Page 12 of Make It Last

“She’s on the upper floor now. I’m sure she’d be happy to see the guy who rescued her,” Holly said.

I rolled my eyes. “It’s literally my job.”

“But you carried her down a mountain,” Chris chimed in with a sly grin.

I chuckled and tapped my knuckles on the desk before heading for the elevators. Curiosity tugged at me. I hadn’t been curious about a woman in years. Oh, I dated here and there. As casual as casual could be. But Ava made me think. Her presence was like sunlight breaking through the clouds.

Just as I was wondering where she was, I heard her voice. Following the sound, I paused in the doorway. Ava sat in bed, holding her cell phone and glaring at the screen.

“Really, Mom,” she said, exasperated. “Just cut me a little slack. I’ll be home when I get home.” I didn’t hear her mom’s response, but Ava added, “I broke my ankle, and I’m in traction. I definitely can’t ride on a plane right now.” She sighed. “I love you,” she said, her voice forcefully bright. She swiped her thumb across the screen and set the phone down.

“Ava?” I prompted.

Her head whipped toward me. Her eyes lit up. “Hi!” She pointed at her foot, elevated in a traction device. “Surgery’s done, and I have pins in my ankle.”

She waved me into the room. “Come in, Tanner. You’re just standing in the doorway. I’m bored out of my mind.”

Just then, I heard my mother’s voice. “Hi, Ava.”

“Oh, hey!” Ava waved over my shoulder.

“Mom?” I glanced over.

“That’s your mom? Tanner!”

“How do you know Ava?” my mom asked.

“She’s the one I carried down the mountain.”

My mom looked from Ava to me. “You’re the one who carried her?”

“I am. It’s my job, Mom.” Fuck my life. I didn’t need my mom here for this.

She turned her focus to Ava. “I was just popping in to say hi. I’m not actually your nurse today,” she said to Ava, then glanced at me. “I was covering yesterday when she came out of surgery because they had someone out on this floor.”

She patted the railing on Ava’s hospital bed. “I didn’t realize you were the rescuer she mentioned.”

“Your mom is awesome,” Ava said. “She was very nice to me yesterday.”

“How are you feeling today?” Mom asked.

“As well as could be expected, I think. Pain’s not too bad. I hate pain meds, though, so I’m not taking much.”

“Your surgeon will be by later to check on you.”

“Will he, though?” Ava eyed her skeptically.

“Yes,” Mom said with a laugh. “He always stops in the day after surgery. Anyway, I have to head up to my usual floor.”

After she left, Ava looked straight at me. Even in a hospital gown, she was cute. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright and sharp, and her hair was in a messy bun that somehow made her even more irresistible.

“I like your mom,” she said, oblivious to my thoughts. “Do you live with her?”

I shook my head. “I live next door. Small town.”

“Aw, I love that.” Ava smiled brightly.

“You do?”