"He’s just checking in with me to see how I'm doing after today’s session of PT." Paige’s lips turned up. “I think he's afraid he pushed me too hard."
"Did he?"
"At the time, I felt like he expected a lot of me, but I actually feel pretty good."
She typed a response:I’m fine.
Gabe:Good. Meet me at the pool at 8 Wednesday morning for aqua therapy.
CHAPTER 4
Paige grimaced at her reflection in the mirror after taking off her swimsuit cover-up. The pink-floral tankini she'd worn as a teenager didn't fit like she remembered.
Was I really that late of a bloomer?
She leaned on one crutch and tugged the top of the tankini up to minimize the amount of exposed cleavage, but that only widened the swatch of skin visible on her midriff. And the bottoms… She wished the boy short bottoms had been popular ten years ago, instead of the bikini cut ones.
She either needed to make a trip to Seattle soon to pack up some clothing or go shopping. She was tired of wearing the clothes she left behind when she moved out ten years ago. Clothes her mother was supposed to have donated to charity.
She frowned as she surveyed the scars on her shoulder and upper thigh. They looked much better than they did two months ago, but they were still purple and slightly puckered.
Reminding herself there was nothing she could do about them, she followed the smell of chlorine from the dressing room to the pool. She stepped out just in time to see Gabe pull his t-shirt off over his head.
Holy cow!
Paige could tell by the way his button-down hugged his shoulders on Monday that the man was built, but she hadn't expected chiseled pecs and six-pack abs. His blue swim trunks hugged equally muscular thighs.
Paige's stomach flipped then flopped. As if she wasn't already self-conscious of her scars, she had to work with a Greek god.
"Are you ready for this?" Gabe clapped his hands, then rubbed them together with too much enthusiasm for so early in the morning. The noise echoed through the large open area with high glass ceilings.
Paige scowled at him. "Are you always this eager to torture your patients?"
"Torture?" He put a hand to his chest. "I'm offended. I like to think of myself as a gentle yet ruthless taskmaster."
"Ruthless, huh?" Paige couldn't help cracking a smile as she gave him an exaggerated eye roll. "Is that why we're doing this so early?"
"It's not that early." Gabe quirked an eyebrow and looked at the clock on the wall. "Besides, the pool opens for lap swimming at nine-thirty. I figured you'd rather not have other people stirring the water while you do your exercises."
"You figured right." Still, it felt strange to be alone with him. Technically, they weren't alone, because the manager was here somewhere, but Paige would have Just Gabe's undivided attention again.
He motioned to the water. "Shall we?"
"How do I get in?" She crutched to the edge of the pool near the steps then stopped. "At the rehab center they lowered me into the water with a special chair."
"Unfortunately, they don't have one of those here." Gabe glanced around. "Looks like you have two choices. Crutch down the steps?—"
"Won't water get into my crutches?"
"Yes, but it should drain out fine."
"What's my other choice?"
"I carry you."
Paige's gaze—which she'd tried to keep on his face—dropped to hisbare chest. The last time he held her against all that muscle, she hadn't wanted to let go, and he was fully clothed then. Having her physical therapist hold her in his arms while he was shirtless felt all kinds of wrong. Besides, going into the pool was one thing, him carrying her out when they were both wet... That was another accident waiting to happen.
"A little water won't hurt my crutches." She plunged them into the pool, placing them on the first of three wide steps.
