Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
He stole another glance at her. How did she make a blue shirt and jeans look so damn good?
As if sensing his attention, Tessa gave him her bright, genuine smile and then returned her attention to the road.
“You’re going to feel like a new man with that cast off,” she said. “You’re playing it cool, but I can tell how excited you are. I imagine you were a nightmare as a kid at Christmas, up at dawn and racing downstairs to rip open your presents before anyone else was awake.”
Arch laughed. She’d hit the nail on the head. Why wait when you can do it right now? had always been his motto.
But she was wrong about where the bulk of his excitement lay. Yes, he was glad the cast was coming off… but if only he could tell her that ninety-nine percent of what he felt right now came from the simple pleasure of being beside her as she drove.
Tessa pulled up at the hospital. After she parked, she told him to stay put and got out first, coming around to his side to open the door and help him out.
Although he loved it when Tessa manhandled him, he wasn’t going to miss feeling helpless and uncoordinated with his crutches.
Together, they entered the white building, and he gave his details at reception. He was wearing a baseball cap and dark glasses, but at the mention of his name, the receptionist’s head snapped up, as if she needed to confirm it really was him. Thankfully, he wasn’t the only celebrity who’d ever been treated here. He really did owe Clint Eastwood and Doris Day a debt of gratitude for living in Carmel; people had become much more relaxed about celebrities.
The receptionist directed them to the consulting room, and the doctor came in shortly afterward.
“Morning, Archer,” Dr. Reid said. “How’s the leg?”
“Stronger every day.” He nodded toward Tessa. “Tessa has been a massive help with my physical therapy. And nutritionally as well—I’ve never eaten such healthy food that tastes so good.”
The doctor looked at Tessa more carefully now. “That’s quite high praise. Maybe you could share some of your recipes with us at the hospital for our other patients.”
Her cheeks were flushed with her pleasure at the compliments, and she nodded. “Of course. I’d be happy to share my recipes with anyone who wants them.”
With that, Dr. Reid asked Arch to lie back on the bed so that he could remove the cast and examine the leg.
“Don’t have to ask me twice,” Arch replied, accepting the doctor’s help to straighten out his lower body.
The doctor cut the padding and stockinette with shears and then began to pull apart the cast with a shiny instrument. The sensation of cool air on his skin after being in the cast for so many weeks felt incredible. He breathed out an audibly happy sigh of relief.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?” the doctor said, smiling. “Now, just let me take a look at how you’re healing, and then we can get your walking boot fitted. You’ll find it much more convenient. It’s easy to unstrap, so you’ll be able to shower more easily. Plus, it’s much lighter and more comfortable to wear.”
The doctor’s words were music to Arch’s ears. The only issue was that he would have to be a bit more inventive if he was going to keep Tessa’s hands on his body during workouts. He didn’t want to give up the way she spotted him with the weights, or took his arm when he tired of walking with crutches.
“You’re healing well,” Dr. Reid said as he asked Arch to do a few movements with his left leg. “Faster than I would have thought.”
It didn’t take long before he was walking out, with a set of instructions on how to continue healing and a warning not to overdo it.
Tessa was waiting for him and gave him a thumbs-up when he got closer. “Good job,” she said.
Receiving her praise, Arch felt as good as if he’d just accepted an Oscar.
As they left the hospital, he turned to her. “My quick healing is definitely down to your care, Tessa.”
She flushed a little. “That’s kind,” she said, “but you’re also more determined to heal than anyone I’ve ever known.” She paused a beat. “I never know how things are going to go whenever I take on a new client, but we’ve been a good team, you and I.”
“We certainly have.” And then he added, “I hope you don’t have anything planned for the rest of the day.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I had planned to take stock of which new exercises you can move into now that the cast is off—then make sure you get a really good workout with the new plan.”
“We will definitely do that,” he agreed, “but I have a few things arranged for us to celebrate my being out of that cast.”