As soon as the ball rolled off her fingers, he knew this was a mistake. Bowling was not the same with one foot out of commission. She released the ball, but the momentum was too much, and she gasped.
He moved quickly.
Instead of toppling over to the floor, she grasped his arm, steadying herself in the strength he offered. So much for keeping his distance. And too bad he hadn’t been able to, because the relief on her expression when she fell against him would be his undoing. He shook off those implications and chose to focus on the moment in front of him.
“How about I stay here and help you turn that pitiful attempt into a spare?”
14
SOLOMON’S WORDSdoused her thoughts like spilled glitter, popping up on every surface of her mind no matter how much she tried to swipe them away.
“How about I stay here?”he’d said.Stayhere.
Here.
I stay.
Stay. Stay. Stay.
I want youto stay,Solomon!Kenya groaned and shifted in her favorite waiting-room chair as the doctor approached.
Siri,canyou turn off the playlist of his that’s beenrunning through my head since yesterday? Especially when he walkstoward me like that.
Her thoughts couldn’t be helped. She couldn’t easily unhear the words that had lodged themselves in her brain or unfeel the way his arms felt as he steadied her the rest of the night.
He basically bowled twice each round. Stepping up to rack up an impressive score of 175 and then helping her earn a satisfactory 150. She loved every minute, even though her ankle didn’t love her this morning. Served her right for pushing herself. But Lord knew she would do it again in a heartbeat. And for all the wrong reasons.
Just a few weeks ago, it would have been all about the thrillof the game. But today, it was all about the thrill ofhisnearness. Of how close and attentive he was with her the whole time they bowled. And then he had the audacity to say, “How about I stay here?” and set off a stream of thoughts in her head that would not shut down. But it was not like that made up for his initial rejection.
Girl,yes it did. You know you gotall twitterpated for that very reason.
Ugh, her brain was neurodivergentanda traitor.
She needed air. “Ready to take our talk outside?”
Solomon glanced out the window. “Wasn’t it just raining?”
“It was just a light sprinkle, and it stopped. Besides, that will cool down the air for at least a few minutes before the sun comes back out to melt all our resistance.”
She watched the conflicted thoughts pass across his face like clouds before the wind. “But,” he sputtered, “you need to rest your ankle.”
“Then you can push me in a wheelchair. Come on, you promised we could go for a walk after I finished my therapy session as part of myadditionaltreatment.”
“That was before you forced your friend to take you bowling.”
She ignored that. “I need some fresh air, and you probably do too. Downtown Hope Springs always does me good.”
“Take the woman out, Solomon.”
Kenya looked up in surprise at her physical therapist. “Ah, thank you for coming to my rescue, Jermaine.”
“Jermaine!” Solomon looked from his supervisor to her. “He’s notDoctorto you?”
Dr. Allen chuckled and leaned against the open patient door. “How archaic of you, Solomon, to expect her to call you Doctor. I’m on a first-name basis with all my clients.”
“But...” He looked her way, but if he thought she would explain her naming logic to him, he should think again.
“Never mind.”
