4. Catherine

4

CATHERINE

I usually don’t give hope to a patient like I am right now, but I think Holden Gray needs it. I help people every day, and it’s not lost on me how important this is to him. Baseball is his whole life, and I can respect the fact he wants to retire on his own terms. I get that he doesn’t want any regrets and all that.

He’s taken aback by my statement, but there’s no skepticism when he says, “Okay, so when can you move in and get started?”

We’re too close. This room feels like it’s closing in on me. “Do you care if we move back to the living room?”

Without question, he walks out of the room, and I follow behind him. I try to ready my speech on the way so that by the time we make it to the living room, I blurt out, “I live just fifteen minutes from here. I can come here for our appointments.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “The position is for a live-in physical therapist. And you said it would be a whole body regimen, so I’m assuming it would be every day. It makes sense that you would stay here.”

“I can’t do that.”

“I will pay for the inconvenience, and of course you’d be paid for being here full-time.”

I don’t even have to think about it. “No.”

His jaw tightens, and it’s obvious that people don’t usually tell him no. He doesn’t like it. “Why?”

I point at a chair. “Can we sit down and talk about this?”

“Shit, yeah, I’m sorry. Sit down. Can I get you a drink or anything?”

I rest my hands on my knees. “No, I’m fine. Holden, I can’t stay here because like I told you, I have a thirteen-year-old son.”

He gestures to the ceiling. “I should have shown you around. I have four guestrooms. You and your son could each have a room here.”

I hesitate but only because I’m trying to think of another tactic. For a high-profile client like this, it makes sense to have a live-in therapist. It’s been done before, so it’s not out of the ordinary or anything, and heck, Cole would love the idea of staying here with his idol, but I can’t give in. I need to keep everything as professional as I can. Holden Gray has the reputation of being a charmer, and he’s very handsome. It’s a given that I’m attracted to him because who wouldn’t be? And it’s not like I don’t trust myself because I know I can be professional, but why even put myself in this position? Nope, it doesn’t matter if it’s more convenient, I need to keep my distance.

He’s smiling, and I have to look away because somehow he’s even better looking when he smiles. “You’re considering it.”

“No.”

He sits down on the coffee table in front of me. “Why not?”

“I’m not uprooting my son for two months.”

He holds up one finger and starts counting off. “One, I can help your son with technique while you’re here. Two, I would take care of room, board, regular twenty-four-hour pay, and a twenty thousand dollar bonus.”

I start to panic. It’s the deal of a lifetime, and my son would die if he knew I was turning this down. “No.”

“Thirty thousand dollars.”

He’s talking nonsense now. “What? Why? If you’re ready to pay that kind of money, then you can hire a sports therapist. Someone that works regularly with professional athletes.”

“I want you.”

It’s like a jolt to my system. Why does my heart do a little flip in my chest? “I uh… why?”

He leans forward, and our knees are almost touching. “Well, let’s see. Why would I want you to be in charge of my therapy? You performed hand therapy on Doctor Trent when he had tendons cut in his hand in a car accident. He’s the top heart surgeon in the South, and he trusted you with his hands. He’s been back at work for three years and has saved countless lives since then.”

My mouth drops, but he’s not done yet. “You were in charge of the therapy for Josh Chambers, the running back for the Jasper Eagles.”

I can’t hold back my shock on this one. “That was all done on the down-low. No one was supposed to know about that.”

“Josh told me about it and said you saved his career. I want the best, Catherine, and that’s you. I want to play again, and I see the passion on your face when you talk about your job and what you can do. I want to do this with you.”

Say no. Say no. That’s what I’m repeating in my head, but I can feel myself giving in. “I would have to talk to my son first. I can’t make this kind of decision without talking to him.”

He nods his head, and by the look on his face, he thinks it’s a done deal. He knows my son is going to be over the moon with us staying here, so I do what I think I need to do and tack on, “And my boyfriend. I’ll need to see what he thinks about all this.”

He tenses. “You have a boyfriend? I mean, of course you have a boyfriend. Who is it?”

I scoot back in my seat because it’s intoxicating being this close to him. I need to say no, and that’s the plan, but first I need to get out of here. I jump out of my seat and start walking out of the room. It’s rude and unprofessional, but I can say the same about sitting here talking about my personal life as well.

He’s hot on my heels, and I grab my file and make it to the front door. “So I’m going to talk to Cole and to Jeremy—”

He interrupts me. “Which is your son? ”

“Cole. My son’s name is Cole. I’ll let you know something in a few days.”

He opens the front door but stands partly in front of me. I ignore the way his shirt is tight across his muscled chest. I look away at the forearm that’s blocking my way. His voice is gruff. “So talk to Cole and Jeremy but just know, Cat, I don’t plan on taking no as an answer.”

My breath hisses. “Cat?”

He licks his lips and nods his head. “Yeah, I think Cat suits you.”

I pull at my shirt that suddenly feels too tight. “My name is Catherine.”

He brings down his arm and crosses it over his chest. “I'll talk to you soon, Cat.”

I open my mouth to say my full name again, but seeing the smirk on his face has me holding the file close to my chest, muttering bye, and walking past him. When I get to my car, I feel like I have to catch my breath. I don’t even give myself a second to think back on the last hour I’ve spent with Holden Gray and his intense brown eyes, charm, and vulnerability. If I’m going to be able to help him, I’m going to have to keep it professional.