by Kimi Flores
And what the hell was up with her father?
“Andie, I wish you’d told me. I know it’s a real thing. I’ve treated patients who can hardly function because of the pain. Some can’t hold a pencil or fork. For others, walking is impossible without using a cane. Several have told me they don’t ever remember the last time they didn’t feel pain. I can’t believe how much you do.”
She gave a wobbly smile. “The severity of my pain varies from day to day, but most of the time it’s mild and I can handle it. I mean really, what right do I have to shrivel up in a corner and let my life pass by when I’ve met people who legitimately cannot function on a daily basis. Nope, I refuse to let it rule my life while it’s still manageable. I have fibromyalgia but I don’t want people to look at me like that’s all I am.”
“I swear, Andie. You amaze me. I imagine things like your massage chairs help but are you on any meds?” I pursed my lips. “Sorry,” I pointed to my temple. “Doctor brain.”
She snickered. “Yeah, I take pain meds but only when it gets really bad. I don’t want to take anything else until I have to. Staying active, keeping gluten out of my diet, nightly baths and that sort of stuff help a lot, too. I haven’t tried getting rid of dairy but that may never happen since I love cheese way too much.”
One of the many things I’d learned about Andie was she appreciated my teasing and our lighthearted conversations. And she’d just given me the opener I needed to put a smile back on her lips. “So, the gluten thing really doesn’t have anything to do with a cult, huh?” If she didn't want to focus on her condition, then I wouldn’t either. At least I’d try not to.
The pillow she’d been holding came flying at me. I ducked just in time. Grinning, I said, “I’ve got another question.”
She let out a jokingly exaggerated sigh. “God, what now?”
“You’d rather tell me you had menstrual cramps than admit to having Fibromyalgia?” I gave her an amused expression.
A playful huff passed between her lips. “Well, most guys drop the subject as soon as a woman starts talking about her period.”
That made me laugh. “Yeah well, not only am I not most guys, I hear about that almost every day. Periods don’t scare me.” I said unhurried while giving her a bemused smile.
“Oh, so you wouldn’t mind running down to the market and getting me a mega box of tampons then?”
“Not at all,” I returned, unfazed, “and I’ll throw in a bonus lecture that’ll include every medical detail I know about the female reproductive system.”
Rolling her eyes, she took another sip of her tea and pulled her legs onto the chair. “Thanks, doc, but I think I’ll pass.”
I picked up the pillow and tossed it to her. “Your loss. I’ve been cramming all that shit in my head the last two and a half weeks. I’m good to go.”
Sitting on an ottoman next to her chair, I decided to dig for some information on Kyle. I guess that made me just as nosey as everyone else in this town, but apparently, I was in a prying mood. “What’s Kyle Austin Reed doing in Hope Falls?”
Placing the pillow behind her back, she acted like it was no big deal. “When he isn’t filming, he lives here with Aurora and her daughter, Angel.”
I tilted my head to the side. “Oh, he introduced Angel as their daughter.”
An empathic seriousness crossed her face. “Angel’s dad died in a car accident; the same accident that left her paralyzed. Aurora was a single parent for years before she met Kyle.”
The shock of what Andie had just said was still sinking in when her mouth formed a compassionate smile, like she was reliving a fond memory. “I met Angel when we all lived in Sacramento and I volunteered a few times a month at the physical therapy center she came to. My job was to hang out with the kids, give them someone to talk to and that’s when I got to know her incredible personality. It’s actually because of her that I now live in Hope Falls.”
She winced as she repositioned herself. The impulse to massage the pain from her legs was overwhelming, but I didn’t want to cross any lines she wasn’t opened to. I reached over, tapped her calf then slapped the top of my thighs, wordlessly asking if she’d like to rest her feet there.
She stared at me for a moment before moving them to my lap and continuing her story. “You see, Kyle was trying to convince Aurora to move up here with him so he and Angel hatched this plan. He organized a fundraiser to help kids who have a disability and had lost both parents. He and Angel invited everyone they knew to come to the first event. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for me so I threw everything I owned in my little trailer and have been here ever since.” She nodded and wiggled her toes expectantly.
Rubbing my hands together to warm them up, I chuckled. “Is that your way of requesting to see my bedside manner?”
Sinking further into the chair, she closed her eyes and simply said, “Give it your best shot, medicine man.”
I started slowly, massaging the pads of both feet, enjoying the feel of her relaxing under my touch. Applying a little more pressure, I stroked the tops with my thumbs while digging my other fingertips into her archways.
“Oh, god. That feels sooooo good.” She groaned while keeping her eyes shut tight.
That lit a fire inside, challenging me to find what else I could do to make her moan like that. Moving up to her heels and ankles, I kneaded slow circles into her skin, anticipating her next sound.
Watching her chest start to rise and fall was all the encouragement I needed to gradually make my way up to her calves. Leisurely, I ran my palms up and down the back of her soft calves and I squeezed her muscles intermittently. Her breathing picked up as she whimpered in pleasure.
My body throbbed as I stared at her, my hands begged me to keep going. When she opened her half-lidded eyes and parted her lips, I nearly lost my shit.
Before I had a chance to do something stupid, I caught a glimpse of Fritz. His tail was standing proudly as he pranced into the room. It didn’t take long for me to realize the source of his pride.
“Give me a second.” Placing her feet on the ottoman as I got up, I tried to reach Fritz before Andie got a good look. I ran in circles after him, trying to snag the mouse from his mouth, but he wasn’t giving it up. It wasn’t until I swooped him up in my arms that he finally let go. If looks could kill, that cat would’ve ripped me to shreds. I turned to see where the mouse had landed when I caught sight of Andie.
She was leaning forward, trying to catch her breath as she laughed her ass off.
“What’s so funny?”
“Ohmygod. You should’ve seen that,” she wheezed as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Funniest shit I’ve seen in a long time.” She coughed a few times, grimacing after each one.
“I was trying to spare you from seeing that mouse.” I pointed the tip of my shoe at the poor dead thing.
Fritz growled as his tail twitched angrily against my arm. He was gearing up for a battle, and I wasn’t willing to risk a limb over a dead rodent. I didn’t really bother to bend far before I dropped him to the ground.
Slowly, I reached to pick up the mouse by its tail when pain shot up my arm. Sonofabitch! Fritz had dug his claws in my skin and it felt like it was on fire. Before I could grab him again, that shit-head snagged his prize and ran out of the room.
Blood beaded around the wound, dripping down my hand as I pulled it to my chest. I could see Andie mentally debating if she should laugh or offer to help me.
Her voice was a mixture of restrained humor and fake sympathy. “Need a Band-Aid?”
I wrapped the hem of my shirt around my hand and bent down so my face was close to hers. “That earns me something extra.” I felt her breath hitting my face as she blinked quickly at our sudden proximity. Standing up, I took a step back and rubbed my chin. “Perhaps breakfast in bed?”
She cocked an eyebrow and an impish look filled her eyes.
I started toward the stairs but stopped short before reaching them. “And none of that g
luten-free crap.” As I marched upstairs toward the bathroom, I heard the most beautiful melody.
Her laughter.
Chapter Six
Blaine
I added freshly chopped onions and celery to the mixture of cubed cooked chicken, grape halves and that vegan mayonnaise Andie seemed to like so much. I grimaced with each stir due to the scratch on my hand left by that scrawny mouser. Manning up through the pain, I dished up our lunches on two plates and tried to arrange everything so my presentation would impress her. Fritz had the audacity to purr at my feet and rub against my leg.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Now that I have food, you like me, huh?”
I picked a piece of chicken from the bowl, rolled it between my fingers to break it up and dropped my offering to the ground. There was no way in hell I was going to try to hand feed him. He might only have a few teeth, but those suckers were sharp.
“I bet you licked that scone Andie left me this morning didn’t you,” I grumbled. Though I’d been happily surprised opening my bedroom door and finding the homemade maple scone and fresh orange juice sitting on a folding tray. It wasn’t quite the breakfast-in-bed I’d envisioned, but I appreciated it anyway. I still wasn’t positive if it had been gluten free or if it had been covered in cat saliva, but it was delicious either way.
I stepped over him to wash my hands as he licked up the small mush. He was kind of cute in his own way. When he wasn’t attacking me.
Grabbing the plates and lemonade from the counter, I made my way outside toward Andie’s workshop. Her door had been open all day, which, as usual, had been distracting as hell while I tried to study in the backyard.
I stood in the doorway and watched her working on a necklace. With her hair in a ponytail, I could see the tension in her shoulders and neck under the huge t-shirt she was wearing. I knew if she’d give me half an hour I could have those knots loosened up for her, but after getting a small taste of how soft her skin was the other day, I didn’t dare touch her again.
Exhaling from annoyance, she dropped the piece and reached for a tube of Arnicare gel. Rolling her shoulders, she squeezed a glob onto her hands and rubbed it in. Now that I knew what was going on, it made sense why she had several tubes of the pain killing gel around the house.
“Hey, you alright over there?” I acted like I’d just walked in so she wouldn’t suspect I’d been standing there watching her.
She turned toward me, still rubbing her hands. “Yeah, my fingers get stiff working with these smaller pieces.” Her eyes found the dishes in my hand. “Please tell me one of those is for me. I’m starving.”
I knew she would be. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Not that I was paying attention or anything.
“That was the plan, but you might have to fight Fritz over it.” I gestured down to the hairball at my feet once more.
“I’m used to sharing with him.” She slipped off her work stool and took one of the plates and glasses. I stepped out of the doorframe and walked to the table I’d been studying at earlier.
We sat down and Fritz hopped up on the table, but she snatched him right up. “You know better than that, silly.” She put him on the chair beside her, and my eyes went wide when I saw that he actually stayed.
“You’ll have to tell me the trick to get him to listen to you.” As I glared at the cat, his tongue hung out of his mouth like he was saying ‘bite me’.
“There’s no trick, he’ll keep trying to get on the table the second I stop feeding him and he thinks I’m not paying attention.” She laughed as she took her first bite and set a small piece on the chair next to him.
I just shook my head. Spoiled.
“Thank you so much for lunch. I completely lost track of time. I haven’t even gone for a walk yet.” She stretched her arms up, flinching a bit when she reached too far.
“Yeah, I noticed. You kind of have a routine.” I handed her a napkin.
Shrugging, she looked a little sheepish. “I’m pretty predictable. That’s part of why I first moved to Hope Falls. I needed a slower life.”
“What’s the other part?” I was hoping she’d open up to me about the rest of her life. We handled the big issue of her health already, so why not?
“Oh God, you don’t want to hear my sad little tale.” She shook her head before taking her first bite of lunch.
“How about you tell me yours then I’ll tell you mine.” I leaned back and crossed my legs, willing to wait all afternoon if it meant I’d be hearing more about her.
In a chewing, muffled voice, she replied, “Hmmm, well, now I’ve gotta know, but you first.”
Very well, if she was eating, I’d gladly fall on the sword. “I haven’t had the best luck when it comes to choosing the right women.”
“Have you had your heart broken, too?” She had been reaching for her drink but then clutched both hands over her heart, making a big sympathetic display for me.
“No, not exactly. I mean, the only women who have interested me for more than just a free meal or trophy date, have literally been the worst choices.” I waved my hand in front of her for effect. “And you can drop the dramatic heartbreak show.”
Raising her eyebrows, she looked a bit too excited. “Oh, now you’ve peaked my interest. Do tell.” She leaned both arms on the table and gave me her full attention.
Pointing to her food, I indicated she should eat while I talk. She took another mouthful and rolled her eyes.
“Well, besides the usual superficial high school and college girls that seemed to find their way to me, there were Skylar and Natalie, who thought it’d be fun to use me in their little competitive game of who can snag the doctor first. That was, of course, until they realized I was not an actual doctor.” I tapped my chin with my finger, pretending like it took effort to come up with another story. “Then Abby, my brother’s ex—who, by the way, ended up in my exam room shortly after I asked her out and was turned down.”
“You asked your brother’s ex out?” She looked a little disturbed by that.
Shrugging a shoulder, I answered nonchalantly. “Yeah, she was a really nice girl and they hadn’t been together since high school.”
“What kind of exam was she there for?” she teased with a knowing grin on her lips.
“Sorry, patient confidentiality.” Reaching for my lemonade, I smirked behind the glass.
The faux terror on her face was comical before she asked, “It was a pap, wasn’t it? Did you do the exam?”
With the glass frozen halfway to my mouth, I stared at her in horror. “No, thank God. I was trying to be professional about it, but she tore out of there like, well, like her ex’s brother was scheduled to do her pap smear.”
Slamming her hand on the table, Andie let out the biggest laugh and snorted. I loved that she was so free to express herself and didn’t even seem embarrassed that she sounded like a piglet.
“Then a few years later, I asked Abby’s husband’s cousin out.” Joining in the laughter, I realized how stupid that sounded, but I’d never been known for my social genius.
“What? Did you go out with her?” Tears of laughter were running down her cheeks as she reached out to take my hand.
I looked down at our grasp and something about it felt different from when I’d held other girls’ hands. Leaning in over the table, I answered, “Nope, I had to keep cancelling, but the good news for both women is that they are now happily married with kids. So, just be warned, if I ever ask you out, that is apparently the key to the man of your dreams finding you shortly afterward.” I ended with a wink.
Taking her hand back, she nodded. “I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.” And then she winked back.
My mouth went dry with just that simple gesture. Holy hell this woman kept me on my toes and I loved it. “Okay, your turn.”
She pointed to my food. Chuckling, I picked up my fork and made sure that first bite was taken with flair.
“When I lived in Sacramento, it was easy to get wrapped up in big c
ity living. Out every night, eating at the latest restaurant, hanging at the hippest bar or club, constantly running from one place to another. It got to be too much after a while.” Her voice sounded tired.
Picking up a small piece of chicken, she gave it to Fritz, then wiped her hands and continued.
“Add to that, working in the corporate world, walking in on your cheating boyfriend,” she raised an eyebrow. “who also happens to be your boss...”
I almost choked on my food. “Boss?”
Andie handed me my drink and tilted her head, giving me a dubious look. “Shall I continue or do I need to perform CPR?”
Her lips on mine? God yes. Instead of sharing those thoughts with her, I presented her with my best give me a break look. “Please continue, brat.”
Flipping her ponytail off her shoulder, she said, “Shortly after college, I had a paid internship doing filing and meaningless crap like that at my dream jewelry company. I was motivated and inspired by all the creativity going on around me so I started to design my own jewelry and sold the pieces at different fairs on the weekend. By the time I took out the cost for those trade shows and materials, there wasn't a whole lot left over but enough to help with the ridiculous rent I was paying to live in my shoebox apartment. I continued to work at the company and slowly moved my way up to the marketing department. I was so caught up in everything that I let my guard down and the owner of the company's son, who happened to be my boss, weaseled his way into my personal life.”
Wiping my mouth, I crumpled my napkin and tossed it on the plate. “You’re not the first woman to fall for the charm of a snake.”
“Yeah, I know. Stereotypical, though, right?” She frowned. “But I actually thought we were heading somewhere serious, especially since I’d just moved in with him. And then I walked in his office and found his assistant bent over his desk while he plowed into her from behind. He actually yelled at me for not knocking then told me to get out and close the door.” She had a look on her face that said she still couldn’t believe it herself.