Page 75 of After We Fall

“You wobbled getting off the elevator. I thought you were going to go down,” he says as he guides me through the lobby to the glass double doors at the front of the five-story office building.

“Well, the maintenance team should check the proper speed of that elevator. It’s probably not up to code. My stomach dropped on the way down.”

“That’s the slowest box I’ve ever traveled in. And you almost lost your stomach because you’re recovering from a head injury.”

“I should have lost my stomach all over you,” I snap.

We’ve been doing this all morning. I could win an award for my foul mood. And Mr. Bossy Pants would get runner-up. Whatever connection we had yesterday is on shaky ground.

I’m not sure what his deal is, but I have an excellent excuse. I’m wearing loose black sweatpants today. As out of my element as I am in these clothes, it’s nothing compared to the way I feel in my footwear. Tennis shoes, of all things. Where are my heels? My pencil skirts and chiffon shirts? How am I supposed to conduct my day and make an intelligent impression on these new doctors while I’m dressed in this . . . this casual wear?

Almost as disconcerting as my attire is the amount of time it took this morning to put it on. Thank goodness Meredith strolled into my room, chitchatting relentlessly while helping me. I’m certain she was aware of how difficult the process was for me. But Meredith makes an art out of helping others feel comfortable in her presence. She acted like she dresses me every day and even let me be cranky about the way she styled my hair.

Luke also let me be cranky about my hair when he told me I looked beautiful when I wore it down. Where is my tight power ponytail when I need it?

He stops us just short of the exit, flips open one of the pouches on his cargo pants, and pulls out a pair of sunglasses. Abnormally dark sunglasses.

I watch in fascination while he opens the frames and, with great care, slips them on my face. His gaze travels from one side of my head to the other, pausing at the temple on my injured side. “Good,” he murmurs. “That doesn’t mess with the stitches.”

“What are these?” I whisper, afraid my voice will crack. Afraid he is demonstrating his thoughtfulness. Afraid I won’t be able to refute his thoughtfulness.

“You were miserable on the drive over here. While you were in your appointment with Dr. Ridding, I ran to the store and grabbed these for you. They were the darkest ones I could find.”

I rub the edge of the bandage at my eyebrow. He bought me sunglasses?

“I also got you an Alexa, but it’s in the car. We’ll get it set up when we get you home.”

“An Alexa?”

He takes my elbow and guides me a few feet in one direction to allow a woman pushing a toddler in an umbrella stroller to pass. “An Echo Dot. Smart speaker. We’ll hook it up to your phone, your music, some AirPods—”

“I don’t own any AirPods.”

“You do now. But you might not be able to use them yet. I don’t know how much sound you can handle. I got them just in case.”

I place a hand on my chest. What is that uncomfortable feeling? Pressure builds behind my rib cage, as if my heart is swelling.

“You asked Siri so many times this morning if you had any new text messages from Finley that I thought she was going to go on strike. So we hired Alexa.”

Oh, right. Makes sense.

My adoptive family wasn’t the only set of visitors to the ranch yesterday. The police showed up to help me file charges against Marcus. By the time I got ready for bed, Finley had left a crying, gut-wrenching, expletive-filled message about my supposed betrayal. Then she blocked me.

“Alexa’ll help you accomplish all the things you were doing this morning, like checking the time or sending texts and emails. Plus, it’s someone else you can boss around during the day.” Luke winks. “I think you’re going to miss that the most while you’re on a hiatus from work. Especially without your prized clipboard.”

“What?” I gape at Luke while he opens the door for a delivery man pushing a dolly stacked with cases of printer paper. “What happened to my clipboard?”

“I stole it. You’ll get it back when you’re cleared to return to work.”

“You can’t do that.”

“I did it this morning.”

“You know I’ll just ask Meredith to get me another one.”

“She’s the one who showed me where it was.”

Traitor. I’ll deal with her later.