Sweet Harmony (Harmony Falls #1) - Elizabeth Kelly Page 0,27
a normal and happy childhood. I played baseball from a young age, just like every other kid in Willington.”
She laughed. “Same as Harmony Falls. What position did you play?”
“Short stop.”
“Were you good?”
“Average.”
He glanced at her and the way she was looking at him, like she knew he was lying, made him nervous. Hell, she probably did know he was lying. Her brother was a cop, after all.
He waited for her to call him on his lie, but instead, she said, “When did you meet Lisa?”
“I first met her when we were kids. We were in the same grade and went to the same school all through elementary. We started dating the first year of high school. She was, uh, big into cheerleading and after we graduated, she started up her own cheerleading coaching business.”
“Wow, that’s impressive,” Kira said.
“She always had a lot of drive. I was a little late in deciding what I wanted to do with my life, so I worked at my parents’ store after graduating, and then applied for dental school. I earned my bachelor’s in biology while I went to dental school.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. He had worked at his parents’ store once he fucked up and destroyed his dream forever.
“Holy crap,” Kira said. “You can do both at the same time?”
“Yeah. It’s more work, but I wanted to fast track my career.”
She gave him an admiring look. “Good for you. Why did you decide to open a clinic in Harmony Falls?”
“I met Grant Henderson at a dental convention.”
She giggled. “They seriously have dental conventions?”
“Yes.”
“Do they hand out free toothpaste and floss?”
He laughed. “Maybe.”
She grinned at him and he studied the way the early evening sun got caught in her blonde locks, the way it gave her pale skin a soft warm glow. His gaze dropped to her mouth. He wanted to kiss her.
Instead, he said, “Grant and I got along really well, right from the start.”
“Even though he knew you were a Willington guy?” she teased.
He laughed again. “Even though I knew he was a Harmony Falls guy. Anyway, we kept in touch through email and social media and at the next convention, we had dinner and drinks one night. Grant told me he was leaving the Harmony Falls Dental Centre and opening his own clinic and he wanted me to partner with him.”
“Wow, you must have made quite the impression on him,” Kira said. “You couldn’t have been a dentist for very long at that point.”
“I hadn’t been,” he admitted. “But Grant took a chance on me. I accepted his offer and moved to Harmony Falls. It’s been two years now and the clinic is doing well.”
“I know that Grace has nothing but good things to say about working with you and Dr. Henderson,” Kira said. “She’s the reason I switched to your clinic from the Dental Centre. Hey, do you even remember me as a client?”
He nodded. “Yes. You have all your wisdom teeth still and only one cavity.”
“Is that how you remember all your clients? By their teeth?” she asked with another giggle.
“Pretty much,” he replied. He couldn’t believe that he had never even looked twice at Kira before. She was gorgeous and sweet and why had he not seen that when she was in the clinic?
Maybe because for the last two years, you’ve been wrapped up in regret and shame over losing Lisa?
He sighed inwardly. He had been pretty obsessed with her for a while there. It was partially the reason he’d accepted the partnership with Grant. If he’d stayed in Willington, his love for Lisa would have continued to burn bright. The distance, the long hours as he and Grant both worked hard to get the clinic up and running had been a welcoming distraction.
“Connor?”
He had slowed to a stop in the middle of the path and he stared blankly at Kira. “What?”
“I asked why you and Lisa broke up.”
Sweat started to break out on his forehead and between his shoulder blades. He and Kira might be faking this relationship thing, but it didn’t mean he wanted her knowing what a fuck up he was. Besides, it was the past, and he wanted nothing more than to move on from his mistakes and his regrets. “We wanted different things.”
“Like what?” she asked.
He started walking again, his voice rough with annoyance. “None of your business, Kira. I’m not discussing my relationship or my break up with Lisa with you. It’s off limits.”