Page 59 of Unexpected Entanglement

“OMG! Is it broken?” She stopped barely an inch from Rowan, almost knocking her down.

“Whoa, careful there, slick. We don’t want more injury today,” Chris said.

“Nothing’s broken. I just have to wear this for a couple of days when I’m walking to keep the ankle from moving too much.”

“No. The doctor said to rest the foot for a couple of days. The boot is when you can’t avoid moving, but he wanted your leg up and ankle compressed as much as possible,” Chris corrected.

“You know I don’t have time to sit around,” Rowan protested. “We have guests coming.”

“And you need to be in tip-top shape when they arrive,” Chris reminded. “For now, you’ll rest and avoid more incidents. You’re like a magnet for injuries.”

“I didn’t ask for them.” Rowan glared at him.

“No, but they seem to follow you.” Chris eyed her thoughtfully. Then he turned his gaze to the confused-looking Alex. “You can take care of her from here, right?”

“Yeah.” Alex nodded. “Of course.”

“I don’t need anyone taking care of me,” Rowan protested.

Ignoring her, Chris instructed Alex, “Make sure she puts up that foot.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Alex saluted.

“Thanks.” Chris turned back to the door.

“Where are you going?” Rowan asked.

“To the cottage. I’ll look for your phone and hat.” He opened the door but glanced back at her. “I also want to check that broken step.”

Understanding why he wanted to do that, she nodded. She was curious about what he would find. “Don’t take too long. I’d like—”

“After a few hours with me, you still can’t get enough, can you?” Chris interrupted with a wink.

Not expecting his teasing, Rowan’s mouth flew open. “Get out of here!”

Chris quickly closed the door before she could find something to throw at him, but they could clearly hear his laughter.

“See, this is why I believed it when you said you were engaged.” Alex wiggled her eyebrows at her.

Rowan rolled her eyes. “What? He’s just teasing.”

“Is that what we’re calling it now?” Alex asked as she turned toward the kitchen. “Come on then. Let’s rest that ankle, and you can fill us in about what happened.”

Rowan followed her into the kitchen and smelled whatever Oliver was tending on the stove.

“Hey, O. Am I smelling…” Rowan sniffed the air.

Oliver filled in, “Clam chowder. Alex showed me to do it the right way.”

“You mean our way?” Rowan sat down on the chair Alex pulled up for her. She let her friend lift the leg onto another chair with extra cushions to prop it up.

“Damn right,” Alex chimed.

“How’s the ankle?” Oliver asked.

“Sprained, but it’s not bad.” Rowan sighed. “It’s a pain in the ass. That’s what it is.”

“So, what happened?” Alex demanded.

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