information. If she doesn’t, she can just call my folks. My mom has a copy of the original.”

Grateful she didn’t push it further, Isaac walked the required forms up to the reception desk. It was empty. Patty had a receptionist, but she tended to take the day off more times than not. Today was probably one of those days.

A small bell sat to his right and he hit it a couple of times. It took a moment for Patty to walk in from the back. “Hold your britches,” she said as she approached. When she saw it was Isaac, her eyes lit up. “I wondered when you’d show up.”

Isaac hesitated. “You did?” He always tried to patch up his own scrapes and only came to the clinic when there was no other option available. Surfing wasn’t exactly a risk-free sport.

“Of course. If Leanne is here, you’re never far behind.” Patty held a hand out and Isaac gave her the clipboard. “It’s nice to have her back, isn’t it?”

He wasn’t sure what the answer was, having gone back and forth on the issue so many times, he felt dizzy. He settled for a polite smile.

It seemed to be answer enough and Patty fed the filled-out forms into a scanner. “You got your insurance card, Honey?” she called across the waiting room.

“Lost it in the bike accident,” Leanne called back.

Patty shook her head. “Poor girl. I probably have the copy of the original on file.” She hopped on the computer to look for it. “When will you be sending out announcements?”

Isaac swallowed hard. “Announcements?” His voice came out as a squeak, and he considered just turning around and running.

“I heard rumor that you were waiting until April, but I personally think spring weddings are overrated. Bundle up a little and have a holiday-themed wedding—that’s what I would do.” Patty squinted at her computer, then abruptly slapped a hand down on the desk. “There it is. I knew I had saved it somewhere.” She threw a smile at Isaac, like he should also be relishing in her victory. “She’s good to go, so just give me a minute and I’ll take you two back.”

Isaac returned the smile, but as soon as Patty turned away, it dipped. Isaac knew that Leanne had heard every word of that conversation and his stomach felt as if it had slid into his shoes. How was he going to walk across the room, like they didn’t both know that the entire town was planning on them getting married? They were barely on speaking terms, let alone on wedding terms.

He’d just act like nothing was out of the ordinary. As long as he didn’t bring Patty’s conversation up, it didn’t happen. Isaac plastered on a smile and turned. One step. Two steps. Quicker now. He stopped next to the aquarium, unsure if he should sit down.

“You can come on back,” Patty said, opening a door that led to the examination rooms.

Isaac paused. Should he should accompany Leanne back? That was something a husband would do. Maybe a boyfriend. After she struggled to her feet, though, he knew she wouldn’t be able to walk the whole way without help. “Everything still hurts?” he asked, offering his arm for her to use as a crutch. It was a dumb question, he knew, but he was grasping for a question that was safe, yet also showed that he cared.

She raised an eyebrow as she took his arm and pulled herself up. “Really?”

Yeah, Leanne thought it had been a dumb question too.

He gave a small shrug and threw a smile her way. “Maybe you miraculously recovered in the last…” He looked at his phone. “…fifteen minutes.”

“Sorry, I wish I could give you better news,” she said, hobbling toward where Patty still waited.

As they passed the good doctor, Patty took it upon herself to join the conversation. “I’m sure this isn’t how you imagined starting your time back home.”

“No, but as long as nothing is broken, I’m sure you’ll have me up and going in no time. I was actually hoping to surf over the weekend.”

Both Isaac and Patty looked at her at the same time, their dismay evident. “I don’t think so,” they simultaneously said.

Leanne glanced between them. “Really? Both of you?”

“You can barely walk,” Isaac said, as if that was all the information Leanne needed.

That was part of why he didn’t think she should surf that weekend —definitely a big part—but the other part? Leanne was a morning surfing, like him. And Saturday was his favorite day to go out because he didn’t have to hurry to work. He’d been lifeguarding long enough that he had first pick of which days he had off, and he’d of course chosen the weekend. That was when all the good competitions were, and he wasn’t about to watch everyone else surf while he was stuck in his lifeguarding station.

But he didn’t think he could go out in the waves, not with Leanne out there. Isaac would be too busy avoiding her, worried about going after the same waves she was, or being so self-conscious about her watching him that he wouldn’t be able to concentrate and he’d wipe out. Not that it mattered if he wiped out in front of her—he’d done it plenty in the past. But things felt different now—almost like he needed to impress her. Show her that her absence hadn’t affected him—that he was better than ever. Not only a better surfer, but also happier—a better version of himself.

Leanne had left. But he’d been fine.

Better than fine. Isaac was great.

He kept telling himself that.

Leanne’s touch on his arm as they walked into the examination room didn’t affect him in the slightest. Nope. As long as he ignored the tingles. And the heart palpitations. And the shortness of breath.

“If your legs are even half as scratched up as your arms are, I highly recommend taking it easy for the next couple of weeks,” Patty said, showing them into a small room. “And I don’t have to tell you what saltwater will feel like in those wounds.”

Leanne winced at the thought, as did Isaac. They’d all been there, done that. It was like a right of passage when growing up in a coastal town, and one they weren’t likely to repeat. Not on purpose anyway.

“I know,” Leanne said, releasing a long sigh. “It’s just been so long since I’ve been able to get out there, and my mom has needed a lot of help at the bed and breakfast since I got back. Saturday was going to be my chance to finally get out in the waves.”

Okay, now Isaac felt guilty for wanting the ocean all to himself.

Patty opened a drawer and pulled out something that looked like a folded paper tablecloth. “I wish you could walk out of this office, grab your board, and ride the first wave you see. I really do.” She handed the folded paper to Leanne. “Let me take a look at your legs. Maybe they won’t be as bad as I think.”

An awkward silence settled over them and both Patty and Leanne turned and looked at Isaac. His gaze flitted between the two women, wondering what he’d done to capture their attention.

When it became obvious that he wasn’t receiving their telepathic message, Leanne made a shooing motion with her hand and said, “She has to look at my legs so we know how bad they got scraped up.” Isaac nodded. Yeah, he understood that part. She heaved a dramatic sigh and then, looking slightly flustered, and maybe even embarrassed, said, “Under my pants. As in, I have to get out of my clothes.”

Oh. Right. He felt heat rush up his neck and into his face.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to check everything,” Patty said, seeming amused at the exchange. “I’d bet anything your back and sides got a fair amount of damage as well.” She paused. “But you don’t have to send him out, if you don’t want to. Significant others are allowed to stay, even if you aren’t married yet.”

Fire. Isaac’s face, his chest…everything felt like it was burning up. Did Patty keep water in this room? He didn’t see any, and he doubted hand sanitizer would help. What he wouldn’t give to run from the office straight into the ocean where he’d stay until his embarrassment was no longer consuming him.

Leanne didn’t seem like she was faring much better, her cheeks a nice shade of magenta. “I…well…that’s nice of you to offer. But the thing is…he…we…I don’t want him to worry unnecessarily, and he does worry quite a bit. I think it would be best for him not to be here. Until you get it cleaned up and stuff. I’m assuming it will look better once you’ve slapped a bandage or something on it, right?”

Patty cut Leanne off before she could continue her rambling, which was too bad, because Isaac was curious to know how long Leanne would have kept going if the doctor hadn’t interrupted. “I understand. The people who love us the most, worry the most.”

Patty gave Isaac an apologetic smile, like she had been the bearer of bad news and was the one kicking Isaac out. He tried to not look as relieved as he felt. He held up two hands. “I get it. I know when I’m not wanted.” He shot the doctor a grin to show there were no hard feelings and backed out of the room. It wasn’t another moment later that Patty followed him out, closing the door behind her to allow Leanne to change.

She chuckled and shook her head. “What was going through that girl’s head, riding her bike with her eyes closed? She’s lucky she didn’t land on her head.”

Isaac stared. “Her eyes were closed like…shut?”

Patty’s lips formed an O and she looked slightly flustered as she said, “I thought you knew. Oh dear, I hope she didn’t tell me that in confidence. I assumed you knew, considering you were with her.”

“I wasn’t with her at the time of the accident,” he managed to say amid the thousand thoughts running through his mind. What on earth would have possessed her to ride without looking where she was going? That seemed like something he’d do, but not Leanne.

The doctor tilted her head. “Once she returned, I figured you two would be inseparable. But I suppose you both still have responsibilities you need to take care off—can’t spend all day in bed and making wedding plans.”

Okay, it had gotten awkward before, and it apparently wasn’t letting up. Isaac didn’t want to go into details about how that wasn’t really their style before, and certainly wasn’t now. So he gave Patty one of his famous smiles and said, “I’ll be reading over there by the fish tank if you need anything.”

And then he gave her a small wave and moonwalked backward until he bumped into one of the chairs lining the walls. Patty watched him with an amused smirk as he plopped down into the seat and casually leaned back. That’s right. Be cool.

He’d told Patty he’d be reading.

Which meant he needed a book.

He didn’t have a book.

But there was a three-year-old magazine on the table next to him that he could feign interest in. One of those big-shot actors was featured on the front. Eli Hunt. Isaac couldn’t remember if he’d seen the guy in anything, but Eli was the type of actor whom everyone knew, even if they didn’t exactly know why.

By the time he’d picked up the magazine, though, Patty was gone. He glanced at the cover. Apparently, Eli Hunt was one of those method actors who, once shooting a movie, never got out of character. The magazine claimed to have an exclusive look at what that was like for him, how it affected his family life, etc.

Not something Isaac was interested in.

Isaac closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall. Keeping up an image was exhausting, and he’d felt like that had been all he’d done since Leanne left for L.A.

Now that she was back, it was worse than ever.

He wondered how many of those little blue pills he had back at the house. Probably time for a refill.