“Not you. I knew you were here for me,” I assured.
The animosity fled, and Hale’s lips twitched. “I take it you two made up.”
Two could play the honesty game.
“He tackled me in the woods and hurt my back.”
“Aye, I did,” Dair copped to it right away, and if my ears weren’t deceiving me, he did it proudly. “She was running through thick fog. She’d already tripped once and wrenched her back. Any second, she was going to run into a tree.”
“I was hardly going to run into a tree,” I disputed.
“Did ye have that first clue where you were heading?” he asked.
“Away from you,” I answered.
“And undoubtedly eventually into a tree. Or a heart attack. Ye were breathing so hard when I tackled you, ye were wheezing.”
I was one thousand percent wheezing.
I settled into silence and a glare.
“Well,” Hale broke into our bickering, “since everything seems all right, and I’m here, you want to go out and get some lunch?”
Lunch?
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Ten thirty,” both men answered me.
Ten thirty!
I hadn’t slept that late in years.
“It’ll take her an hour and a half to get ready,” Dair told Hale.
“That’s why I suggested lunch and not brunch,” Hale told Dair.
“If ye can hang for fifteen, I can take a quick shower and we can catch up while Blake does her hair and picks an outfit,” Dair said.
“Works for me,” Hale replied.
“I am standing right here, you know,” I pointed out.
“Go on up.” Dair jerked his chin upward. “Start the onerous selection process for your outfit. But go slow and take it easy. I’ll bring some ibuprofen and coffee up.”
“It was just a twinge this morning,” I informed him.
“You’re getting ready to go to lunch. Then going to lunch. And coming right back to the heating pad,” Dair bossed me.
“I—”
“As entertaining as this is,” Hale cut in and looked at me, “it does take you an age to get ready. And that’s no judge. Elsa’s the same way. The results are always worth it. From both of you. But if you don’t get started, we won’t have lunch until three thirty.”
Suddenly, I realized I was starved.
“I’ll go on up,” I said and headed that way.
“Lass,” Dair called.
