Page 14 of Mission: Merry Christmas
He had that baseball player look to him. Tall with long legs, nice arms, and hair long enough in the back that it probably curled just right below his baseball cap. In her experience, most of them were pretty average, but this guy… he was good looking, and in really good overall shape. “What’s got you so bent out of shape? I mean, look at you. You’re a mess. Your sister is worried. It’s got to be more than the knee. Or are you really always this way?” She hadn’t meant that to come out so judgy. To lighten the moment she added, “That plant in the living room happens to agree with me.”
He busied himself with the meal. Then he lowered his fork and swept a hand through his long thick hair. A lock fell forward.
Women paid big bucks for waves like that. Too bad he was an athlete, and technically a client for a few weeks. Totally off limits. Besides, she had way more important things to worry about right now than some hot guy with a luxury villa in the Caribbean.
Drew propped his elbows on the table. “Thereismore. You’re right. It’s not just about me. I’ve let everyone down.” He looked up at the ceiling and then looked directly at her. “That doesn’t make me happy. And no, I’m not usually this big of a jerk, but lately, I’ll be honest, I just can’t seem to shake this bad mood.”
She regretted coming down on him so hard now. “You said you weren’t being reckless. It was an accident. Just move forward. Accidents happen. People understand that.”
“It’s not that simple. I’d promised my nephew I’d teach him how to ski for Christmas.” He dropped his hands and stared at his knee. “There won’t be any skiing this year.”
“No. There won’t be. I’m good, but I’m no magician. Seriously though, that’s not the end of the world.”
“It was going to be his first white Christmas.”
“Okay. Yeah, that’s bigger, but there will be others. Right now, let’s get you well, and more importantly, help you find that good mood you said you have somewhere.”
“Am I that cranky?”
“Yes.”
“Is that supposed to help me feel better?”
She set her fork down, and glanced over at him, then away. “I guess I’m a little cranky, too.” She looked back at him. “Please accept my apology. I’m usually much more professional than this.” She let out a breath. “I’m here to work. I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I’ve had a bad couple of days myself. Why don’t we go back and restart this arrangement?” She stretched out her right arm. “Hi, I’m Avery. I’m here to help you speed up your recovery from this injury.”
He laughed, taking her hand. “Drew. Nice to meet you. I could use a hand. No pun intended.”
She laughed too. He wasn’t as bad as he’d seemed at first. And after all, he was her mission. Getting this off her sister’s plate was way easier than shopping for a present for her, or having to deal with her parents about losing her job at the holidays.
Avery gave him a nod. “The good news is that you didn’t tear anything. You’re behind, but I’ll get you where you need to be. We can move into therapy without too much worry. We’ll work hard, but careful. I have a feeling your nephew… what’s his name?”
“Nico.”
“I bet Nico will be happy to have his fun uncle around for Christmas, even if it means no skiing. Maybe you two could build a sandman instead, or we could make him part of the rehab. He’d probably have fun in the pool. Don’t all kids love to swim?”
“I know you’re joking, but he starts holiday break next week. Maybe wecoulddo that. My sister is traveling. He’d love to hang out here a few hours each day. Would you mind?”
“Not at all. No one ever said this couldn’t be enjoyable. I mean, look. You live in paradise. Just because you’re injured doesn’t mean you have to be holed up in your house.”
His brow arched.
“Okay, I may not have made it seem like it could be fun, but you were lying around in the dark being Mr. Cranky when I arrived. I had to snap you out of it.”
“I can’t wait to see what fun looks like to you.” He chuckled and shook his head.
“Hey! I can be fun,” she insisted.
“That remains to be seen.” He forked up another bite. “After that nasty shake this morning, I was afraid of what you might feed me, but this dinner is really good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” They ate in silence, and a more comfortable vibe fell over the two of them.
She got up to clear the dishes. “I’ll bring the plates in the kitchen if you’ll load the dishwasher. Then we can stretch and call it a night.”
Once they finished cleaning up, she bagged up the trash. “I saw the trash can out front. Why don’t you hit the gym for those stretches, and I’ll take this out then catch up to you?”
“Whatever you say.”
He headed to the gym, and she walked out the front door, then stopped. The sky looked like a canvas. Undeniably beautiful. The clouds stretched like great wings of pink and orange against a purple sky with the sun barely hanging over the horizon.
