Page 26 of Nothing to Deny

“It’s not a lie.” Though technically, Baer had been the one to kiss her. “But we are just friends.”

Presley had been a while and the faucet was still going. She went to help him finish up. There may be water everywhere, but he hadn’t done an awful job. After drying up, the boys finished the dressed salad, then set the table at her request.

Everyone helped with prep, no one complained. She saw more of Baer in Abel when the elder Claymore showed patience in teaching the boys how to cut the vegetables. Once everything was prepped, she got to cooking. Abel sent the twins to get washed up and changed.

Once she and Abel were alone, somehow, they got onto the subject of Abel’s wife and what the family had endured. How? No idea. She hadn’t brought it up, but Abel’s openness relieved some of her guilt about intruding into Baer’s life. The family had been through a lot.

Abel’s willingness to share suggested he hadn’t talked about it for a while or that he needed to talk about it. After their car accident, Abel lost function in his leg and his wife, Sandy, fell into a coma. Taking her time with the meal, she let him talk, let him tell her about his spinal injury and how he’d almost lost his leg completely.

Even after five years, he was battling through physio and improving all the time. The pain and stiffness didn’t go away.Some days were better than others. Still he fought for the woman he loved and never missed a chance to be with her.

Serving the food, she left the meat resting.

“Have you been in pain today?” she asked, washing her hands.

“Yes,” he said. “Stiff, like usual.”

“This might sound weird.” She snagged a towel to dry her hands. “But I’m qualified in sports and therapeutic massage, if you want me to…”

The unexpected offer didn’t stump him for long. “Really? You wouldn’t mind?”

“It would be my honor,” she said. “I have oil in my purse… You don’t have any allergies, do you?”

He shook his head, so she ran to the entryway to grab her purse from its hook.

Without closing the entryway door, she dug out her toiletry bag to retrieve the oil.

“We can do it after dinner,” he said, pushing himself from the stool.

“I can give you some quick relief,” she said, putting her purse on the floor and shaking the bottle of oil. “Not to be too forward, but can you drop your pants?”

He wasn’t shy, and grinned until he laughed. “Haven’t done that for a woman since my wife last asked me,” he said, but unbuckled his belt and let them drop.

As he put his hands on the breakfast bar behind him for support, she dropped to her knees, pouring oil into her hands.

She worked her palms over his thigh. “Is the pain in your hip too? After dinner, I can do it properly, if you’re still getting stiffness.”

“It is stiff,” he said. “I skipped exercise last night and this morning. I should know better…”

“With Presley getting injured you had reason to be distracted, this morning at least,” she said. “Can you reach the meat from there?”

He twisted. “Uh, yeah, I think so.”

“There’s an extra piece on the end, will you try it for me, please? Tell me if it’s seasoned okay for the boys.”

“This looks like expensive steak,” he said. “Do you treat all your clients this way?”

“Often as I can,” she said, peeking up to see him pop the meat between his lips. “How is it? Is it good?”

“Mm,” he said with his mouth full. “Mm, it’s amazing. Really good… Wow, oh, geez, girl, you’re incredible.”

“What the fuck is going on in here?”

Baer’s voice intruded without shame. Abel swore in a hiss. She hadn’t hurt him, she didn’t think, but she couldn’t say the same about the man standing by the door, fuming.

“Son—”

“Are you fucking kidding, Abel?”

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