Page 10 of The Best of Friends

David put his hands on the back of the chair. “Jayne has a point,” he began. “You’re not even unpacked, sis. Do you have any food in the house?”

Rebecca frowned. “No, but—”

“Why don’t we do this? I’ll take Jayne to her place and get her stuff. We’ll get her prescription filled, as well. Then I’ll drop her at your house. By then you’ll be ready to fuss over her. You can look up instructions on the Internet.”

While Jayne appreciated the interference, she wasn’t sure David would be much better than his sister in the caretaking department. Of course, just looking at him made her feel better, so there was that.

Rebecca nodded slowly. “You’re right. There’s no food, which we’ll need. And maybe some movies. Okay.” She released Jayne’s hand and stood. “I’ll go get things ready and see you two in a couple of hours.”

“I’ll be the one with the broken wrist,” Jayne said.

Rebecca turned to her brother. “I’m trusting you with her. Don’t screw up.”

He raised both hands, palm up. “Hey,” he said with a shrug. “It’s me.”

Just over an hour later, Jayne guided David to one of the guest parking spots at her condo complex. They’d stopped at a local drugstore to drop off her prescription.

She turned to him and forced a smile through the throbbing of her wrist. “You could wait here. I’ll go faster if I don’t have you…” Underfoot came to mind, but that didn’t sound very nice.

“My plan is to help, not get in the way.”

His BMW M3 might be sleek and expensive, but there wasn’t much room between the two seats, and when he angled toward her, their arms nearly touched. She told herself she was aware of that contact because her whole left arm was tender, but she knew it was more than that.

She was close enough to see the various colors of blue that made up his irises and the tiny scar by the corner of his mouth. He smelled clean, but with a hint of guy. Even his shirt—a soft-looking white cotton tucked into worn jeans—was perfect, as was he.

“Jayne?”

“What? Oh, fine. You can help. Thanks.”

“Next time, try sounding enthused. I’m a guy—it’ll work on me.”

“Good to know.”

He got out on his side, then circled around, opened her car door, and closed it behind her. She led the way to her condo, pausing to pull the keys from her purse. He took them from her and unlocked the door, then motioned for her to go in first.

She set her purse on the small table by the front door, tried not to notice that her entire condo was smaller than the foyer at his parents’ house, and said as she disappeared around the the corner, “I’ll just be a minute.”

“Not so fast.” He appeared beside her, put his arm around her shoulders, and led her into the bedroom to the small wing chair in the corner. “Sit. I’ll handle this. Do you want something? Water? Cheetos?”

Despite the steady throbbing in her wrist, she managed a smile. “No, but the Cheetos are an interesting choice.”

“Tell me about it. Where’s the suitcase?”

“Linen closet in the hall.”

He left to get it, then returned and put the small wheeled bag on the bed.

“What next? Girl stuff? Makeup? Creams in bottles?”

She stood. “I’ll do it.”

“No. Just tell me. I can pack. I have skills. Yell out what you need.” He pushed on her good shoulder until she sat. “Better.”

She talked him through a few skin-care products, a blow dryer and brush, then told him where to find her cosmetics bag. When he walked back into the bedroom, he grinned.

“Now for the good stuff. Top drawer? It’s always the top drawer.”

She was on her feet in a flash. “You’re not getting into my underwear drawer.”