Her Undercover Defender. Debra & Regan Webb & Black

Brittney happily distracted, Terri moved on through her shift, tending to patient calls and overseeing discharge orders. The hours sped by and her rumbling stomach cued her in that she needed to eat and she headed downstairs to the cafeteria. Normally, she brought lunch from home, but after another restless night full of anxious dreams about her brother she’d overslept. In the subsequent rush to get out the door, she’d left her lunch bag sitting on the kitchen counter.

      Reminders from the police and her friends that Trey was officially a legal adult and smart enough to get into college failed to ease her worry over his disappearance. After the first month with no word from him, she’d sought the help of the best private investigator she could afford. Unfortunately, her modest investment only confirmed what his college roommate had told her. Trey had changed almost overnight, going from an outgoing freshman making friends on campus to withdrawn and reclusive until he went out one day and just didn’t return.

      Letting him go to college in Arizona had been a mistake, Terri knew that now. It had been too big a leap. His body had been ready, thanks to his hard work through physical therapy, but she never should’ve accepted his claim about his emotional stability at face value. If nothing else, her constant worry was proof she hadn’t been ready to be this far from him.

      She loved her friends and her work, but she was lonely without her brother. He was the only family she had left. On move-in day, she’d taken plenty of pictures and, before she left, they’d tossed around ideas for the holiday break between semesters. Now Christmas was only two weeks away, and she didn’t know what she was supposed to do without him.

      “Hey, Terri.”

      Startled, she glanced up at the sound of her name and then smiled into the rugged, handsome face of David Martin. “Oh. Hey, David.”

      He was relatively new at the hospital and he’d made an impression on most of the women with his Georgia accent, that dark hair and those eyes that were more gray than blue. Somehow on him, the pressed khakis, white polo shirt and dark blue fleece jacket embroidered with the MUSC logo looked as though it belonged on the cover of GQ.

      She suddenly felt a little silly in her bright, tropical frog scrubs. “How’s your day going?”

      “Predictable.” He lifted his tall coffee mug. “I came looking for a shot of caffeine. Reports are due in a couple of hours.” He checked his watch. “Late lunch?” He dipped his chin in the direction of the plastic salad container she held.

      “Yeah. The lunch I packed is still sitting at home.”

      “Want some company?”

      That would be lovely. She always enjoyed talking with him over coffee or lunch. “I wish I could take a few minutes down here,” she said. “There’s a problem child on the ward today and I don’t want to give her any reason to get upset again.”

      He grinned, and the tilt of his lips set butterflies loose in her belly. “You applied that famous Nurse Terri charm, didn’t you?”

      She laughed. “Of course.” She leaned a little closer, just because she could. “It’s possible this patient’s immune.”

      “I don’t believe that for a minute.” He nudged her shoulder. “No one’s immune to that smile.”

      Her lips curved even more at the words, and his confidence gave her mood a much-needed boost. “Thanks.”

      “We’re still on for tonight, right?”

      She nodded. He’d invited her to dinner at a new place on King Street. If she didn’t get back upstairs, she wouldn’t have any time at all to eat. She tried to care, but food seemed far less important than taking a few minutes with an interesting man like David. “I’ll be ready.”

      “Great.” He followed her into the elevator and punched the button for her floor.

      “What are you doing?” Whenever they did get together over lunch, they parted ways at the elevator.

      His dark eyebrows arched. “Walking you back,” he said. “Is that a problem?”

      “No.” It was just different. She remembered how the gossip had zipped through the hospital when he joined the staff in October. Handsome as sin was the first gossip that made the circuit. He was athletic and absolutely ripped, according to those who’d spent time in the fitness center with him. But his humor, his humility and the manners proving chivalry wasn’t dead had made him an instant hit among the women.

      So she’d heard of him long before he introduced himself during his second week of work. He’d been in line behind her during a coffee break and they’d hit it off when he’d asked about the best beaches for sea kayaking. In the weeks since, they’d had lunch occasionally and frequently chatted over coffee. They’d even gone on a sea kayak excursion, as well as a couple of evening art showcases at the Market. She’d been careful to keep the social speculation to a minimum and she’d been relieved to hear he was making friends quickly in several departments.

      It wasn’t that she didn’t want a social life—she did. She’d just been too consumed with Trey’s disappearance to be good company. Something about sharing coffee or lunch with David was less intimidating than going out on a date or out for drinks with friends. With David, she didn’t feel the pressure to be on. She could just relax and be herself. Of his many positive traits, that one was her favorite, though she couldn’t tell anyone. Not even Suzette. Her friends would read way too much into any positive comments she made about David or any other guy.

      Her friends had been setting her up since Trey moved to college in August. The few guys she’d met had been nice, but she’d needed time and space to recharge her personal batteries after spending years dealing with Trey’s physical injuries and challenging fits of temper. Not that she blamed him for acting out as he came to terms with the fact that his dreams and goals were out of reach. As he’d told her repeatedly, he’d suffered the most. They’d both lost their parents, but Terri had her dream job and Trey never would.

      Now he was missing and she felt caught in another emotional quagmire, keeping to herself simply so she wouldn’t dump her drama on others. She thought of young Brittney, afraid of practically every element of life since she’d broken her leg. Like a lightning strike, Terri suddenly realized, wallowing in worry wasn’t doing her any more good than it was Brittney. Being available 24/7, afraid to miss a call or text from her brother was a waste of her time. She had to break out of this holding pattern.

      “Hey,” David said. “You okay in there?”

      “Sorry.” She felt the heat climbing into her cheeks. The elevator chimed at her floor. “Just distracted...” The doors parted, and she stepped out, pausing in the doorway for a second. She needed to voice her new resolve. “I won’t be distracted tonight. I’m looking forward to it.”

      David’s mouth tipped up at one corner. “Me, too.”

      She held his gaze until the doors closed between them, feeling her mouth curve in an answering grin. She turned toward the staff area, her salad suddenly looking more appetizing. Tonight was as good a time as any to move forward with her life, and who better to take that step with than a nice new guy-friend like David?

      No matter what her friends would say, he hadn’t invited her out on an actual real date. They were just friends. Right now it was enough to think of herself first for a change. David was attractive, thoughtful and fun. Tonight would be great, no specific definition required.

       Chapter Three

      7:10 p.m.

      David set the laminated menu down and waited for Terri’s reaction. He’d chosen a small, quirky restaurant on King Street for dinner. He wasn’t quite sure how to play it—as a date or another outing with a friend. Typically they saw each other at work when her hair was pulled back and she wore shapeless scrubs and he was in the requisite logo-crested apparel.