Page 72 of Off the Wall

If she won’t accept help from her brother, she’d almost certainly turn me down. And what would it mean if she said yes? I’m almost afraid to find out.

One of the reasons my ex pursued me in the first place was the promise of a future money fountain. There was a fame component, too, which is why she didn’t stick around once I couldn’t play. But I believed with my whole heart that Daphne loved me, and I was dead wrong about her. I could be wrong about Nori.

My gut roils at the thought.

No, man. You already know Nori better than you ever knew Daphne, in just a short period of time.

Still. Giving Nori money—even a little bit, even as a loan—would undermine her desire to do this on her own. To walk the tightrope.

And I respect her too much to interfere with that.

Stop kidding yourself, Cash. You’re protecting yourself too, in the event you’ve misjudged Nori. You don’t want to be hurt again. At least be honest about your motives.

Yeah. Maybe.

No, for sure.

Annnnd now I’m officially talking to myself. Time to get a grip.

“So.” I scratch the back of my neck. “Are you working today?”

Smooth change of subject, Cash.

“I’ve got the closing shift, so Violet’s not expecting me until noon. What about you?” Her eyes note my scrubs. “Do you have any cases scheduled?”

Not now,I think.But I did.

The tightness in my solar plexus reminds me I took a big risk last night, not going in to cover that burst fracture. I let a perfect opportunity pass to show Dr. Hahn how reliable I can be.

To prove to Jason I’m worthy of LA.

Still, seeing Nori now, swimming in my clothes—all vulnerable and hopeful and desperate not to be an inconvenience—makes regretting my decision impossible. I did the right thing. For a neighbor. For a friend.

Just a friend.

“I’m going to visit a couple hospitals to touch base with some doctors,” I tell her. “But I don’t have any cases lined up.”

“Well, I’d better go shower and change.” She wrinkles her nose. “I can’t exactly show up to work in your sweats.” She tips her chin, and her eyes lock with mine. “Thank you again. For everything.”

“Anytime.” Warmth ratchets up the temperature behind my ribcage. “Is your roommate back yet?”

“She should be any minute. And if not, I’ll go to Keeley’s.”

“Let me walk you to your apartment,” I say. “Just want to be sure you end up with some place to shower.”

I shake my head. “You don’t have to do that.”

“No big deal. I should catch up on some laundry anyway. It’s rare that I’m not in a rush. If you hold on a minute, I’ll just grab my basket.” I start toward the bedroom, gather up loose clothes from my closet, and quickly return to the living room.

Nori’s waiting for me at the door, and she nods at my pileof laundry. “Any mysterious red thongs in there you want to tell me about?” Her mouth twitches into a half smile, and a blush creeps across her cheeks.

I see how it is.

After an intense night together, she wants to slide us solidly back into friend mode. So I force a chuckle, even as my insides ricochet between disappointment and relief.This is for the best, I tell myself.For both of us. I might as well play along. “I don’t know,” I say. “Did you slip in a pair last night when I wasn’t looking?”

“You wish.”

“Yeah. Maybe I do.”

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