Dr. Tara Stillman walked out from the back area of her veterinary practice, East Hampton Vets. She’d finished an annual exam on an overweight Pomeranian named Hazel and had gone into the back area to check in on the overnighters. All her patients were doing well.
She joined her mother out front and placed a folder on the desk. “That’s it until after lunch,” she said. “Did you get Mrs. Frankel checked out okay?” she asked of her last patient.
Her mom nodded. “She wasn’t happy with the diet you put Hazel on. She complained about the cost and said we were just trying to make money off our clients.”
Tara sighed. “Hazel is seventeen pounds. The breed standard is three to seven. Even if she was a throwback to the older Poms who weighed up to fifteen, which she’s not, she’s still overweight. It’s not good for her heart or other organs.”
“All of which I’m sure you told Mrs. Frankel. If Anna would stop feeding the dog table scraps, she could have avoided needing to spend money on a special diet.”
Tara nodded. “That is the truth.” She smiled at her mother, who was a beautiful woman.
They shared the same thick brown hair that Tara wore past her shoulders and her mom had cut just above hers. Marsha Davidson, not Stillman anymore since she’d married Glenn Davidson, had gorgeous skin she took good care of with expensive creams and always wore her makeup perfect. She was warm and generous to a fault.
She loved to work whether it was necessary or not, a trait Tara had inherited. Marsha had been the receptionist at her first husband’s and Tara’s dad’s veterinary clinic in California. Gary Stillman had passed away from a heart attack right before Tara had been due to leave for college, leaving Tara and her mother devastated.
Ultimately, her mom had sold the practice that Tara was supposed to join when she’d graduated vet school. Unable to bear the painful memories and wanting to be near Tara, who’d gone to her dad’s alma mater in Manhattan, her mom had moved to New York City, too.
Once Marsha had adjusted to her new surroundings and being a widow, she’d moved to the Hamptons full-time and taken a job with Tara’s godfather, her dad’s college best friend and a veterinarian, Dr. Harry James.
Harry had become Tara’s mentor. He owned this clinic and had been there for her, helping her make vet school choices, giving her a job when she graduated, and they had an agreement. When Harry was ready to retire, Tara would buy out the clinic with the money she’d been left in trust from her mother’s sale of her father’s vet business. Her dad had left her mom well cared for with life insurance, and her mother insisted her father would have wanted Tara to use the money to open her own practice.
Losing her father had altered the course of Tara’s entire life and led to her moving across the country to settle in New York. Her mom had married Glenn Davidson, a man who treated Tara like a daughter, and she cared for him deeply. Thanks to Glenn, Tara had two stepsiblings, Amy and Connor. But being a part of the family had always made her feel disloyal to her real father. Only here, with her dog, and at the shelter where she volunteered, did Tara feel truly at home.
“Well, that’s something you don’t see every day,” her mom said. While Tara had been lost in thought, her mom had walked to the windows looking over the parking lot.
“What is it?”
“A dog in a convertible wearing sunglasses,” her mom said, laughing. “Come look!”
Tara strode over and glanced out the window, recognizing the golden dog. “Is that Bella?” she asked, narrowing her gaze. “That definitely looks like Bella Kingston. Is she on the schedule today?” Tara hadn’t seen the retriever on the list of appointments, but Sasha or Xander could have called to bring her in if the dog was sick.
“No, she’s not,” her mom said.
A man climbed out of the Corvette, a gorgeous royal blue convertible, and strode around to get the dog from the passenger seat.
“That’s definitely Bella, but that guy is not Xander.”
The man in question tried and failed to keep the sunglasses on the dog’s face and finally tossed them onto the seat. Tara couldn’t help but laugh. People and dogs were always fun to watch. This guy had a tall, lean frame and dark brown hair. Something about him seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place him. He grasped the leash and led the dog on a walk, obviously doing the smart thing before bringing the pup inside.
But before he’d walked away, he’d turned toward the building long enough for Tara to get a good look at his face. Even with aviators on his eyes, she knew.
“Oh, my God. It’s Axel,” she said, her stomach feeling like a kaleidoscope of butterflies had taken flight.
“Your Axel?” Her mother’s voice rose in excitement.
“He hasn’t been my Axel in forever.” Tara covered her churning belly with her hands.
“He’s the last guy you dated, so sue me for calling him yours.”
Tara frowned and glanced at her mom. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Well, I would.”
Tara sighed at her mother’s persistence. “I don’t tell you everything.” Not that there was anything to tell, which was why her mother’s dig hit home.
Marsha meant well and wanted her daughter happily settled, but Tara had never met a man who lived up to … well, Axel and what they’d shared. But it wasn’t like she’d chosen between school and career or a nunnery, for God’s sake.
Her mother took another glance between the horizontal blinds to get a better look.
“Cut it out,” Tara muttered.
She stepped away from the window and headed back behind the counter, gesturing for her mother to follow. Which Marsha did. Tara did not want to get caught ogling the rock-star drummer. Even if he was her ex.
She bit down on her cheek, her heart pounding hard as she waited for him to walk in. Why was Axel here with Bella? Was he helping out his bandmate and friend? Though Tara made it a point not to check out gossip or celebrity sites, she couldn’t live in this small town, especially one that emptied out after summer, and not know that Axel Forrester had joined Dash Kingston’s band and moved here. She’d just been lucky enough not to have run into him before now.
They hadn’t parted on bad terms all those years ago. They’d just both had life plans that had taken them in different directions. She’d always known they wanted different things out of life. He’d desired fame and travel while she’d planned to settle down in a vet practice and have a family one day. When he’d said goodbye, saying he hoped they’d reconnect in the future, she had known better. Now they were two very different people, and seeing him again could only be awkward.
At that moment, Harry walked out of the back area. He was a good-looking man, older, with salt-and-pepper hair and a distinguished goatee.
He glanced around the empty waiting room. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“Fine. There’s a man in the parking lot who should be in any minute,” Tara said.
Harry nodded. “I just finished eating. Would you like me to see him?”
Bless him, Tara thought. She was not ready to face the now famous Axel Forrester, former drummer for Caged Chaos and now the Original Kings, and the type of man who women threw their panties at.
“Sure,” she said at the same time her mother spoke. “You’re busy, Harry,” Marsha said, stepping over to him.
“No, I have time for a break.” His eyes crinkled in confusion at their contradictory replies.
“Good idea. Go take a break.” Tara’s mom urged him toward the back, her hands pushing at his arm.
“Mom! Cut it out.” Taking control, Tara decided what to do. “Thanks for handling the next patient, Harry. I’ll be in the back if you need me.”
She walked through the double doors leading to the back rooms but remained close by so she could hear everything. She couldn’t help but be curious.
“Marsha, are you okay?” Harry asked, concern in his voice.
“I’m fine. I just…” Her mother whispered something Tara couldn’t hear.
Before she could find out what her mother was up to, the bells over the outside door rang, announcing the patient had arrived. Tara curled her hands into fists, her short nails digging into her skin as she waited.
“Good afternoon,” her mother said in a chirpy, happy voice. “What can we do for you?” Obviously, her mother was pretending not to recognize him.
“I was hoping Dr. Stillman could see my dog.” Axel’s voice was familiar yet not, deeper and sexier than she remembered.
“Your dog?”
Tara peeked out in time to see Marsha lean over the counter to look at the animal in question. “Axel Forrester, are you bringing Bella Kingston in for Sasha and Xander?”
“Busted,” he muttered, looking adorable. Dammit. “Mrs. Stillman, it’s good to see you. You looked familiar, but I thought you lived in California, so I didn’t think it could be you.”
“What’s with the Mrs. Stillman nonsense? It’s Marsha. And my last name is Davidson now. I remarried after my husband passed away.”
Glued to her place and unable to tear her gaze away, Tara watched as his eyes grew wide, his expression turning sad. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“Thank you. It was right after you left town. Anyway, what’s wrong with Bella?”
Tara tore her gaze from his handsome, grown-up face with more defined and chiseled features and looked around the waiting room. Harry was gone. He must have slipped out the door as Axel walked in. Her mother definitely deserved an A in scheming.
Awkward or not, it was time to grow up and face him. Tara drew a deep breath and stepped through the doors into the reception area. “What is wrong with Bella?” she asked.
“Tara.” Her name on those sexy lips turned her insides to mush.
“Hello, Axel.”
They stared at each other for an uncomfortable few moments in which her mom remained shockingly quiet.
“Is Bella okay?” She broke the silence first.
“She’s fine.” An unexpected red flush rose to his face. “I was scrolling through Facebook, came across your picture, and realized you were only a mile away, so I…”
“You borrowed a dog as an excuse to see me?” She didn’t know whether she was more flattered or shocked. But her traitorous heart skipped a beat.
“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Now that we’ve discussed Bella, my icebreaker, I’ll just get to the point. Would you have dinner with me?”
She blinked. He’d taken her by surprise. “I can’t,” she said, the words automatically coming out of her mouth. Getting to know this man could only lead to heartbreak. She knew it just by seeing him again.
“Why not? Do you have a husband? A boyfriend?” His jade-green eyes bored into hers. “Because your Facebook page didn’t mention a relationship.”
She was certain his persistence had helped him succeed in the hard-to-make-it-to-the-top music world. “No, no relationship. I’m just … busy.”
“No, you are not,” her mother said.
Tara had been aware of her mom watching them, looking back and forth like at a tennis match. “You don’t know my schedule,” Tara snapped.
Her mother ignored her and picked up one of Tara’s business cards, then a pen, wrote something on the card, and held it out to Axel. “Here. Her address and cell phone number.”
He didn’t accept it, and his gaze remained steady on Tara’s. “If you really don’t want to go out with me, I get it. Too much time has passed, too much water under the bridge.” He shrugged, but disappointment was clear in his expression and hunched shoulders.
His very real desire to see her again tugged at her, causing a heavy pain in her chest. Because she did want to have dinner with him. Catch up. Learn about his life. She just didn’t want to open herself up to heartbreak.
“Actually, I do want to go out with you.”
He released the tension he’d been holding and relaxed, straightening his shoulders, a wide smile on his handsome face. “Great.”
She snatched the card from her mom’s hand and passed it over.
Axel accepted it this time. “I’ll pick you up at seven.” He glanced at the dog, who had been so good while sitting at his side. “It’ll just be us. Bella has a seven p.m. curfew,” he said with a grin. “Come on,” he said, and the dog, as if she belonged to him, followed him out.
Tara waited until the door shut behind him before turning on her mother. “What is wrong with you?” She’d never seen her mother act so pushy, so insistent … so over the top!
Marsha looked at Tara, disappointment in her gaze. “You were always such a bright girl. So smart. Yet here you are, turning down a date with the only man you’ve ever loved. Why?”
Oh, for God’s sake. She did not want to have this conversation. “Because Axel and I don’t make sense, that’s why!”
“What doesn’t? Dating? Relationships? Good sex? Giving me grandchildren?”
“Mom!” Tara was as horrified as she was grateful they were alone and nobody was in the waiting room. She had no doubt the vet techs in the back were having a field day with this entire conversation.
“What? Somebody has to tell it like it is! Now please explain to me why you and that handsome man don’t make sense in that bright mind of yours?” Her mother sounded both concerned and exasperated.
Tara didn’t like this talk any more than her mom did. “When you take away emotions and feelings, everything else about us has always been wrong. Geography, for starters.”
“He lives in town, Tara.”
“When he’s in the studio and making music, maybe. Afterwards he spends eight months or more on tour. Sometimes in the US and other times around the world.” And that wasn’t the kind of relationship she wanted.
She wanted what she’d had growing up. A husband at home with her and their kids. A normal life. The kind she’d lost when her dad died. But she wouldn’t say that to her mother. Marsha had tried so hard to blend the family, and it wasn’t her fault Tara always felt separated from them all. They tried, but it was like she had this wall around herself she couldn’t let them get beyond. And if she allowed herself to fall for Axel again, she feared she’d always be the outsider in his lifestyle, ultimately left behind.
“Honey, you’re so afraid of being hurt and abandoned, like you were when your dad died, that you’ve closed yourself off completely.”
Read my mind, why don’t you, Tara thought. Her mom had always known her well.
Her mother put a hand on top of Tara’s. “No man will ever meet whatever criteria you’re holding out for, and the one you really want is back, yet you’re too afraid to give him a chance.”
A lump rose in Tara’s throat, making her unable to speak.
“Just promise me you’ll give Axel a chance?” her mother asked, her eyes damp.
Tara sighed. “Okay. Anything to get you to take a step back and let me think things through.” She smiled to take away the sting of her words, and it worked.
Her mom grinned, then pulled her into a hug, happy with Tara’s agreement to try. And since she’d agreed to a date with Axel, clearly she was going to do just that.
* * * *
Axel strode out of the vet offices, whistling as he walked, Bella trotting by his side.
“Good job,” he said to the pup as he loaded her into the passenger seat and took his place behind the wheel. “You deserve a treat for being so perfect,” he told her.
After starting up the car, he headed for the coffee shop in town, all the while thinking about his first glimpse of Tara. As a man surrounded by women whenever he traveled, he was familiar with beautiful females. Not to lump them into one category, but those he saw in the concert arena tried too hard to make themselves noticeable. Pushed up breasts, brightly colored hair, skimpy clothes, too-high heels.
Had he screwed around with them? Yeah, of course. He’d had needs. But had he ever been interested in any of them long-term? That would be a big hell no. Because none of them were real.
Tara was a breath of fresh air. She always had been. From her natural wavy hair that fell like silk over her shoulders to her nearly makeup-free face and those lips he wanted to kiss again, she was exactly what he’d been missing. Even if her mother had twisted her arm to go out with him, Axel was pleased with their first meeting in years.
After giving Bella her treat, he returned to Xander’s and let himself in the side door of the pool gate and took a seat outside.
A few minutes later, the sliding glass door opened, and his host stepped outside.
“Dog returned before her curfew,” Axel said, gesturing to the golden lying by his side on the grass.
“And you stayed?” Xander stepped over and glanced down at the dog. “What’s on Bella’s nose?”
“I got her a pup cup as a reward for being such a good girl.” He lowered his hand to pet her soft head.
“So the trip was successful?”
Axel grinned. “Got a date at seven tonight.” And he planned to do his best to charm Tara and get to know her again.
Xander nodded. “Good! You should go get ready.” He tipped his head toward the gate he’d come through.
“Nah. I’ve got plenty of time.” Axel straightened his legs on the lounge and settled in.
“You could just … go anyway.”
“Are you throwing me out? Is that what you used to do to Dash?” Before the lead singer became involved with Cassidy and stopped coming by as often for company.
Xander opened his mouth, but before he could answer, the door to the house slid open again, and Sasha walked out, two large, cold drinks in her hands.
“Hi, guys. I thought you might want some iced tea.” She handed each of them a glass. “How was your … excursion with Bella?” she asked.
“He got himself a date tonight,” Xander replied.
“Really? That’s great. Who is she?” Sasha asked, folding her arms across her chest.
“Umm, about that…” Dash met her gaze. “Turns out she’s your vet.”
“Dr. Stillman?” Xander asked.
“Tara?” Sasha asked at the same time.
Just hearing her name had him smiling. “We were together in high school, and we broke up after graduation. I went to do my thing in LA and audition with bands, and she went to college in New York.”
“And she stayed,” Sasha said, sitting down on the edge of his chair, her interest in their history obviously piqued.
“That wasn’t her plan. She always wanted to go into her dad’s practice outside LA, but I found out today he passed away not long after I left.”
He sobered at the thought, knowing she’d probably been dealing with their breakup at the time of her father’s death. He hadn’t known. They’d agreed not to keep in touch because they knew it would be too hard.
“And you both ended up not just on the East Coast but here in East Hampton,” Sasha mused. “Talk about fate.”
He fucking hoped so.