Built To Last

She loved working at Taylor Wellness Center and would be sad when it came time to leave. They were family and she would miss them.

But, for now, her future didn’t include marriage and family. As much as she loved her job, for the first time in ten years, she had a chance to grab everything she’d ever wanted. She needed to see what life had in store for her beyond the borders of Laguna Beach.

“Hey, Erin.” Ashley, one of the nurses, stepped up to the front desk. “Me and the girls are heading out to SkyLoft for happy hour. You wanna come? Sunset and cosmos?”

“You bet. Come grab me when you guys are ready to go.” After the week she’d had, drinks with the girls sounded perfect. “Dr. Taylor’s seeing a new patient this afternoon.”

“Sounds great.” Ashley headed down the hall to prep an exam room and Erin started completing the new patient chart. She was writing the last information on the paperwork when Austin walked out from the back, his voice mingling with another man’s. She had checked no one in. When had someone else shown up?

Austin smiled at her when he reached her desk. “Hey, Erin. This is Colin Burke, a friend of mine. He went to LBHS with Abby. Have you two met?”

She stood and brushed her palms against her navy slacks, studying the familiar-looking dark-haired man for a moment. She extended her hand. “No, I don’t believe so. Nice to meet you, Colin.” She turned to Austin. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see him come in.”

“

No worries. He snuck in the back door for a quick meeting. But it seems my next appointment is arriving.”

As Taylor’s words hung in the air, the bell above the door announced a new arrival. Erin swung her head around just as the most handsome man she’d ever seen hobbled his way into the clinic.

“Hey, Jake.” Dr. Taylor raised his hand in greeting.

The man’s head snapped up and a grimace crossed his face. Austin and Colin rounded the desk to greet the man, which gave Erin a chance to study him unobserved.

He stood well over six feet tall with wavy, dark-brown hair hanging over his ears. It made her smile. He needed a haircut, but the longer style suited him. His square jaw and rugged face sported light stubble which framed the cutest dimple in his chin.

There was a ruggedness about him. His work boots, dusted with dried mud as though he’d walked off the job and into the office, definitely screamed outdoorsman.

A hand waved in front of her face.

“Erin, um, Erin. The patient file, please.”

“What? Oh, I’m sorry. Yes, I have it right here.” She fumbled with the papers on the desk, glancing at name labels but not clearly reading them. She hoped the man didn’t notice her hands shaking. Finally, she located the file and extended it to a laughing Austin. “Here it is.”

“Erin, I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Jake Cooper. Jake, this is Erin Johnson, the best receptionist and office manager a guy could hope for.”

Jake lifted his gaze to her then, and the deep green of his eyes captivated her. She could get lost in them.

“Nice to meet you, Erin.”

She extended her trembling hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”

He wrapped his palm around hers, a strong jolt shooting straight into her heart. Her eyes shot to his and in them she saw a similar look. She’d never felt a connection to someone when she first met them, having been fooled into trusting the wrong people more times than she could count in her life. But her heart didn’t seem to get the message.

“Room two is ready for you guys. Ashley is already back there.”

“Thanks, Erin.”

Austin passed by her desk, Jake on his heels. He’d taken only a few steps when he turned back. Pressing his hands to the top of her desk, he leaned toward her, his face a breath away from hers. “It was really nice to meet you, Erin. I hope to see you again.”

Chapter Two

“TELL ME ABOUT the girl out front.” Jake gingerly pulled his T-shirt on. The grueling hour he’d spent on the table, Austin pushing and pulling and shifting the muscles in his back, had done some good. And the time had afforded him the time to think about the brunette he’d just met.

Fair skin contrasted with her curly, brown hair hanging long down her back. Hair that framed her face perfectly. Beautiful, long lashes ringed her deep green, expressive eyes—eyes that he could get lost in. And if he wasn’t mistaken, he’d noticed a glint of interest in her, too.

Austin laughed. “Did I notice a spark between you two?”

He reached out and smacked Austin across the shoulder. “Just curious, that’s all.”