Hannah walks over and checks my ice pack.
“Can we double my sessions?”
She doesn’t say anything at first. Just repositions my ice pack. “Think you can handle that? Because it won’t be easy.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes.”
She finally settles and meets my gaze. “I’m not going to lie to you, Nick. I’m not sure if I can pull this off in seven weeks.”
“With the grace period, we have a little more time.” I’m grabbing onto every bit of hope I can muster at this point.
She nods. “That helps, but you’re going to want to push harder, and it’s a fine line right now. Push too much, and you’llset yourself back or do damage to the repair. You need to do what I say to the letter. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” I blow out a long breath. “Thank you, Hannah.”
She gives me a small smile. “Don’t thank me yet. And be prepared to hate me. Like I said, this won’t be easy.”
Hate her? The thought is as abhorrent as a failed rescue. I could never hate her. And that’s when I realize I’m deeper into all this with her than just my shoulder. Any other woman I dated started and ended with just physical attraction.
But with Hannah, I’m drawn to her on a much deeper level that goes beyond the physical. Maybe it’s just because she’s my lifeline to getting my life back. Like a life preserver in the middle of a storm that sank my boat. Has to be that because I don’t see how it could ever be more between us.
Graham’s my best friend, and he’s been there for me during the worst points of my life, including the accident. I can’t betray that. Besides, he clearly doesn’t think I’m worthy of his sister, and I don’t blame him.
He’s right.
Hannah deserves way better.
CHAPTER 10
Hannah
Nick stares at me like a lost puppy dog, which is melting my heart faster than an ice cube on the beach in summer. We’re talking about Florida here, so that means fast.
And hot.
The reality of this moment hits me hard and fast. My brothers are right. I’m a sucker for strays. Always have been and always will be, I guess. Case in point—Bandit. Waiting for Pete to call me back with an update is excruciating.
Deep breath in, hold, slow release. I hand Nick the new plan I worked on last night. I even turned down a girls’ night with Madi to get a jump on revising his treatment, something I normally wouldn’t do because my best friend rarely gets an evening free.
And here I am, the one telling her to separate work and home life as a good self-care practice, breaking my own rule.
Well, not a rule. More like a guideline. But whatever. So what if I compromised two of my priorities to help Nick? It only means I’m invested in helping him achieve a full recovery, which will give my physical therapy practice a significant boost. The accident and Nick’s injury made theSarabella Times. Granted, celebrity involvement makes any event newsworthy.
So, it stands to reason that Nick would make a great ‘poster child’ for what I’m capable of, right?
“I created a new nine-week plan for your therapy. Take a look and let me know if anything seems disagreeable. The second page outlines the additional cost. Will that be difficult for you?”
I always ask my clients this because I don’t want anyone to go without the care they need. But I also need to earn a living and do things like eat and pay my rent.
He lifts the front sheet and scans the outline of fees and services I included. “Not a problem.”
Interesting…he didn’t even bat an eye. I know what my brother Graham earns as a lifeguard, which is a decent income, thanks to Zane’s oversight of the program. He’s made sure Mayor Stringer and the city council have kept the lifeguard program a top priority for the city’s budget.
But at this level of care, I don’t think Graham’s income would cover it. And insurance, even workman’s comp, is limiting. When my brother asked me to help Nick, he mentioned something about the actor who caused Nick’s accident, offering to cover the medical expenses. Maybe that’s why it’s not a problem for him.
“Good. Today, we’ll start a little slow so I can gauge just how much your fall affected your shoulder.”
His easy smile shifts to concern. “Do you think it will be an issue?”
