“It’s just from the workout Hannah had me do. I need to ice my shoulder.”
“Then sit down. I’ll grab the ice pack.” Graham watches me closely, making sure I follow his instructions before heading into my kitchen. Apparently, bossiness runs in the McCarthy family. “You want something else while I’m in here?”
“Water. Hannah said to drink a lot of water.” I settle into the couch, feeling more like a punching bag than a human being.
The sound of a cabinet closing follows the opening and closing of the freezer. I lean my head back on the couch, ready for a nap.
“Here you go.”
I open my eyes. Graham holds out a glass, which I take and chug down as he lays the pack on my shoulder. The coldness brings some relief to the ache almost right away.
Graham lumbers into my bedroom, then returns holding a bottle of ibuprofen. “Figured you might need this, too.”
“Thanks, Aquaman.” I flash him a grin.
He grunts at me, then opens it because he knows I’m still struggling with some of the minor day-to-day activities that put stress on the front part of my shoulder. It’s like little needles of pain when I do certain movements. Graham’s the one who wanted to be around after my surgery and took care of me. I suppose I could have used some of my trust fund money and hired someone, but when he insisted, I readily accepted, finding comfort in my best friend’s presence over some stranger.
I down the tablets with more water and sink into my leather sectional, eyes closed. Graham flops down on the other end, picks up the remote, and channel surfs. Now that the ice packhas dulled the pain in my right shoulder, the muscle next to my left shoulder blade feels like a fist pounding into my back.
Just as the ibuprofen kicks in, my doorbell sounds. I turn my head to stare at Graham.
He meets my gaze. “You expecting anyone?”
“Nope.”
He launches off the couch and heads to the front door. When he opens it, I twist around, but I can’t see past the hulk, who’s my best friend. However, I recognize Hannah’s voice right away.
“Nick forgot the band and the bar for his exercises.”
Graham steps back and waves her in. “Come on in. He’s icing his shoulder.”
“Good.” She scans my apartment as she enters the main living area. “Nice place.”
“Thanks.” The ice pack is room temperature now, so I let it slide off while I attempt to relieve the knot in my back.
Hannah holds up the yellow band and the three-foot wooden bar. “You left these behind.”
I crane my neck up and grin my appreciation, although I’m wondering if I may have grimaced instead because she looks concerned.
“We could have come by to get them in the morning,” Graham interjects.
“No biggie. This was on my way.” She lays them on the coffee table.
“Thanks.” I attempt to reach my left side again, which only makes my right shoulder ache more.
She tilts her head, then points at my left side. “What’s going on there?”
“Trying to get the muscle to relax. It’s like a knot.”
“That’s because your left side is compensating for the right. Once you build your strength up, that will get better.” Hannah moves around the coffee table until she’s standing right in frontof me, then leans over and kneads the area I attempted to massage on my own. She smells good, like the star jasmine that grows wild all over Sarabella.
“What do I do in the meantime?”
“Massage. Heat.” She scans my apartment. “Does your complex have a pool and spa pool?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty decent, too.” Graham stands next to Hannah, eclipsing her by a solid six inches. She’s the shortest of the family but close to my height. But that doesn’t say much, as the McCarthy brothers tower over me, too.
“Get your swim trunks on.” She not only sounds like a drill sergeant but resembles one with her hands on her hips. Like I said, bossy family.
