Free The Only Shark In The Sea (The Date Shark Series Book 3) by DelSheree Gladden Page A

Why?”
    To be perfectly honest, Vance wasn’t sure. Yes, his next two patients scheduled for that afternoon were doing very well and had been with him for years. Missing one appointment wouldn’t set them back. Still, this wasn’t something he would normally do. There was something about Natalie that begged for help, and that was a call Vance had never been able to resist. It was difficult to pinpoint why, but he suspected that whatever Natalie didn’t want to talk about was going to rise to the surface more quickly than she wanted, and when it did, she would need someone. Vance already knew he would answer that call, no matter when it came.
    Somehow, this woman had become part of him in a way he never would have expected. Yes, he and Stephanie both considered her a friend now, but there was more to it. He wanted Natalie to have a full life, a happy life. It was becoming more difficult to see that happening independent of their friendship. It was a realization that scared him, but not enough to convince him to back off.
    “You said someone told you trusting me was worth the risk,” Vance said, still curious about that claim. “I’m just trying to make sure you believe that.”
    He wanted Natalie to trust him, and she very desperately needed someone to trust. The peculiarity of his desire to help this woman nagged at him, but in the end, Natalie made the call to her boss and Vance spent the next hour in silent support as she discussed the altercation.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 9
     
     
    The Wish
     
    Stephanie carried two plates over to the kitchen table, unaware of Vance’s arrival. Hanging his coat on the hook by the front door, Vance smiled as he breathed in the scent of lemon and garlic salmon. It was Steph’s favorite dish, her form of comfort food. Which most likely meant she’d had a rough day. Abandoning the rest of his things on the table by the door, he walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist.
    “Mmm, I didn’t hear you come in,” she said as she melted against him. “How was your day?”
    “How was yours?” He would tell her what he could about meeting with Natalie later. At the moment he was more concerned about how exhausted she looked. “Did your meeting not go well?”
    Stephanie sighed and pulled out of his arms to return to the kitchen for drinks. “It could have gone better.”
    She set down only one glass of wine—which made Vance pause. Clearly, she’d had a long day. While Stephanie rarely drank, days like these were the few times she usually made an exception. Memories of her vicious father being lost in alcohol for days on end held her back any other time. Dropping into her seat at the table, Stephanie gestured for Vance to join her.
    “It’s always tough to tell a parent you think their child has developmental problems. I really think this kid needs more help than I can give him, but his parents didn’t appreciate my suggestions at all.” She shook her head. It was difficult to tell if she was more upset by the unpleasant meeting or the idea that her student wouldn’t get the full services he needed.
    “Maybe they just need some time to think about it and let what you told them sink in,” Vance suggested.
    Stephanie shrugged. “I hope so. He’ll just keep falling behind if he doesn’t get additional help.”
    The topic died down as Stephanie dug into her salmon. The tension dropped away with each bite. Vance smiled at her reaction. Steph loved food. She had different meals for different types of days. Her own father wasn’t much for domestic chores, and the various live-in girlfriends and wives were there and gone too quickly to leave much of an impression other than the trauma they inflicted upon Stephanie. Cooking became Stephanie’s job as soon as she was tall enough to turn on the oven, and eventually it became her one comfort.
    Both plates were largely empty before Steph was ready to talk again. Not about her own day, but about