Luke snickered behind the reception desk, but Paige didn't tear her gaze away from Gabe until he busied himself on his computer again.
Needing something to focus on besides Just Gabe’s slip-up, she read the quote on the opposite wall.A positive attitude leads to positive outcomes.Emily, her cousin who was a psychologist, had reminded her that having a positive attitude would speed up her healing.
But healing was painful. She’d only been doing squats for a few minutes, and her butt and thighs were on fire. Her lungs weren’t doing much better.
Being positive had never been a problem for Paige. In fact, her family used to call her Lil' Miss Sunshine when she was young because she was always so cheerful. But knowing Phillip lied to her and strung her along for eight months while he was engaged to another woman, made her think she was too naive and trusting. If she was more pessimistic and cynical, maybe she wouldn't have fallen for a man who ended up breaking her heart.
Paige was halfway through her five minutes of squats when the door to the PT office opened and Gladys Fuller, her fourth-grade teacher, walked into the office, supporting herself with a cane.
"Awe, there's my favorite tyrant." A gleam filled Gladys' eyes as she clapped a hand to her mouth in feigned shock. "I mean that handsome therapist." She waved at Luke behind the receptionist's desk. "And you brought the charming assistant with you. I couldn't believe my ears when the receptionist in Pasco told me we were getting our own physical therapy office here in Providence. How did you swing this, Gabe?"
"You can thank Paige." Gabe motioned to her.
Paige stopped deep in a squat. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Those small ruddy spots returned to his cheeks.
"Nothing. Sorry." When she continued to scowl at him, he went on. "It's just that your dad went to great lengths to get a PT office set up in Providence, so you wouldn't have to travel to Pasco for physical therapy." He turned his attention back to Gladys and grinned. "You could say Dr. Young made me a deal I couldn't refuse."
Gladys made her way over to Paige. "I'm so glad you're doingbetter. I think all of Providence has been praying for you and your family ever since we heard about your accident. It was such a shock to hear you'd been hit by a car, especially after what happened to Ben's wife and daughter a few years ago."
Paige gave Gladys a tight smile. "I appreciate everyone's prayers."
She could hardly compare her accident with the anguish her brother, Ben, went through four years ago. What happened to her was her own fault, but Ben had no control over the car accident that killed his wife. Having his infant daughter kidnapped from the car had almost destroyed her brother.
Paige was good at finding the silver lining in every situation, but she had been unable to find a silver lining for Ben. Not until single mother Amy Lawson's car broke down in Providence, and Ben stepped up and came to Amy and her daughter's rescue.
Where's my silver lining?
Learning the truth about Phillip before he married Avery didn't feel like much of a silver lining.
Paige watched Gabe tease Gladys about using her cane to fight off the men. She seemed to enjoy joking with him as much as Luke did. Was he this jovial with all his patients?
Did he really think of her as some sort of pampered princess? He hadn't called her that, but he'd insinuated it when he said her father went to great lengths to get this office set up.
Who am I kidding? I am.
She'd been surrounded by family ever since her accident. As soon as they were able, her parents had transferred her to a rehabilitation center in the Tri-Cities area, so her family could visit more often without having to make the four-hour drive to Seattle. Her dad had been adamant about bringing her home to recuperate as soon as possible, promising her the best in physical therapy care.
She looked at Just Gabe. It was too early to know if her father had delivered or not, but she wanted her life back. Well, her life pre-Phillip, that is. And there was only one way that was going to happen.
Hard work and determination.
Fighting a grimace, she sank deeper into her squat.
CHAPTER 3
"How did PT go today?"
Paige and her parents had barely settled around the dinner table when her dad started with the questions.
"It was exhausting, but good." Paige gave a thoughtful nod.
"You should have seen her when I picked her up." Mom served herself green beans. "She was wiped out."
"Gee thanks, Mom." Paige didn't need her mother confirming she’d looked as exhausted as she felt by the time she’d finished PT.
"You know what I mean, dear." Mom patted Paige's arm. "You're as beautiful as ever, but you looked like a limp rag this afternoon. I'm glad you took a good nap."
