Love Therapy (Stanton Falls #2) by Kaci Hart Read Free Book Online Page A

have any other reasons for coming there.”

 
    The first time she had
met him in the office, she wasn’t sure if he was trying to say something to
her.  Now she felt like she was sure that he was.    She
tore her gaze away from his and looked at her computer, hoping and praying that
her slight blush was not evident.  Luckily for her, Nick continued.
  

 
    “Yeah, Aaron really
loved the place.  I admit that he was and is my best friend and I don’t
really make any apologies for that, but our lunches were different.
 Sometimes I just wanted to get out of the office.  I didn’t take my
responsibilities here very seriously at the time.  Or at least not as much
as I do now.  And I didn’t want to eat alone.  It just so happens
that her greasy fries and coke were all the convincing I needed to use to get
him to come with me.”

 
    Nick stood up from the
chair, looking at his watch.  

 
    “I don’t have much time left
before I have to get back to work and I am sure you have some things you want
to do as well, so are you going to allow me to buy your friendship and
acceptance as well for at least this one day?  As you so keenly have
deciphered, I am badly in need of acceptance, madam counselor.”

 
    “Tell me you aren’t
really upset Nick.”

 
    “Not at all.  You
are trained to see more than what’s there.  I can’t fault you for that.”

 
    “Well in that case, I
guess I can find a way to accept your lunch offering.  For some reason
corned beef, greasy hot fries and a cola sound pretty fantastic right now and
the last time I went by the diner, she told me they are doing a little delivery
now.  How about that?”

 
    “Sure, just let me know
what you want and it’ll be here by lunchtime.  I gotta run to a meeting
now. I’ll catch you later Donna.”

 
    “I’ll let her know, and
thanks for the welcome meal Nick.”

 
    “No problem, anytime in
fact.”

 
    He turned and walked out
of her office, smiling and waving before pulling her door closed again.  

 
    As she sat there, Donna
realized that working there was definitely going to be challenging and
enjoyable.  Maybe she would learn something herself too.  

 
 
    ***

 
 
    Nick lounged in the
living room with his father watching TV.  He didn’t even remember how he
ended up there that day, but he felt the urge to talk, something he didn’t
always openly do with his father.   

 
    “Dad, can I ask you a
question?”

 
    Nick’s father paused the
television and looked at his son.

 
    “It’s about time.”

 
    “You already knew I had
a question?”

 
    “Of course I knew son.
 I might not be the brightest of the bunch but I do have common sense.
 Look at the TV son.”

 
    Nick turned towards the
television and then looked back towards his father in confusion.  

 
    “Son, it’s baseball.  You hate baseball and all of a sudden out of the blue you are
watching the college series of baseball with me?  Multiple hours of the
one sport that you actually can’t stand.  No my boy, you obviously need to
talk about something.  What’s on your mind?  Women?  Money
issues?”

 
    Nick hesitated for a
brief moment before coming out with his question.  

 
    “Dad, do you think I am
shallow?”

 
    “Shallow?  I
wouldn’t say that.  Maybe a few years back but not now.  Definitely
no.  What on God’s green earth makes you ask that.”

 
    Nick got up and went
towards the kitchen to grab a cola from the fridge, grabbing one for his father
as well.  

 
    “At the job, I
instructed HR to hire an on staff counselor as part of my expanded business
benefits, pretty much like you have at the factory.  So I stop by her
office last Tuesday to buy her lunch as a welcome to the company and she sort
of … gave me some advice about myself.  She basically said that I use
money to keep people around me.”

 
    “Come on son you know
that isn’t true.”