Page 19 of The Catch

I rub my lips together. I already owe him a lot. His genuine concern only adds to the list. The scales may be unbalanced for the foreseeable future, and I don't know how I'm going to repay him for it.

"Thanks again for—"

"Stop thanking me. It's nothing."

"But I want you to know how much this matters—"

"Ames." He shakes his head and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "It's okay. I just want to see you on your feet again. Not because I want to rush you out, but because I want to see you happy."

"I don't know when that will be."

"As long as it eventually happens. For now, why don't we focus on a simple smile?"

"Are you telling me I would look better if I smiled?" I smirk.

"Anything that I say now could get me in trouble."

"Correct."

"I have no interest in that."

"It's fine, I'd forgive you. After all, you're letting me stay here—"

He rolls his eyes.

"Hey! How dare you?" I aim for an offended tone, but there's humor in my scoff.

He smiles, unconcerned. "There, that's better. Next step, a proper laugh."

"You would have to be funny first."

"Oh, that's wounding. Would you settle for something ridiculous?"

"What do you mean, ridiculous?"

"I don't know. Would you laugh if I made a fool of myself?"

"I'd love to see that. We're in the safety of your condo. Alone. What on earth could you do that would make you look ridiculous?"

"You're right. It would be hard for me to make a fool of myself. Let's be silly instead."

"I'm not a silly person."

"Even better. Be silly with me."

"I can't."

"Look." He grabs his phone. "It's easy."

With no warning, the distinctive saxophone of a classic eighties song explodes from every corner of the room.

"Come," he says. "Dance with me."

He stands and offers his hand. His hips move to the dramatic sax notes, like his whole body is vibing to the music. The singer starts talking about messing up and hurting someone he loved, and I don't know if Saint chose the song on purpose, but it makes me snort.

I sit up, but I don't take his hand. "I'm not dancing to this song."

Instead of complaining, he jumps on the coffee table and continues to show off his moves as if this is his favorite song in the world.