Paige shrugged. "She asked me a lot of questions about myself to get to know me." Gabe struggled to talk about his mom's diagnosis, so Paige figured it was best to divert Nikki's attention. She shot Gabe an apologetic look before continuing. "His sister, on the other hand, was a different story. She totally gave me the third degree and threatened me with a knife."
"A knife?" Gabe's head popped up. "You didn't tell me that."
"Seriously?" Nikki's mouth dropped open.
"Well, she didn't actuallythreatenme with the knife, but she was holding one and pointing it in my direction when she warned me…" Paige paused to choose her words carefully. "Not to take advantage of Gabe."
"Awe that's sweet, but also kind of terrifying." Nikki grimaced. "Is she older or younger than Gabe?"
A crease formed between Gabe's brows as he watched Paige, making her wish she could read his mind.
"Younger by…three years?" She looked to Gabe for confirmation.
He nodded. "Almost four."
"Why does she feel the need to protect Gabe? And how brave is that? I'd never dare give my brother's girlfriend the third degree, especially not while holding a knife. Mostly because if it ever got back to him, he'd kill me." Then she launched into a story of how her brother mixed peroxide into her shampoo to get back at her for telling their parents he'd sneaked out one night.
Thankfully, Paige didn't have to answer any more questions.
Eventually, it was her turn to have Gabe work on her. While she lay on her stomach with his hands on her low back, she couldn't help remembering how those hands had held her while he kissed her senseless. This was probably all clinical to him, but after the intimate moments they'd shared, she had a hard time not reacting to his touch.
It was a good thing he talked football with Luke and Travis, who arrived ten minutes ago, because she couldn't think of a single thing to say that wouldn't give away how often she'd replayed Saturday evening's events in her mind. Especially that kiss.
It wasn't until after he'd rubbed her back and hip, and she now sat up for him to work on her shoulder that he turned his full attention on her. "Thanks for shutting Nikki down. I'm sorry Grace gave you such a hard time."
Paige shrugged. "She was convinced I was after you for your money."
"What money?" Gabe snorted. "Student loans, remember?"
"Grace made it a point to point out that physical therapists don't make as much money as medical doctors. So, she wanted to know what my angle was."
"Your angle?" Gabe smirked as he sat on the edge of her table to scrape her shoulder.
Paige's breath caught when his thigh pressed against hers, provingan effective distraction from the discomfort of the scraping. She'd seen him sit on Gladys’ table when they were deep in conversation while he rolled out her leg. But he'd never sat beside her while working on her. Until now.
Was it a familiarity thing? Did that mean he was comfortable with her?
She forced herself to focus on the conversation. "Grace couldn't figure out why I agreed to go along with your hair-brained scheme."
He glanced briefly at her face then returned his gaze to her shoulder. "Did you tell her?"
"I told her I was returning a favor. So naturally, she wanted to know what kind of favor, and I had to admit you bailed me out when my ex showed up." Paige realized the faster she talked the louder her voice became. She glanced across the room to where Luke and Travis now discussed colleges, before lowering her voice. "After she realized I didn't have a hidden agenda, her attitude changed."
"I'm glad. Thanks again for going with me last weekend." He gave her a hesitant look. "Will you come again this weekend? My mom wants to get to know you better."
A knot formed in Paige's stomach. It was only a matter of time until Marisol figured out Gabe and Paige were lying. She hated the idea of hurting that sweet woman, especially considering what she was going through. She also dreaded having to lie to her parents again.
Despite her trepidation, she nodded. "When?"
"I'll see what Mom and Grace have planned and let you know." He ducked his head and lowered his voice. "I'm not supposed to use information from your file to contact you for personal reasons, but is it okay if I text you?"
Just another reminder that they shouldn't be doing what they were doing.
Trying to ignore the knot growing in her stomach, she nodded again.
"I've been thinking…" Gabe cleared his throat but kept his voice low. "Considering what almost happened a couple of weeks ago at the pool…I think it best if we stop doing aqua therapy. Especially since you're fully weight bearing and mobile now."
Disappointment hit Paige, swift and sharp. Initially, she'd been self-conscious under Gabe's close tutelage, but now, she loved the one-on-one time with him. Was he canceling their aqua therapy sessions because he could tell Paige was falling for him?
