Adjusting Addie Read online

  Mr. Longhorn had been on the same path as Kevin's mother—straight back to prison—until he found out he had a son. In the past few months, he had attended parenting classes, was enrolled in school to get his GED, and had worked hard to kick his drug habit. Addie was working on finding him and Kevin a place to live outside of the neighborhood he had been dealing in. He was on the verge of success and Addie was happy for him. It was always bittersweet when children went back to their biological parents. She had learned early on in her career that reunification was always the goal, even if the foster parents had more money, higher education or could offer the child a better future. The experts had proven, time and time again, that it was better for the child to be reunited with the biological parent, if the parent was healthy and could provide for the needs of the child adequately. Addie knew that the local law had a minimum standard of care clause, which meant that the parent just needed to provide a safe place to live, clothing of some sort, food, minimal medical care, and meet the state standards for education. She had no doubt that Mr. Longhorn would be able to provide all of it. The judge had given him a year to show significant progress, or he would move to terminate rights. So far, so good. Addie knew, no matter how promising the situation was, not to put the cart before the horse. She had seen too many parents start out of the gate running before crashing and burning, never to hit the finish line. She had a good feeling about this one, though. Her feelings were rarely wrong.

  Addie continued to listen to the conversation and directed Mr. Longhorn back on track when he strayed but, otherwise, enjoyed the bonding occurring between father and son. Kevin was telling his dad all about the little girl who sat next to him on the school bus and how she kept trying to kiss him, when Addie looked up and saw Brad across the pond. She felt herself blushing. She had been such a jerk to him and she was ashamed of her behavior. Not that she would bring herself to approach him.

  She watched him walk an elderly dog with so much patience. He let the dog stop and stiff just about everything on the path. She wondered what kind of music he was listening to. She once again admired his physique. She noticed his chestnut hair and dark beard and thought the combination made him look like…like a…she had to really study his facial features to get the word off the tip of her tongue. He looked like a Viking—a Norse Viking, with the hair, green eyes, broad shoulders and large, muscular thighs. He was the manliest man she had ever seen. She had never felt such a primal attraction to a man before.

  The beeping of the alarm on Addie's cell phone went off, startling her from her thoughts. She quickly swiped it away and approached the pair at the swings. It was time to end the visit. The foster parents would be on the other side of the park to pick up Kevin. Mr. Longhorn replaced Addie on the bench when she walked Kevin to the nice couple that had been loving on him for the past several months before returning and sitting next to him.

  "How did I do?" he asked eagerly.

  "You know I can't tell you how you did," Addie said gently. "It isn't my place to judge the visits. I just have to accurately represent them to the courts. However, I did notice that your communication is getting better. It was great to hear you actively engage in conversation with him. Are you still going to counseling?"

  "Twice a week," Mr. Longhorn replied. "Last week, they had us do these gay ass 'I' statement exercises. Shit. I mean shoot. Sorry. I am working on my language and phrasing. My parenting class instructor says we shouldn't say things like 'gay ass' that the kids will pick up on and repeat. I am trying. I really am." It was clear that Mr. Longhorn was feeling vulnerable and had a desperate need for some validation.

  "I know you are," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It shows." Addie looked up to see Brad walking in her direction. Her palms started sweating and her heart skipped a beat. God, he was beautiful.

  Chapter 3

  "All right, Ms. Savannah," Brad said to his last patient of the day, the elderly but young at heart seventy-eight-year-old sitting on his table. "You are all aligned. Is there anything else I can do for you today?"

  She looked at him and grinned. "That's it for me, Doctor Brad," she said. "I always feel so much better after I come see you. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you give me such a good senior discount. My hips were always hurting me, and now, I can dance again!" She all but hopped off of the exam table. "I brought you some of those cookies you like. I put an extra dose of love into them, just for you. You know, my great niece will be in town visiting me next week. Maybe I'll see if she needs an adjustment, too."

  Brad groaned inwardly. His patients were always trying to set up him up on dates. He hadn't dated much since his disastrous divorce, four years ago. He had flirted around some and had been to a couple BDSM munches and even a few local events but hadn't found anyone who had really piqued his interest. That is, until he had met Addie at the gym. If there was ever a woman who needed an adjustment, and it wasn't a back adjustment that she needed but an attitude one!

  A few minutes later, Brad was locking up the clinic. He took a deep breath and stretched his arms over his head. It was a beautiful day, and the sky was cloudless. The nearby park had a large pond with a trail that wrapped around it. Brad decided it was a perfect night for a walk. He went home and quickly changed clothes before knocking on his neighbor's door and grabbing his dog for a walk.

  Brad had just changed songs on his iPad when he looked up. His eyes lit when he saw Addie across the pond, quickly to be replaced with a look of concern when he saw Addie lay her hand on a man's shoulder. Who was the man she was with? Brad thought that he looked dangerous. He tried to not judge a book by its cover—a lot of his Marine corps brothers and sisters were covered in tattoos, but Brad could tell the difference between tattoos done at a parlor and tattoos self-done or done in prison. This guy's tattoos were definitely the latter. What was a nice girl like Addie doing with someone like that?

  Brad realized then he didn't know she was a nice girl. Hell, as far as he knew, she was a raging mess. She had been anything but nice to him this morning in the gym, and he wasn't sure why "nice" popped into his head. He knew it was because he had seen right through her façade. While her tone had held a lot of bite next to the elliptical, her eyes had told him an entirely different story. Brad could have cut the sexual tension in the air with a knife. There was no denying a primal physical attraction had existed. While he knew, instinctively, that she wasn't the witch her words had portrayed, he also hadn't felt his palm itch to beat a woman's behind as much as he had after their exchange, that morning, in a very long time. Before Brad knew what he was doing, he found himself standing next to Addie. She was sitting on the bench with the sketchy looking dude sitting next to her.

  "Hey," he said, walking up to the pair. He noticed Addie was rubbing her shoulder with a grimace. He wondered what she had done to hurt herself.

  "Oh!" Addie exclaimed, looking up. "It's you."

  "It is, indeed," Brad said with a chuckle.

  "That's my sign to head out," the man said.

  "Next week? Same place, same time?" Addie asked him.

  "I wouldn't miss it for the world," the man said, and Brad couldn't help but believe the conviction in his tone. Whatever they were doing here, he enjoyed. Addie shifted towards him, and her eyes lit up when they rested on Rusty.

  "Aren't you just the cutest thing ever!" Addie exclaimed, leaning forward to love on the elderly dog. He wagged his tail in appreciation. "What's his name?"

  "Rusty," Brad supplied.

  Addie scratched Rusty between his ears. Rusty leaned his body into Addie's legs. Brad noticed; he noticed everything. Rusty was a great judge of character. The dog had really hated Brad's ex-wife. This was a good sign.

  "He's not mine," Brad said, his eyes twinkling in mirth. "He's my elderly neighbor's dog. He walked him religiously twice a day until he fell and broke his hip. I volunteered to walk him until he's healed enough to do it himself."

  "So, um," Addie said nervously, continuing to p
et Rusty without looking up. "I wanted to apologize for how I acted towards you, this morning. I'm not normally like that. I could give you a million reasons for my behavior, but none of them are excuses."

  Brad looked at her and saw how she was purposely looking away from him as she muttered the words. He noted the flush on her cheeks and knew it took a lot for her to apologize.

  "Apology accepted. Although, the next time you apologize to me, I'd like you to actually look at me." Brad used the same quiet, deep voice he had used in the gym, his practiced, no nonsense tone. It was the tone that reminded the person on the receiving end that he was in charge—he meant what he said, and he wouldn't participate in any discussion over the matter. Brad stared at Addie until she met his gaze and waited for her to acknowledge him. Finally, she gave a curt nod, letting him know she had gotten the message, loud and clear. "Who was that?" Brad asked, nodding after the man.

  "One of my clients. I am a social worker with the Department of Human Services. I supervise visits between foster children and their biological parents as part of my job," Addie explained.

  "That makes sense," Brad said, feeling himself visibly relax. He was relieved that it was a client and not a romantic interest. "What's going on with your neck?" he asked when he noticed her reaching up and rubbing it again.

  "Huh?" she asked absently.

  "Your neck. Is it hurting?"

  "Right. You are a doctor." Brad was glad to hear that she had been listening to him. She continued. "I think I pulled a muscle or something when I went back to the gym, this afternoon."

  "You went back to the gym?" He was not impressed, and he was sure his tone conveyed as much.

  "I had to get some aggression out before my last visit of the day. I skipped lunch and went. Speaking of," she said with a loud rumble coming from her stomach. "I haven't eaten today, so I'm going to head out of here. It was nice running into you." She started to stand up and turn away from him.

  "Addie, wait." There was no question in his command. He was glad to see that she stopped and turned to him. "I'm a chiropractor. Would you like me to look at that? Adjust you some?" Brad didn't want their time together to end yet. He was enjoying Addie, and he wanted to get to know her a bit better. It was clear that she was in pain, and if he could help relieve it, he would be glad to be of service.

  "That would be great!" Addie's face lit up. "I see a chiropractor up north, but he is a good forty-five minutes away, so I can only see him a couple times a year. I'm a big believer in chiropractic, massage and natural medicine. Do you want to do it here?"

  "No." He chuckled. "I know you don't know me very well, but if you'd trust me, we could go to my office. I work in the King Sooper's shopping center, over on highway 115, not far from here."

  "Next to the Starbucks?"

  "That would be the one."

  "I'm there frequently. I live behind that shopping center in the townhomes," she said. "I know exactly which building is yours."

  "There is a delicious Thai place next door," Brad heard himself saying. "I could help ease some of the pain out of your neck and then we could grab dinner? Maybe get to know each other some? What do you say?"

  "Sounds fantastic to me! I was going to grab a sandwich from Jimmy John's and call it a night. Thai sounds so much better. Do they have good spring rolls?"

  "The spring rolls are the best in town. They make their sweet and sour sauce, none of those little plastic pouches. The Pad Thai is phenomenal, too. I need to take Rusty home to his owner, first, though. Meet me there in thirty?" Brad wasn't sure if his mouth was watering from the thought of the spring rolls or from getting to spend more time with Addie.

  "Sure! I really appreciate it. I can pay you for the adjustment if you'd like."

  "No, you won't. I offered to do it." Brad tried not to look offended. Pay for it? Silly girl. Of course, she wouldn't pay for it.

  "If you're sure."

  "I am. I never say anything I don't mean, Addie." He wondered if he would be using this tone the entire night with her. God, she was adorably frustrating.

  "Great! I am going to change clothes, and then I'll see you there. Thank you!" She hurried off to her car, and Brad walked Rusty over to his Jeep. Neither of them saw the black sedan that was parked in the lot or the man sitting behind the wheel watching them. He watched Brad leave and then saw Addie pull out. He waited a few seconds before pulling out of the park and following her down the street and to her house.

  Addie got in her car with Brad on the brain. Of course, he walks his elderly neighbor's dog. Not only is he hot, but he's also a sweetheart, a regular Eagle Scout. Does this man have any weakness? Oh, yeah, Addie remembered, being a bossy pants. Even if his bossy pant behavior made her lady pants a bit wet. She had always been turned on by the more dominant man. Addie continued to think about him as she started the drive across town to her house.

  "What are you doing?" Addie asked herself out loud as she pulled into the garage of her townhouse. "You don't know him from Adam! What if he's a rapist? What if he's a mass murderer who drugs his patients and then buries them alive in the mountains? Okay. Now, you are just being dumb." Addie had a bad habit of talking to herself. She did it all the time. Luckily, it was 2018, and many people had Bluetooth in their cars and assumed she was talking on the phone or something. Addie closed her garage door, oblivious to the black car sitting across the street. It didn't take her long to kick off her heels. Her feet tingled from being on them all day. She rushed upstairs to her room and threw open her closet door. "I don't know why you bother," she said, talking to herself again. "You always look fat and ugly." She had been self-deprecating for a long time. Ever since…no, Addie, you won't let yourself go down that path. She wouldn't think about her ex or what he did to her mental health. "Everything is just fine," she said out loud, like her counselor had taught her, speaking words of affirmation into the room.

  Addie settled on one of her favorite pairs of Torrid jeans. The size read 16, but Addie knew in other brands, it would be an 18 or maybe even a size 20. Maybe that was one reason she loved Torrid clothes so much—the vanity sizing. That, and they had fashionable plus sized clothes that didn't look like burlap sacks. She had a closet full of black shirts because black was the most flattering color, or so she had read in a fashion magazine. She quickly picked one and pulled it on, topping it with a necklace. Addie ran a brush through her hair and dabbed a bit of powder on her face, glad her morning makeup had stayed in place. She often worked very long days and had experimented until she had found the best long wear foundation, waterproof eyeliner and mascara. She wasn't one to wear a lot of makeup or overly bright colors; she perfected a more natural look. She finished by spritzing her pulse points with a light perfume, popped her tired feet in a pair of black ballet flats, and grabbed her keys.

  She chided herself as she drove over to Brad's clinic. Why would a hot doctor like Brad be interested in a flabby social worker like herself? He wasn't. He was just being nice; she was sure of it. Besides, he was probably married. A handsome, intelligent and financially stable man, like he was, had to be. Why hadn't she looked at his hand for a wedding ring? He was just inviting her over for a medical treatment, not like it was a date. And dinner, don't forget.

  Brad was just unlocking the door when Addie pulled in next to his yellow Jeep. He smiled warmly at her.

  "Come on in. I need to turn on the lights and raise the table." Addie saw him turn and flip on the light switches before going over to his examination table and raising it.

  "Mmm," Addie said. "Something smells so good in here." She looked at his hand and didn't see a wedding ring on it. That doesn't mean anything, she thought. Some men don't like to wear jewelry.

  "Essential oils," Brad said over his shoulder. "Sherry mixes them in the morning and puts them in the infuser. I think she said something about lavender and orange. She likes to joke that she observes my mood and then adds the oils." Addie noticed the boyish grin he gave her. "I guess I can be a bit of a bear so
me mornings. That is why I like to start my day early at the Y."

  Addie took in his words, and her heart sank. Confirmation that he was indeed married. She figured as much. After all, why would a thirty-something-year-old doctor as handsome as he was not be married? So, what did he think she was? Some desperate fat girl he could screw on the side and not have to worry about developing a relationship with? She had been used in college, twice, by similar male personalities. They were embarrassed to been seen with her, so they hid their relationship. Pretty girls were who they took to the fraternity events and ROTC balls. She was just a sex toy to fulfill their desires. The first time it happened, she was broken-hearted. She thought she had just picked an asshole. The second time, she was crushed. She recognized it as her perceived value. She didn't date again for the rest of her college career.

  As an adult, she had been on a few dates, here and there, but had refused to have sex with anyone until she was sure of their intentions. It had been a couple years since she had been physical with a man. She was a very passionate woman and had quite the array of sex toys to keep her satisfied. Instead of a relationship, she threw herself deeply into her work and came to the conclusion that she would never get married and have children, at least, not while she was this fat. That was one reason she had thrown herself into working out at the gym as hard as she had. Her best friend, Annie, told her that a man should love her for her, not her size, but she knew she'd need to attract a man, first, before they got to know her.

  Addie found herself growing angry. She should have listened to the little voice warning her off from Brad. Instead, here she was, putting herself into the same old position. A man who was married and just wanted to use her for meaningless sex. She was disappointed and upset. She had thought he was different, that he was a good guy. Her gut had said so, even as her mind told her that she didn't know him well enough to come to that conclusion, and her inner voice told her she wasn't good enough. She should have listened to her inner voice.