Seaside Heartbeats: A Sweet Romance (The Seaside Hunters Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

kind of my life."
    His eyes widened. "It is?"
    "My dad practically runs his firm, and he's been teaching me the trade my whole life. I breezed through my studies in only nine years, earning my advanced degree faster than most of my colleagues."
    "That's almost as bad as becoming a cardiologist. It took me twelve years, and I was lucky. If I wanted to be a cardiac surgeon, it would have taken me a lot longer."
    "I don't think I could have taken that many years of schooling. Scratch that. I know I couldn't."
    "The last six years was interning and then my fellowship, and I was able to take over the practice. It started out somewhat small, but I grew it into the most popular cardiology clinic in all of Dallas. Not to brag." He looked away.
    "That's awesome. Why come here to work such long hours at the hospital? Not to be nosy, but you mentioned being tired from on-call duties."
    "I wanted to be near my family again. My dad's health isn't the greatest, and I couldn't stand being away."
    Lana's heart swelled. Maybe he really was perfect.

Five
     
    Brayden tried to pay attention to the lively conversation around the dinner table. It was a typical Sunday evening at his parents' house. Cruz talked about a tattoo he'd done at the parlor the previous night, Jake and Tiffany shared excitedly about the additions being made to the house they'd purchased, and his parents talked about the shop.
    Their mom turned to Brayden. "You're being especially quiet tonight. Is everything okay?"
    "He's got a girlfriend," Cruz teased.
    "You're dating her already?" Jake asked.
    "A girlfriend?" asked his parents in unison.
    Brayden glared at Cruz. "Thanks. No, I don't have a girlfriend. There's just a patient I keep running into in town. It's nothing more than that."
    "Is it serious?" his mom asked.
    "She's a patient, Mom. There are rules about that."
    "You should try it," Cruz said. "I don't know what you have against it."
    "Says you." Brayden felt heat creeping into his face. "You don't have a girlfriend."
    "Doesn't mean I don't mix business with pleasure. I just don't want anything serious."
    "Cruz," said their mom, "we raised you better than that."
    Brayden turned to Jake. "Tell us more about the additions to your house."
    "Yeah, Jake," said his dad. "Let's leave Brayden alone."
    "We shouldn't tease," agreed their mom, "but at the same time, you should think about settling down. You're not getting any younger, you know. You're thirty-five, and counting."
    Brayden put his fork on the table, groaning. "I'm not really in the mood for teasing right now. Excuse me." He pushed the chair out and wandered to the hallway where the bedrooms were, pacing a few times before stopping in front of Sophia's room.
    How had it already been three years? The anger dissipated, and he opened the door and went in, closing it quietly behind himself. Looking around, he would have thought she'd only stepped away. It was exactly as she'd left it—when she'd been well enough to live in it. That was before the long hospital stays and then hospice.
    Once sent home, she'd lived longer than any of the doctors had predicted.
    Brayden wandered the room. It really did look like she'd just left. A lump formed in his throat as he touched her desk. His mom had to have been dusting it and airing it out. He sniffed. And spraying Sophia's favorite perfume. The room still smelled like her.
    He sat on the bed, careful not to disturb anything. As he looked around the room, Brayden swore he heard her beautiful laughter. Tears blurred his vision and he loosened his collar.
    "Sophia, I'm so sorry I didn't spend much time with you when you were sick. It haunts me every day." He knew they were never close, and thought it was his fault. There was the nearly-thirteen year age gap which didn't help, but he could have done more—he felt he should have.
    Tears escaped and fell on his face. She had been in diapers when he had been chasing after grades and girls. It wasn't as though they didn't like each