Page 20 of Necessary Roughness

“If I was so horrible, you wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

“It’s a professional thing,” she said to Tanner. “Harrison had to drop you off and make sure you got in the house safely.” Harrison had texted something about going out for a drink, but he’d never said another word about it. “Weren’t we going out for a drink?” she said to Harrison.

She tried not to think of the dismal little basement she was living in or her stuff out on the lawn if it wasn’t packed and gone by the end of the month. It was a little weird that Tanner had suddenly decided he actually wanted her here too, but this entire evening had been something else already.

“I think this solves all of your problems, T. You can work with Jordan here when we’re done with the kids and after her workday at the PT practice. Think of the bright side. In the meantime, we’ll get you a number for Lyft so someone can pick you up and bring you home from your appointments.”

The nurse appeared at Tanner’s elbow again. “There’s not going to be any problems here. He’ll do what I tell him to, and that’s final.”

“I’m calling the nurse people. They must have sent the wrong one,” Tanner said.

“Oh no, Mister. Your reputation precedes you,” the nurse said.

“What does that mean?”

“I’m your last chance. Get used to it.” She glanced over at Jordan. “Why don’t you go look at the downstairs guest suite before you tell His Royal Highness to piss up a rope? I can’t stand him, either, but I’d live with Satan himself for the summer if I got to hang out in a place like this for free.” The nurse must have been listening in on their earlier conversation, which was a bit weird.

“I don’t think so. She’s paying for something,” Tanner said.

“You’re paying her, Tanner. Get used to it.” Harrison settled back against his chair with a smug smile. “I’m going to enjoy watching you get bossed around by two women.”

***

TANNER WAS IN hell, population one. Maybe it was the pain meds. Maybe he was hallucinating or something. He was wondering why everyone in his house was conspiring against him, or seemed to be.

He thought he didn’t want DP living downstairs, but he’d changed his mind. He’d rather deal with her than Nurse Barb. He’d decided in the last minute and a half that having a physical therapist in his house could mean he’d heal faster from additional sessions with her. The house was big enough that she could do her thing, he could do his, and they’d stay out of each other’s hair. He’d gone from somewhat happy solitude to two roommates in less than three days.

So much for his attempts to do things himself.

Tanner managed to force his eyes open again. The painkillers were really kicking his ass today.

“Weren’t you and DP supposed to be having a drink somewhere else right now?” Tanner said.

“This is pretty enjoyable,” Harrison said.

“We could leave,” Jordan said. “Stop calling me DP.”

“More wine?” Harrison held up the bottle.

“No, thank you. I need to drive home,” she said. She glanced out at the lake again, which shimmered in the early evening sunshine. The blue sky was accented with delicate clouds. A sailboat glided past as she took the last sip of wine in her glass. “How does he stand to leave this place?”

“Gotta work, or at least I did. I had to pay for it all,” Tanner said.

His voice was sleepy. It was her cue to leave. She put the empty wineglass down on the table surrounding the fire pit and got to her feet. She reached out to shake his hand.

“Thanks for the drink. Your house is beautiful.”

“You haven’t seen the rest of it,” he said.

“Maybe another time,” she said.

He didn’t let go of her hand. His hand was big, warm, and, oddly enough, comforting. She reminded herself again that they didn’t like each other and she needed to get the hell out before she decided she was staying. To her surprise, he shoved himself to the edge of his chair, grabbed his crutches, and hauled himself to his feet.

“Come on. Let’s go see the guest room.”

“You need to sit here and relax. I’ll go home.”

He gestured toward the living room with one crutch. “Elevator’s in there.”

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