Page 36 of Falling With You

She just smiled. “I know that you worked at LaFleurs. I’ve had your food there. And I’ve been to your bar. Good food. And I know that all the changes you put in have been for the better. But we’re not talking about that right now.”

“Good. Because I’m not changing the way I cook.”

“That’s fine. It’s just going to be harder for you to get back into the swing of things. That means you’re going to have to do some physical therapy.”

I cursed, and she just looked at me, giving me a bland look. “Are you done yet?”

“I could probably go longer.”

“Anyway, physical therapy is a must. Because while I have a feeling if you really think about it, you can change the way you hold your phone and even the way you use a computer, you’re not going to be able to change the way you cook. That’s ingrained in you at this point. And as much as I’m going to tell you tonotdo it the same way every day, it’s just going to happen. But you need to be realistic. In order to make sure your hand is as strong as it can be, that means physical therapy. I have a few people in mind for you, and I can refer you. But you need to do it. If you don’t want to get another stress fracture by just like chopping something, you’re going to need it.”

“Physical therapy?”

“Physical therapy.”

I frowned and looked over the list that she gave me, shaking my head. “There’s one not on this list, a friend of mine. Can I see if she can help?”

“A friend?” she asked, her tone dry.

I shook my head. “Not a friend like that. An actual friend.”

Okay, so that wasn’t entirely truthful. I continuously thought about our one afternoon together, the one where my knees still ached because of the rug burn—and I knew her ass had to have some marks, too. Yeah, that one. The one that we didn’t talk about. We hadn’t talked about it before the attack, and we sure as hell hadn’t talked about it since.

So, yeah, Sienna was my friend. It was just harder to remain friends when we weren’t actually talking about it. Considering that I didn’t like talking about my feelings, the fact that I was even thinking about that was saying something.

“Is she a massage therapist, or a physical therapist?”

“It’s Sienna Knight. She’s a sports therapist, so almost exactly the same thing, but I’d rather work with someone I know. Plus, I’m sure I could actually fit into her schedule because we know each other.”

“I know Sienna Knight. She’s one of the best at what she does. She also has a long waiting list to get into her rotation. She doesn’t exactly do what you need, but she’s trained.” She looked at me a moment before nodding. “If you can fit into her schedule, I’ll make it a referral for your insurance.”

“Sienna really is the best, isn’t she?” I asked, and the doctor gave me another of those looks.

I really was acting out of character, and I did not like it. There was just something about Sienna that made me act weird.

“Let’s see what we can do,” the doctor said, and then we went through exactly what my aftercare things would be.

Thankfully, by the time I got out of there, I was ready to go back to work, new hand and all.

I called Sienna right away. When she didn’t pick up, I hoped she was just at work and not avoiding me. The phone beeped, and I left a message.

“Hey, my cast is all off, but I need physical therapy. I can go to someone else, but I’d rather do it with you. Mostly because you know me. What do you say? Will you help a guy out?”

I hung up. I was a little nervous. What if she didn’t want to help me? What if she didn’t want me in her life at all? It was weird because all I could think about was that kiss in the stockroom. And her other kisses before. I’d had a crush on her before, just a little one when we were younger. But then I’d started dating Allison, and Sienna had just become my friend. It was all complicated, but then again, all of us were.

We had so many connections within the group, and it was sometimes hard to remember where one person began, and the other ended.

But I wanted things to get back to normal. I wanted to go back to my kitchen, I wanted my brothers to get off my back, and I wanted Sienna and me to get back to our normal fighting and laughing with one another. I didn’t like the fact that things were awkward. Maybe us working together on my hand would make things better.

My phone dinged, and I looked down at it.

Sienna:At work. But have your doctor send over the info. I’ll see what I can do.

I smiled. I knew this had to be the answer. Things would change.

They had to.

“Okay,you’re getting better, let’s see your mobility.”

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