Page 114 of Heal Me, Love Me
He smiled. “You’re right. I’d probably be annoyed with everyone too, if I were in your position. Go drive yourself to your appointment, then get your fine ass back here.”
“Fine ass?” I waggled my brows playfully.
“Shut up.” He laughed and kissed me again. “Now go let your therapist torture you.”
I grabbed my keys from the top of his dresser. “Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Then I hustled toward the door because the sooner I finished physical therapy, the sooner I’d be back.
When I pulledinto Rowan’s parents’ driveway two hours later, I was in a much better mood than when I’d left. My appointment had gone even better than I’d hoped. Audrey had tested my range of motion, corrected my form during exercises, and reminded me that feeling better wasn’t the same as being healed. But for once, all of that’d been followed by news I actually wanted to hear.
I didn’t need the sling anymore.
At least not all day, like I’d been wearing it. Audrey still wanted me to use it if my shoulder got tired or if I was somewhere crowded where someone might bump into me, but she was happy enough with my progress to let me move normally throughout the day.
I barely made it halfway up the walkway when the front door opened. Dawn stepped outside, and the second she saw me, her gaze dropped to my shoulder, and her entire face lit up. “Well, would you look at that.”
I laughed. “Pretty cool, right?”
“Absolutely.”
Her voice held so much genuine excitement that I found myself smiling even wider. “One step closer to getting back to normal.”
“That’s wonderful news. How did the rest of the appointment go?”
“Good. Everything is where my therapist wants it to be. I still have a long way to go, but I’ve been cleared to increase my cardio as long as my shoulder feels okay, so that’s good. And I should be able to do a little more strength training soon.”
Dawn stepped aside to let me come inside. The house was quieter than it’d been yesterday, and it felt more like the house from my childhood.
“Where’s Rowan?” I asked.
“He took his motorcycle out for a ride and should be back soon.”
A familiar scent hit me before I took another step. “You made cookies the day after Thanksgiving?” I teased.
She grinned. “They’re Rowan’s favorite. He can’t come home for a visit without me making some, and I figured he could take a bag back to Tampa with him. Would you like one?”
“Is that even a question?” There’d never been a dessert she’d baked that I could say no to, and she knew it.
The cooling rack was about half full when I pulled out a stool at the island. Dawn transferred another tray from the oven as I grabbed a cookie, but before I could take a bite, my phone buzzed in my pocket. For a second, I considered ignoring it, but it could have been Rowan. I pulled it out, and my shoulders slumped when I saw my mother’s name on the screen.
Mom
We were with Dave’s kids yesterday, and of course, the wedding came up. But it made me realize I never sent you the details
The second message appeared before I finished reading the first.
It’s two weeks from tomorrow. The reception starts at 3. You’re still good to bartend, right?
She’d spent Thanksgiving with Dave and his kids, but she hadn’t bothered to invite me. I told myself it shouldn’t matter, especially when she hadn’t spent a single holiday with me since she moved away. But hearing about her discussing her wedding with his family, then realizing she’d only thought of me because she needed someone to pour drinks, still stung.
Across the kitchen, Dawn continued moving cookies onto the cooling rack, but I could feel her watching me out of the corner of her eye. I lowered the cookie back onto the napkin and typed:
I got hurt and I don’t know if I’ll be able to bartend by then
I hadn’t been cleared to go back to work yet because Audrey didn’t think pouring drinks for eight hours was a great idea at the moment. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to jeopardize my recovery to sling drinks at a wedding I wasn’t even sure I’d beeninvited to, especially since she’d only told me when the reception was.
