“Okay.” She turned in the seat. Chewing her cheek, she bit back the pain.
Wes slid his hand beneath her knees, and as he did at the hospital, he lifted her into his arms. “Make a hole,” he called.
Eleanor’s head rested against his chest. She heard his heartbeat beneath her ear. She never wanted to let the feeling go.
“I’m setting you down.” Wes deposited her in a club chair, lifting her legs onto the ottoman.
She heard a shuffle followed by a metallic clop, then it stopped beside her. “Hi Eleanor, I’m Troy.” He took her hand.
She squeezed it in response. “Nice to meet you.”
“Now, sweetheart, you’re hearing all these male voices around you. If you feel a little scared, just raise a hand,” Troy said sweetly.
“Ellie, this is my colleague, the ever-so-charming Troy Bremen. When did this happen?” he asked Troy.
“Tired of shaving. Ellie, I’m sporting a new beard, and I’m on crutches. I had some surgery recently. Doc Hedges brought in a new surgeon—and I thought Hedges was a taskmaster. She found a millimeter-size sliver of bone at L2. Five days, flat on my back. Massive steroids and intense rehab six hours a day.”
“Can you do stairs?” Wes asked.
“One step at a time.”
Eleanor giggled at Troy’s joke. The therapist in her recognized he was guarding himself.
“Okay, asshat. There’s an elevator at the end of the hall. It’s great for luggage and laundry. Pick a room on the second floor,” Wes said.
Eleanor smiled again. She wished she had a friendship like theirs.
After Wes introduced her to TJ and Ken and reintroduced her to Christian, he asked, “Curly, tell me…garlic and oil, butter, or tomato sauce?”
“I think butter is the safest tonight,” she admitted.
“You got it.” Wes moved over to the large kitchen.
* * *
“TJ, Ken, Chris, you’re on the drink orders. No caffeine or alcohol for the lady.” After washing his hands, he went to work, quickly chopping tomatoes, garlic and a shallot. After tossing them into a little hot olive oil, he sautéed them. In another pan, he melted some butter. He dropped spaghetti into the rolling boil. A tossed salad and a loaf of sliced bread later, he drained the pasta, saving some of the water. He added a small amount to the butter and then, in a small bowl, he tossed some spaghetti with it, making it spoonable by cutting it with a knife. Next he mixed the rest of the pasta and the pasta water with the fresh tomato sauce.
“Dinner.” From a cabinet, he removed a tray. “Curly, do you feel up to salad?”
“Just the spaghetti please.”
Wes served her the pasta on the tray. “Cheese?”
“No thank you.” Her head bobbed.
“How about you eat, and then I’ll get you settled?” He guided one hand to a spoon and the other to the bowl.
Eleanor lifted a spoonful to her mouth. She managed a second bite before her head bobbed again, and the spoon dropped from her hands as she fell asleep.
