“This will help.” He sets the jar back down, wipes his hands off on a hand towel, and then makes to leave.
“Thanks,” I say, even though there’s a tiny voice screaming from the back of my mind that I should ask him to stay. To take off his clothes and sink into the steaming water with me. To put his hands on my body like he did last night.
To finish what we started.
But my limbs are heavy with exhaustion, so I don’t, and he leaves me alone in the bathroom.
I peel off my sweaty leggings and pull back the top half of my hair up with a claw clip to keep it off my face. And then I dip one foot into the water, followed by the other.
My body melts, all my aches and pains dissipating as I allow myself to become submerged, and then to float. I let the warmth seep into me, each of my joints loosening.
God, it feels good.
I soak in the tub until my fingers are pruney, although I make sure to get out before the water turns cold and seizes me up again. Jett was right, that was just what I needed, and despite still being spent from the day, I feel better.
Finding some sweatpants, another one of my cozy knitted sweaters, and some wool socks, I get dressed and headout to where Jett is sitting on the couch, the fire casting a soft glow in the living room. He must have showered while I was in the bath, because I can smell his fresh shampoo. It smells like evergreens and warm spices.
“I don’t know how you do it,” I say, landing on the couch next to him with a thud. “Even if I didn’t have arthritis, I think I’d still be wiped. And myknees.My knees officially hate me.”
“Daily training,” he answers. “Even at that, I’m not immune to injury. My ACL tear last season was a wakeup call, for sure.”
I remember that. The day it happened, and the fallout after the fact.
Jett was around Heartwood a lot more that winter than usual. He stayed with Grady and Spencer after his surgery, and while he was doing rehab. He’d been a shell of himself.
“But you bounced back,” I point out. “And here you are, on your way to another World Cup.”
“You had a lot to do with that.”
My face must give away my shock and confusion, because Jett searches for the right words to explain.
“You’ve always inspired me, Pops. I see how hard you work at the café, how you show up for everyone around you even when you’re not at your best.”
My heart flatlines for a couple of beats, because all this time I didn’t think Jett noticed me at all. And somehow, he’s seen a side of me that no one else has.
“After my injury last year, I didn’t know how I could get back to where I was. But I saw you, pushing through every day, not letting anything hold you back.”
“I’m not doing anything astronomical,” I say with a softchuckle. “I’m just keeping the café running and living my life. It’s not like I’m competing at the highest level of my sport or anything.”
“Running the café isn’t easy, not with the amount you have to juggle,” Jett adds. “Do you ever take a break? To do something fun?”
“Yeah, of course. I take breaks,” I lie. Even on my days off, I’m balancing budgets and going over spreadsheets.
Come to think of it, I can’t remember the last time I truly had a day off before all of this. And although I was hesitant about going skiing today, I’m glad I did. “But the café is fun for me. I love what I do.”
Though I also know that I could have a little more balance in my life. Not just eat, sleep, and breathe Thistle + Thorne.
“I know,” Jett says, and we settle into a comfortable silence, each of us sitting at opposite ends of the couch, our socked feet almost touching in the middle. “Hey, would you teach me how to knit?”
I blink a few times, unsure if I heard him right, but my gaze catches on my canvas knitting bag on the ottoman. Jett must have brought it out from my room while I was in the bath.
“You want to learn how to knit,” I repeat, so he can hear how it sounds.
It’s not crazy, obviously anyone can enjoy knitting. But Jett is the last person I would have thought would show any interest in it.
“Yeah, I mean, I taught you how to ski today,” he answers with a shrug. “I want to learn to knit.”
I let out a giggle, and Jett nudges my leg.
