“It’s in the bottom. I consulted with Luke on this so a lot of it you can thank him for.”
He pulled out a clear package. “New ear buds and an MP3 player?”
“It’s full of get-pumped play lists for therapy, and you can also use it to drown out your mom.”
“Ear plugs,” he said pulling out the tiny plastic egg.
“Luke said your mom snores.”
“Like a fucking company of lumberjacks at a chainsaw convention. What’s this? A bracelet?”
“Yeah, I thought you could start accessorizing,” Harper teased. “No, it’s one of those step counter heart-rate monitors. It’s what normal people who don’t run half marathons on the weekends use to measure their fitness. And since, for the next week or two, you probably won’t be hitting a 10K, I thought you could use it with your physical therapy. It’ll sync with your phone, too.”
“This is cool, Harpoon. Thanks.”
He seemed tired, flat. But he was home.
“Seriously? You’re gonna go with Harpoon?”
“We’ll see where the day takes us.” Aldo unwrapped a mini chocolate bar and popped it in his mouth.
***
The clinic was a twenty-minute drive north of town. Aldo ate candy and stared pensively out the window while Harper called Beth at the office to let her know she’d be back later that afternoon.
“Beth wants me to hug you for her,” Harper said, hanging up.
“I have a feeling I’ll be getting a lot of that.” Aldo didn’t seem thrilled with the idea.
“I know there’s a certain beautiful brunette who’d be willing to get in line to hug you.”
Aldo grunted.
“Have you talked to Gloria?”
“No.”
“Care to expand on that? I feel like I’m talking to Luke here,” Harper sighed.
“Turn here,” Aldo said, pointing at a white stone building on the right.
Harper pulled into the parking lot, and eased up to the front of the two-story glass entrance.
“I’ll grab your crutches,” she told Aldo, pulling the parking break.
“I’ll walk from the parking space,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Harper shrugged. “Fine.”
Two could play the smart-ass game. She pulled into the very last space at the far end of the lot and turned the car off. She worked the crutches free from the back seat and waited until Aldo pulled himself to a standing position.
“Get your ass in there.” She handed him the crutches.
She saw the tic in his jaw and waited.
“You can come in if you want,” he said finally before stepping around her and starting toward the front entrance.
Harper grabbed her bag out of the back seat and followed him.
