So why did she keep thinking about how good it had felt to be curled up next to Luke? How could she envision spending every morning sitting across from him at the breakfast table? It should take more than a great bowl of oatmeal to win her heart.
It was a really spectacular bowl of oatmeal, a voice in the back of her head whispered. But Luke was just like his brother, wild, impetuous, and irresponsible. Even if he decided to stay put in Shell Beach —how long would it take until he was bored and restless? Hadn’t his disappearance after the funeral taught her anything?
Aidan, she decided, was perfect for her. She hobbled to the mirror in the entryway to make sure she looked like she was the perfect choice for him. Earlier, she’d managed to take a bath, put on makeup, and slip into her favorite jeans and sweater. She thought back to her earlier decision to make Aidan kiss her and decided that now was as good a time as any to test her pheromones.
But would it be fair to Aidan to try to kiss him if her pheromones were crying out for Luke? I’m stronger than my pheromones, she reminded herself, and plastered on a phony smile before she opened the door.
With a pair of crutches tucked under his arm, Aidan strode across the lawn while Atticus bounded beside him. What would it be like to have him coming home to her every night?
“Hey,” he said, grinning at her. “You’re up. I half expected to find you lounging by the fire. But I should have known better. You’re not a lounger.”
Why did that bother her? Why did his saying she wasn’t a lounger make her want to run and start lollygagging on the closest available La-Z-Boy? She shook herself and amped up her smile.
“I brought you a gift,” he said, showing her the crutches.
“Thanks! They’re exactly what I never wanted.” She led him into the living room.
Atticus jumped onto the sofa and wagged his tail.
Aidan held the crutches up in front of her. “We’ll need to adjust these. My brother last used them when he tore his ACL.”
“ACL? That sounds like an activist group.”
“An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the biomechanical limits of the ligament are exceeded, and is most commonly a non-contact injury involving a sudden stop or twisting movement, such as a dismount from a layup in basketball.” He touched the side of her leg. “It’s right here.”
Why weren’t there tingles? Why did she spark like faulty wiring when Luke touched her, but not Aidan?
“Here,” he said after he fiddled with the screws on one of the crutches. “Try this on for size.”
She slipped the crutch beneath her arm. “Seems okay,” she said.
He frowned at her. “No, it should be snugger. You don’t want to lean too far forward like that. It’s not good for your alignment.”
“My alignment?”
He nodded. “The spinal column runs down the middle of your back and contains the spinal cord, which is like a superhighway of nerves that connect your brain to every tissue in your body. Needless to say, the health of your spine is of paramount importance. You don’t want to throw off your alignment.”
She sighed and her smile dimmed. “Right. I need to stay aligned.”
He nodded as if she’d said something incredibly profound and worked on the crutch. She eased on to the sofa and propped her foot up beside Atticus. The puppy wiggled onto her lap.
“How are you going to try these out if you’re sitting down?” Aidan asked.
“Right,” she repeated, and climbed back to her feet…or foot, and leaned onto the crutches. “How’s that?” she asked.
Aidan frowned. “I could ask Clyne at the hardware store if he could drill another hole in them…”
“No. Don’t be silly. My alignment can be out of whack for a few days.”
“Maintaining good posture is probably the most important thing you can do for the health of your spine.”
“At the moment, I’m not worried about my spine! I just want my ankle to get better.”
“I understand that, but I think you’re being way too casual about your health.” He pressed his lips together. “Just look at how you’re sitting.”
“What’s wrong with how I’m sitting? Oh never mind.” The last thing she wanted was a lecture on the proper way to sit on a sofa. She pulled herself to her feet and put her arms around Aidan. He felt stiff, skinny, and cold. She leaned against him, hoping he’d relax or…something.
He patted her back.
