Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
“Like I said, I try to blame the illness and not him.” She took a breath and pulled her shoulders back, clearly working to brush off the past. “Anyway, it turns out that looking after sick people is something I’m very good at. So, I made it my career.”
He was impressed by how brave she’d been. How brave she still was. Because underneath that tough exterior was a woman who’d been dealt a seriously rough hand.
Clearly, her husband had made her lose her faith in there being any good men out there, and then Arch had proved her right by coming on to her the first night she was in his house.
What a fool. Right then and there, he decided that nothing would get in the way of his showing her not only his deepest respect, but also how a man should treat a woman he cared about. The way his dad had always treated his mom.
If his leg hadn’t been broken, Arch would have kicked himself. After his antics the night before, he was surprised she hadn’t packed up and left already.
But the very fact she was still here—making pancakes, no less—gave him hope. Hope that they could be friends, at the very least. And, deep down, he still harbored a hope that she was as drawn to him as he was to her, even if she hid it well.
He couldn’t say anything that would make last night up to her, so his actions would have to be louder than words. Starting right now.
When she brought over his plate of pancakes, he picked up his knife and fork and then cut his pancake stack clear in half, pushing one side in Tessa’s direction. “We’re equals,” he said, “right down to the pancakes. This stack is enormous, and working with me—especially on the therapeutic movements that I don’t want to do because they hurt so much—means you need your strength as much as I need mine.”
To his relief, Tessa smiled, and he immediately felt like he’d conquered a tall mountain, simply because he’d made her smile again.
“Okay,” she said. “These pancakes are actually good enough that I’m not going to object.”
She got herself a plate and cutlery, though he wouldn’t have minded sharing the same plate. Or fork. Maybe even feed her the pancakes himself—
Just then, his cell buzzed. It was Jay. Though he wanted to tuck into his warm and delicious-looking pancakes, he picked up.
“Arch, my man,” Jay said, his voice way too loud for this time of the morning, “how are you feeling? Nursed back to full health yet?”
Arch grimaced. His agent loved to win an argument. He should have known that Jay would be unbearably smug at getting him to accept a caregiver. Well, little did he know just how wonderful that caregiver was. If anyone was getting the last laugh, it was Arch.
He told Jay that his exercises were going well and he was being fed like a champion.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. I just got off a call with the producer of your movie with Smith Sullivan. He was thrilled with your interview last night. They figure they should ride the wave of interest a prime-time splash like that will have generated, so they’ve arranged for you and Smith to present an award at Moonrise.”
“Wait—what?” Arch said, incredulous. “The prestigious indie film awards?”
“The very same,” Jay said, sounding pretty pleased. Next to presenting at Sundance, Moonrise was it on this continent.
Arch caught Tessa’s eye, and she raised a brow as if to say, Impressive. She could hear every word, Jay’s voice was so loud.
“But that’s in two weeks,” Arch said. The producer must have pulled some serious strings to get them that slot so late in the day. “I’ll still be on crutches.”
“Exactly,” Jay replied. “That’s part of what they love about doing it this way. It’s such great promo for the film, with fans getting to watch their favorite actor heal and come back to life before their eyes. I’ll be in touch with the details soon. Stay healthy, cowboy.”
And with that, Jay ended the call.
Chapter Fourteen
Tessa made her way to the coffee shop to meet Mila and Erin, feeling as nervous as if it were a first date. She had changed into one of her favorite shirts, a designer piece that she’d picked up for a few bucks at a thrift store. She’d let down her hair from its tight bun.
She’d immediately liked Arch’s sisters when they’d first met and hoped they felt the same way about her. At the same time, as she had said to Arch, they’d probably invited her only to be nice. But he had assured her that his sisters wouldn’t do that unless they genuinely liked her. She could tell he was pleased that they’d invited her, which made her all the more nervous for this to go well.