Page 10

Library Day

One thing I knew about Jonathan was that his father was not an active participant in his life, and that had been a sore spot. His dad had moved out on his mom once it was clear Jonathan would be a child with special needs. It had taken several surgeries to get his mobility to the point it was today, but his dad hadn’t stuck around to see that part. An occasional stressful visit, and sometimes not even those, was all he remembered of his dad from childhood. He didn’t talk about him much, but these days, given my own recent discovery, it had me thinking.

“Do you ever think about reaching out to your dad?” I ran my hand along the long line of book spines.

Jonathan paused in the middle of the mystery section, a Felice Picano novel in his hands. “You’re asking about my father right now ? I just told you I wanted to read something sexy, gay, and mysterious, and you ask about my loser of a father? What’s going on?” He closed the book, his brows pulled together above his nose. “It’s library time, Savvy.” Code for sacred. I knew this. He knew this.

We both loved a good read and had made a pact years ago to become weekly reading buddies and never look back. Nerds united by a good story. In fact, the library pact was one of the best parts about us.

I shrugged apologetically. “I’ve been wondering about mine is all. This is a new set of feelings that I’m trying to navigate. Beyond examining my own identity, there’s a parent out there in the wild.”

He pulled the book to his chest and moved toward me. It must have been a good day for him pain wise since he’d opted for just his cane. To his credit, he’d had it painted a vibrant purple, which made him look fabulous or like an eccentric millionaire. He was all about embracing his disability, rather than downplaying it. “Parent in the wild is certainly in my wheelhouse. To the reading nooks, sweetie. They should be empty at this time of morning.”

“Now you’re talking my language. Lead the way.”

I happily followed Jonathan through the fiction shelves, saying hello to comedy, intrigue, and of course, my favorite, romance. I glared at the newest Parker Bristow novel as I passed. I still hadn’t forgiven her for killing off the brother in that small-town book that grabbed my heart. I’d absolve her one day, but for now, the breakup stood.

“Don’t you throw sass at Parker. She was just doing her job and you know it,” Jonathan stated as we cruised by.

“There’s no defense there. Dead to me.”

The reading room was empty just as Jonathan had predicted. I loved the reading nooks and their creative/comfortable offerings. They were these adult-sized pods with overly soft chairs and a mass of artificial vines and tree branches covering the tops of each one, giving the illusion that you were reading in the plushest forest that ever existed. The library even piped in sounds of nature capable of erasing the present, allowing the reader to float away. Something about the serenity quickly made every muscle in my body unclench.

“So, your biological dad is likely out there somewhere,” Jonathan said, taking a seat inside the treehouse-themed pod.

I slid into the chair in the black bear nook that faced his leopard version. “Why am I so curious? I want, more than anything, to leave well enough alone.”

He nodded thoughtfully and tossed a strand of brown hair out of his eye. “Because it’s natural to want to know one’s own villain origin story. But if I may?”

“Certainly.”

“Sometimes what you find when you go looking isn’t helpful. Cue my asshole of a dad, for a real-life example. I would’ve been better off if he’d remained a mysterious figure rather than the letdown he turned out to be.”

“But maybe that would make this whole thing easier. If I found him and he was a garbage human, I could just move on.”

“I’m not sure it’s that easy.”

He had a point. I sighed. “At least I’d know.”

I watched as his wheels turned. Jonathan was a demonstrative thinker, and he seemed to be mulling something over. “Valid, to a degree,” he finally concluded. “But knowledge isn’t an instant cure for all that’s bothering you. I just want you to understand what you might be unleashing.”

I blinked, asking myself if that’s what I was doing. “Keep talking.”

Jonathan scooted to the edge of his soft green cushion. “You grieve for your parents and now your aunt.”

“Quite true.”

“But finding your bio father, even if he’s the greatest human on Earth, isn’t going to magically fix any of that.” A pause. “Or the feelings you’re wrestling with for the hot doctor.”

“Kyle? I’m not interested in my dad because Dr. Soap Opera showed up in town with an unknown agenda.” A pause. “She brought me donuts two days ago.”

His eyes went wide.

“The fan favorites collection.”

His eyes went even wider. “Stop.”

“I know .”

“Did you make out with her?” he asked in his saucy voice.

“Jon-Bon. No! May God smack you. It’s like you don’t even know me. I have strength. I come with conviction.”

“Shove all of that to the side. The fan favorites box might be worth a little lip action in frozen foods. Second base was calling your name.” He touched his imaginary boobs. “Not even on top of the shirt?”

“Stop that.” The idea made my stomach free-fall, and the room was suddenly way too warm. Did I flash to a topless Kyle from our weekend together? No comment. “I did cry in her arms, though.”

If looks could kill. “You always bury the lede.”

I waved him off. “Faber struck in typical fashion, and she was there at the exact right moment. Not that exciting.”

“I don’t believe coincidences for one damn second.” He gave me a stern look. “She was meant to be there in that moment.”

“For a numbers guy, you sure invest in the concept of destiny a lot.”

“There’s no way we’re on this Earth just wandering around randomly. It’s like you don’t know Zelda at all.”

“I don’t. I keep telling you.”

“A crime.” He used his right hand like a knife on the palm of his left. “Link is destined to save Zelda, which perhaps brings me to what I have to tell you.”

I frowned, my interest more than piqued. “That sounds more than ominous.”

“As your best friend, I’m charged with looking out for you.” Jonathan looked at the ceiling and then back at me. “So here goes.”

I braced, watching his face intently.

“I did hear something interesting at Ronnie Roo’s once upon a time that might play into the DNA discovery of yours. But I can’t say for sure.”

I sat back in my nook. “And you’re just now telling me? What the hell, Jonathan?”

“I wanted to be sure you were interested in pursuing this thing before upending your peace. This conversation tells me that you are.”

I shook my head. “What did you hear?” My heart was a drum in my ears.

“It might be nothing. But I was sitting near those bridge club women one afternoon drinking a macchiato by the window, as I do.”

“You mean Deena Haney and the visor brigade?” The sixty-year-old women were known around town for their trendy sportswear, whether they’d participated in anything athletic that day or not. It was their brand and they owned it.

“That’s them. They were just back from a tennis match or something, sipping iced tea and shooting the breeze.”

This was certainly interesting. “What did Deena and crew have to say that made you go pale when you mentioned it?”

“It’s not awful. I promise.” He exhaled and slid a little closer, as if to be sure this stayed between us. Not that there was a soul within earshot. “They were talking about a hot and heavy romance between Rachel Bright and,” he hesitated, “someone older than her from back in the day. How they were magnets for each other, couldn’t keep their hands to themselves at some beach party, and how sad it was when it never went anywhere.”

“Who was it? The older guy.” I didn’t mean to hold my breath but realized I was doing it anyway.

“Jake Kielbasa.”

I knew the name. “The retired police officer who dates Peggy from the donut shop?” I touched my chin. “Wears a little scruff here but not a full beard.”

Jonathan nodded. “That’s him. If it helps, he’s kind. Bought me a beer once so I didn’t have to walk back to my car on a high pain day.”

The world went quiet. We were in a library, so that wasn’t hard, but it was a unique quiet, as if something key had just clicked into place, silencing the chaos in my brain. Was that a sign that I’d just discovered the missing piece of the puzzle? “It’s him,” I said. “I don’t know how I know, but I do. Sometimes you just have an innate feeling about something.”

“I think so, too,” Jonathan said.

Then another detail hit me. “He’s Charlie’s father. From the liquor store.” Charlie was a good guy. A few years older than me. He’d been in a long-time relationship with Devyn’s older sister, Jill, for years. I scanned my brain for every detail I had on Charlie. He sported spiky hair and plaid shirts on the regular. He knew his liquor business like the back of his hand and had a tendency to be shy until you got to know him. Had I been buying Grey Goose from my half brother for years and not realizing it?

A lightbulb went on above Jonathan. “There is some resemblance there, now that I consider it. You have the same big brown eyes, though yours are the long-lashed version of his.”

“I look like Liquor Store Charlie?” I asked, using Devyn’s nickname for him. This was all happening fast. “Jonathan, I’ve never had a sibling before. My whole identity of orphaned only child is crumbling more and more with each new discovery.”

A pause. “What are you going to do about all this?”

With this new information, I didn’t see any path except forward. It didn’t matter if I was afraid, nervous, or shy. There was no way I was going to be able to live my life without turning over this very important stone. “I think I need to talk to Jake.”

* * *

I was pretty confident that the average person doesn’t know that strawberries strewn across a grocery store floor can make a person dance. They can, especially if one tries to avoid them. They’ll send you right down the road to funkytown until you succumb to gravity and find yourself flat on your ass in the middle of aisle one in front of everyone. Unfortunately, I found out firsthand.

“Oh, no. Savanna?” Mrs. Martinelli said, approaching with one arm outstretched. “Are you okay?” She knelt next to me, and I began to answer that I was fine. Embarrassment always trumped pain. But I paused because something was really wrong. It was my foot. I couldn’t exactly feel it, and that was likely because it was underneath me in the most interesting configuration.

“Um, I think I’m a pretzel.” It wasn’t the most helpful sentence, but it was the only way to describe my current predicament.

“Oh, help, please!” Mrs. Martinelli yelled. “She fell on strawberries. Henrietta?”

It was Maya who appeared first and was quick to act. “Backup to produce,” she said into her walkie before joining me on the ground. Only, the way she sat made it seem like we were about to have a strawberry picnic. “Are you hurt?”

The words seemed to prompt my body to answer in the worst manner possible: a burst of red-hot pain that shot from my right foot straight to my calf. “I think I might be.” I looked around to see who might have witnessed all of this. I wanted off the ground immediately. And yep, a small group had gathered, the small-town paps. I smiled and held up a hand. “Totally fine,” I told them. “Just tripped on a strawberry. All part of a day’s work in a grocery store.” All the while the pain pulsed, and—dare I say—grew?

Buster appeared and offered two hands to pull me up. “I got you,” he said, easing me to my feet, one of which reflexively lifted right back up again.

“Uh-oh,” I said. “This one seems angry.”

“We should get that looked at,” Maya said, eying me dubiously.

“Dammit,” I said. Could there be one uneventful day in Dreamer’s Bay this week? Just one? While my employees couldn’t exactly abandon the store because I’d gone and banged up my foot, Elizabeth Draper had no problem dropping whatever she had going and taking me to the ER. I didn’t even have to call her. Apparently multiple shoppers had beaten me to the punch, knowing she and I were friends.

“Now, don’t stress at all about this,” Elizabeth told me on the drive. “I know you’re doing that thing where you’re imagining your next few weeks without mobility, but the truth is you’re going to be fine either way. We’ve got you.”

“Who’s we?” I asked, with a grateful grin. For someone without any family at all these days, my friends sure knew how to come through.

“Literally everyone.” She looked over at me as we passed the park. The hospital was a mile and a half up the road just on the perimeter of town. “Do you not realize how universally adored you are in this town? Every single human sings the praises about all you’ve done to make Festive Foods a kickass place to shop. I head there the second I need something because of how cheerful that place is. And you’re there to smile and talk with anyone and everyone. So yeah. If you’re immobilized for a bit, I’m confident your friends and neighbors are gonna have your back.”

“Well, damn.” My smile went wobbly and I was a misty mess of vulnerability when I hobbled, my arm draped around Elizabeth, into the ER.

Tasha Wilhite stood up as soon as we came through the double sliding doors. “We heard you were on the way, Savanna. Didn’t think your day was interesting enough or something? Had to stir up some drama.”

“Apparently, I wanted to see you. How’s Tim Jr.?” Her eight-year-old son was a bundle of mischievous energy who once took down a whole display of microwave popcorn while I watched.

“Lives in his treehouse and pretends he’s Spider-Man. About gives me a heart attack every time I walk into the kitchen and find him perched on the counter like a statue. Follow me.” Tasha opened a door to one of their small, uninteresting, and uncomfortable looking exam rooms that could really take a page from the library’s book, no pun intended. She gingerly helped me onto the bed with the glamorous tissue paper covering and gave my knee an affectionate tap. “You make yourself comfy for a few and fill out this paperwork. Then we’ll get you all fixed up.”

“Will do,” I said, trying to ignore the throbbing from smack in the middle of my foot. I hadn’t yet revisited the semi-dramatic scene I’d caused at the store. I knew there would be an onslaught of inquiries about how I was doing for the next four years. I would now be remembered for being taken down by a wayward berry brigade. A shame I’d have to live with. I turned dutifully to the clipboard Tasha had handed me and went to work.

“How’s the pain?” Elizabeth asked, offering a sympathetic wince. Her perfectly messy ponytail showed off the intermingling shades of brown and blond unique to Elizabeth. She even had a few auburn additions if you looked closely enough. I’d always been a fan of her hair-of-many-hues.

“It’s significant and infuriating. Of all the things I truly didn’t need.”

She quirked her head. “Hey, look at me. Sometimes you just have to surrender to what the world has in store for you. Today, you’re supposed to be right here in this very room for reasons we’re not even aware of. So, make friends with this room and let go.”

“I should be at work right now, not—” Staring into the eyes of a gorgeous woman who makes me hot every time she walks into a room . Kyle Remington, soap opera doctor and bridge ditcher, stood right there in our very exam room, wearing a lab coat and hitting me with the vibrance of those aqua eyes. Did the universe just have it out for me?

“I hear there was a fall,” Kyle said, an iPad pressed to her side like a boss. “You okay?” She dropped her brows in concern.

“Why is it you again?” I blurted, taking a beat to look at the door behind her as if it had made a mistake. They’d sent the wrong person in, surely. I took a breath and tried the word thing again. “I don’t understand. You don’t work here.”

“I do. Temporarily.” She smiled and hooked a thumb behind her. “I met Dr. Collette at the duck pond in the park. He and his son were feeding the little guys and we got to swapping stories. He told me how short-staffed they were this season and wondered if I’d be interested in jumping in.”

I honestly couldn’t believe this.

“I said okay, and what do you know? They extended me privileges.”

Of course they did. I was more than floored. I wasn’t rolling well with this particular punch, and my foot throbbed so much I could scarcely work my busy brain. Wasn’t I due for some sort of hiatus from plot twists? “Wait. Aren’t you leaving tomorrow? I have you down for checkout and another booking for the house right behind it. Unfortunately, I can’t cancel it.” That should do it. Back to Charleston she’d have to go.

“Not exactly,” Kyle said, brightening. “I thought I’d stick around a little bit. I like the town, and Dan set me up with a place on the beach for a little while.”

Dammit, Dan . I stared her down with white hot intensity. “Fabulous,” I bit out. “That’s so, so great.” I apparently found it important to emphasize each word.

“Well, we can always use more doctors,” Elizabeth said. “I, for one, always say the more doctors, the safer we all are.”

“You’ve never said that.” Then a thought struck. KC Colette was her best friend in all of life, and Dan was KC’s husband. “You knew about this.”

I watched the blood drain from her face. “I heard a little bit in KC’s kitchen.”

“Traitor,” I mouthed as Kyle worked on her iPad. Apparently, my week on this planet had pushed me too damn far.

Caught, Elizabeth’s eyes went wide and she stood looking fearful. “I’m going to give you two a minute or eighteen.”

“You don’t have to do that.” I pointed at the chair she’d just vacated.

“Do, too.”

I watched her scurry away, realizing Kyle and I were about to be alone.

Kyle watched me, brow arched in interest, but seemingly unaffected. She always managed to project happy and collected, which made me wonder all the more about what went on inside her head. What did Kyle actually think about things? I felt like there had been a time when I knew. It wasn’t today.

“So, tell me what happened to your foot.”

I sighed. “Damn strawberry attacked me.”

“With a weapon or without?” she asked without delay, now fully engaged with the iPad. She was too good at this.

“Without. I was walking through the produce section, technically aisle one, and knocked a carton of those suckers with my elbow. The assailant and his group of friends tumbled to the floor. I did my best to avoid.”

“And failed,” she said like it was the most unfortunate story, all the while typing away.

“Yes.”

She paused and met my gaze. “Let me take a look.”

I hadn’t been prepared for an exam, but I supposed it was standard. What wasn’t standard at all was the feel of her hands on my skin as she softly lifted my injured foot. She examined it visually first, before pressing gently on various parts of the foot, taking care not to hurt me. “Yeah, look at this. Already have some bruising on the bottom. Did you hear any sounds? The dreaded pop?”

“No. Just my pride screaming in protest.”

The look of concentration on her face as her thumbs moved to the top of my foot sent a shiver I hadn’t expected in the midst of this crisis. She looked really good in that lab coat, too. Her hands were still on me, so my stupid cheeks went hot. God, I hoped she hadn’t noticed.

“Can you wiggle your toes for me?” Kyle asked. There was a soft quality to her voice I’d not heard before. Tender, even, and it made me forget what her words actually were.

“Hmm? Can I do what now?” I asked, my eyes locked on hers. I was feeling a little drunk. Must be a pain response and not the vibrancy of her eyes.

“Your toes,” she said, gesturing. “Are you able to wiggle them?”

“Oh.” I gave it a shot to some very slight wiggling. “Hurts, though.”

“Yeah, I can tell. You’re dealing with a lot of swelling.”

“I’m dealing with swelling?” Focus. “No. You’re right. I am.”

She stepped back, releasing my foot. I felt a little sad about that part. “I’m thinking you have a bad sprain on your hands, but let’s grab an X-ray to be sure there’s not a fracture hiding out.”

“Okay. If you don’t think it’s any trouble. I can just go, also.”

The corners of her mouth tugged. I remembered what her lips tasted like. Sweet like the strawberry ice cream, which seemed appropriate now. “No, Savanna. I promise you, administering medical attention is no trouble at all.” She dropped the iPad to her side. “We’ll wheel you over in a few. In the meantime, would you like something for the pain?”

“No,” I said automatically and with too much conviction. Projecting strength was my default, but my foot ached so bad, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.

“Hey, look at me.” The familiarity in her tone made me snap to attention. “This isn’t the time to put up a brave front. I’m a doctor.”

“You’re Kyle .” She knew exactly what I meant, too.

“And both of us want you pain free, okay? I happen to care about your well-being.”

“Do you, though?” I asked before thinking better of it.

She didn’t falter. “Yes, very much.”

I exhaled slowly while she waited. “Fine. I’ll take the pain meds.”

She nodded, pleased. Gorgeous. Smart. And the source of a lot of my anxiety these days. “Coming right up.”

Ninety minutes later, we had our answer. Kyle returned once the films were read, turned her screen to face me, and showed me my foot. “You’re in luck. No breaks. No fractures. Just a no-fun sprain that’s going to get in the way of your life for a bit.”

“That’s great news,” Elizabeth said in the chair she’d reclaimed.

I squinted. “Define get in the way. I have a job where I’m on my feet a lot.”

“Not for the next few weeks, okay? We’ll get you outfitted with a pair of crutches, but the more you’re on that foot, the longer it’s going to take to heal. Do yourself a favor and rest it as much as possible so you can put this in your rearview.” She sounded so intelligent and authoritative. I couldn’t help but appreciate the impressive doctor persona. And the coat. Let’s be honest. She was fantastic looking in the lab coat, which served as a nice contrast to the dark of her hair, in a ponytail today. In a surprise, I even allowed myself to admire her appearance freely for a moment or two. Objectification activated.

“You okay?” Kyle asked with a squint.

“What? I’m fine.”

“You looked a little weak. I don’t want you passing out.”

“I’m completely fine,” I said, probably too emphatically. “Hey, when are you going back to the hospital in Charleston?” I’d just grabbed that question out of the sky. Anything to get the focus off myself.

Her gaze went dim. “Uh…I’m actually not.”

“Oh.”

“It’s a whole thing. For another time.” She flashed a smile that didn’t feel authentic. It also didn’t give anything away. For a moment, I ached for the connection I used to feel to her. I also wanted her smile right back in place where it had been moments before.

“Oh. Again.” I blinked, my mind trying to fill in the blanks because this was wholly unexpected. I’d always imagined Kyle hard at work at the hospital back in Charleston, happy and possibly in love. Frolicking in the fields with her gorgeous fiancée, tossing glitter in the air and laughing at my humiliation. A stark reminder that sometimes my imagination was my own worst enemy. The real Kyle was nothing like the bitter fantasy. “Kyle.” I heard the softness in my voice. “Do I get to know more?”

She paused, holding eye contact with me before snapping out of whatever memory she’d been lost in. “Sure. But I have another patient to get to now. Let’s grab that drink sometime, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

Bait on a hook. What was a girl to do? “I’ll check my schedule and get back to you.” It was a lay-up that allowed me to figure it out later.

She shook her head. “No. Not good enough. Are we going to talk or not? Just be straight with me.”

“Well, if you’re going to hold my feet to the fire.”

Her eye contact was unwavering, bright blue burning a trail. “I am.”

I swallowed, affected by her in so many ways. “Okay, I don’t have anything on Tuesday night.”

“I’m free Tuesday.”

“I’d say I’ll pick you up, but I have no idea where you’ll be living at that point.”

She nodded. A strand of hair had escaped her ponytail and framed her face. Maybe by design. “Good point. My temporary landlord is giving me the boot, so I have new, not quite as quaint lodging.” She walked to the door and held it open. “Let’s meet at Ronnie’s at seven on Tuesday.” Elizabeth was watching this exchange like it was the most exciting tennis match.

I paused. “Okay, but that’s a really public venue.”

“You’re afraid to be seen with me?”

“Not in the slightest, but we will be interrupted about eighteen times, and quite possibly joined by whoever decides to pull up a chair and shoot the breeze.”

“People do shoot the breeze a lot in this town,” Elizabeth interjected. “It really is something.”

I lifted a shoulder. “So maybe somewhere that doesn’t resemble the town square with alcohol.” I hated admitting that if we were going to really talk, I’d prefer a more private exchange. But it was true. Whether I was happy about it or not, I did have a vested interest in hearing what Kyle had to say. Closure was apparently a very helpful accessory.

Elizabeth raised a finger, apparently sensing the personal direction this conversation was heading. “I’m just gonna wait out here. See what Tasha is up to.”

Kyle allowed Elizabeth to pass and walked back toward me, letting the door close behind her. “Do you know a quieter venue?” The doctor cap was off. It was Kyle the woman addressing me now. The quieter, more intimate tone in her voice sent a shiver. I’d heard it before.

“Salvador’s. It’s a really great Italian restaurant about seven minutes outside of town.” What in the world was I getting myself into? Salvador’s was quiet and cozy. Under the right circumstances, it would easily feel romantic. I didn’t want to confuse myself. At the same time, it was the most privacy we were likely to encounter in a town like this one unless I invited Kyle over to my place. But the idea of introducing her to my home felt too personal, a part of my life I didn’t want to share.

“I love pasta.”

“You gotta try Sal’s.” I kept my tone light, though my hands were tingling.

“I’ll be coming straight over from a shift, so why don’t we meet there?”

“You’re actually working here, then? Not just today.” This was feeling like a real job. What was I going to do if it was? I refused to panic.

“I’m helping to fill a few gaps in their schedule, but it’s going well.”

How well? I wanted to ask. The last thing in the world I needed was for Kyle to move to Dreamer’s Bay and parade through the grocery store on a weekly basis looking beautiful, dropping off donuts, and projecting success. Or maybe I wanted that very much. Dammit. What was wrong with me? My head was all over the place.

“Me, too,” I said. “The going well part. Just everything is. For me.” What was I saying? I had a sprained foot, a mystery parent, a self-centered boss, and a semi-ex I couldn’t/didn’t want to shake.

“Fantastic to hear. And things with the woman you’re dating? I’m sorry, was it Myrtle?” That had to have been on purpose.

“Her name is MJ.”

“Right.”

Dating was a strong word for the one date I’d gone on with MJ, but Kyle didn’t need to know that. “It’s early, but she’s…everything.” I was so awful at this.

“Is she now?” Kyle asked. Yep. She saw right through me. “I’ll see you at Sal’s.” She turned back pointedly. “Don’t bring MJ.”

I blinked at her parting words as I watched her disappear through the door to my room. No, there would certainly be no MJ in attendance. I would have to brace myself for this meeting, wondering what excuse she planned to cough up. Kyle had a way of making everything seem understandable, and I would be smart to remember that.

Tasha and Elizabeth popped in looking eager for some kind of update. “How are things?” Elizabeth asked in an overeager voice.

Tasha was carrying a pair of cellophane-encased crutches, which she promptly began to unwrap. “Dr. Remington is such a gem. We’re lucky to have her. Did you two…have a good chat?” she asked, exchanging a look with Elizabeth.

“You told her everything, didn’t you?” I asked, swiveling to Elizabeth.

“What?” She balked. “It was literally a number of hours before someone else did. You know that’s true. I merely helped it along and made sure the details were accurate.”

As true as that probably was, I planned to huff and puff about it, which was my right as today’s small-town gossip victim. “Still, Lizzie. Still.” I turned to Tasha. “Dr. Soap—ington was very helpful regarding my foot.” The two of them nodded silently. But I wasn’t great at withholding, so quickly ended with “And we’re having dinner on Tuesday.”

“Tuesday is a great night,” Tasha said. “Not too early in the week, not too late. I have pj’s with the word Tuesday all over ’em. It’s a good day to get a little action, if you know what I mean.” She was beaming like Christmas morning. I raised my eyebrows.

Elizabeth wasn’t fazed. “And you’ll still be rested from the weekend,” Elizabeth pointed out. “Too much fun Tuesday, I hear they call it.”

“They don’t,” I said. “And the two of you need hobbies.”

“Tiger Tuesday?” Elizabeth asked and then added a roar and paw swipe.

“No.” I shot her a stare.

“Let’s give these a try,” Tasha said, extending the crutches with a twinkle in her eyes. “Tits out Tuesday?”

“Tasha!”

“Sorry.”