“Sandwich. Turkey or ham?”
“Either. Whatever.”
He appeared a few minutes later carrying two plates, and I analyzed the way he walked. Had he always moved with such a confident swagger? Or was I just noticing it now?
He set my plate on the coffee table and settled onto the couch beside me. Not quite as close as he’d been sitting before the shower. Maybe six inches farther away.
Was that significant? Was he pulling back?
Or was I reading too much into everything?
“Thanks,” I said, reaching for my sandwich.
“No problem.”
Our fingers brushed as he handed me a napkin. Just barely, just for a second, but I felt it like an electric shock. My pulse jumped and my skin heated where he’d touched me.
This was bad.
We ate in silence. The kind of silence that should have been comfortable but felt weighted instead, full of things neither of us was saying.
I caught him glancing at me a few times, his expression unreadable. Tried not to wonder what he was thinking. Tried not to analyze whether those glances meant anything or if I was just being paranoid.
“How’s your foot?” he asked finally.
“Fine. The shower didn’t hurt it.”
His expression flickered too quickly to interpret. “Good. That’s good.”
More silence.
This wasn’t our norm. The rhythm we’d fallen into overthe past few days had been disrupted by whatever had happened in that bathroom, and I didn’t know how to get it back.
Didn’t know if I wanted it back, because going back meant pretending I didn’t want things I couldn’t have.
My phone chimed on the coffee table, and I grabbed it.
Kinnunen
OK to stop by around 6 to check on you? I’ll bring dinner.
I showed Étienne. “You mind?”
“Course not. I’ll make sure the place doesn’t look like a disaster zone.”
Kinnunen arrived right at six, carrying a bag from the barbecue place downtown that made incredible ribs. He took one look at my setup on the couch—the command center Étienne had built, the organized system, the medical supplies neatly arranged—and let out a low whistle.
“Damn, Savard’s got you set up like a hospital wing.”
“He’s been a big help,” I said. “I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
“It’s nice you’ve got someone to take care of you.” Kinnunen settled onto the other end of the sectional. “Living alone with an injury like that would suck. Good that Savard’s here and willing to step up.”
“Yeah,” I said. “He’s been great. Helps with things I can’t do with the boot. Makes sure I’m following the doctor’s orders.”
Kinnunen smiled. “Sounds like he’s keeping you honest.”
“Someone has to.”
