Between These Walls by John Herrick Read Free Book Online

adorable when you play mother hen. I’m sure Hunter will thank you for it when he grows older.”
    “Whatever. He knows I mean well.” She turned back to Hunter. “It means I respect your relationship. As well as I know you, she seemed like a—let’s say an outside-the-box fit. And you try so hard to make sure everyone else is happy, so I’m being your friend, making sure you’re happy because you deserve to be happy.”
    If anyone could tell Hunter how to reach happiness, he would have loved to know. Given his struggle inside, he’d given up on the concept of full contentment long ago. Nowadays, when it came to romance and relationships, he wondered if the next-best thing was the best he could hope for. But he couldn’t tell that to Ellen.
    “I’m happy.”
    Ellen studied his eyes. Hunter felt his heart pound as he tried to maintain composure in his face. When it came to conversations, his biggest challenge in keeping his secret was to avoid appearing off guard. That might trigger suspicion: Ordinary remarks and observations seem random to other people until a change in the eyes or facial expression occurs. Then they wonder why the sudden change happened. When you harbor a secret in your soul, you notice double entendres that people never intended amid innocent comments.
    Comments like, One day, you’ll find the perfect woman.
    At that, Ellen shrugged with an air of calm resignation. “Good. How’s your back feeling these days?”
    Relieved that Ellen had changed topics, Hunter eased back in his chair.
    “Still sore, depending on the day. Feels fine now. I think it’s stress.”
    An A-ha! expression filled Ellen’s face. She splayed her hands in his direction. “I know what you need! You should try my massage therapist!”
    Hunter choked on the beer he had just swallowed. With a few coughs, he managed to recover, yet couldn’t help but laugh at the notion. “Yeah, right.”
    “I’m serious, Hunter. It’s done wonders for me.” She pulled her cell phone from her purse and started scrolling through her address book.
    “ Women go to massage therapists!”
    “Not only women. You’d be surprised.”
    “How can you suggest that with a straight face?” Brendan teased.
    “You’re too chicken shit to go. Hunter isn’t.”
    “I wouldn’t be so quick to say that,” Hunter joshed.
    “When you got injured playing ball in school, didn’t it feel better when I rubbed the spot for you?” Ellen asked Hunter.
    “Yeah ...”
    “So there you go. It’s the same thing, only you make an appointment and my massage therapist is far better at it. Therapists have these awesome techniques.”
    “So I’m supposed to pay some beautiful woman to give me a back rub?”
    “Yeah, a beautiful woman,” Ellen chuckled. “I’d recommend the full body massage.”
    “Thanks, but I think I’ll be fine without the magic fingers.”
    “Trust me. Here’s the number for the clinic.” She reached for a cocktail napkin, wrote down a phone number, and slid the napkin against Hunter’s hand. When Hunter shot her a wary glare, Ellen held her arms out sideways. “Keep the number with you. If you change your mind, call the clinic and tell them you want an appointment.”
    Without a second look at the napkin, Hunter folded it and shoved it into his wallet as far back as possible, behind a twenty-dollar bill.
    “And tell them I referred you,” Ellen said. “I’ll get a discount on my next visit.”
    Hunter shook his head at the whole idea, as did Brendan.
    Kara returned and eyed the baskets of wings, which now sat half full. “Sorry, I saw someone I knew. Did I miss anything?”
    “Not much,” Ellen said. “Hunter’s about to experience a personal renaissance.”
    Hunter rolled his eyes.

CHAPTER 4
    On Monday morning, Hunter engaged in his normal routine at the office to start the workweek. He perused his calendar for upcoming appointments, then opened his email and deleted the junk items. Without fail, first thing