Page 48 of Something Blue

The guy held out his hand. “Keys? Did the boat run okay?”

Sadie cleared her throat and collected her things. “Yes, it was great.” She pulled the keys out of the ignition and handed them over. “We’ll be going now.”

She grabbed Andy’s hand and pulled him toward the dock. He grabbed his things and tried to keep step with her.

“Are we racing back to the car for a reason?”

She looked back at him and gave a shy smile. “Maybe.”

His heart sped up, and he quickened his step. “Fine with me.”

20

Sadie

By the time they made it back to the car, they were both limping.

“Are your legs sore?” she asked Andy.

He looked for their car as he led them through the parking lot. “Yeah, a little. Why, are yours?

She nodded and stopped to grab at her calf. “Ahh! Charley horse. I think all that jumping got to me.”

He pointed at the car. “There it is. Let’s make it there, and then we can rest.” He held an arm around her as she hopped the rest of the way. After opening her door, he hurried around to the driver’s side to turn on the air.

“Oh, man,” she said, reaching down to massage her leg. She gritted her teeth and inhaled sharply. Why now? All she wanted to do was finish that kiss.

His eyes were full of concern as he looked her over. “What should I do? Do you want a massage? Should I drive back to the condo?”

She laughed, despite the situation. “You’re cute.” She winced and pointed toward the street. “Let’s go back and rest. And if we have a banana, that’ll help too. Maybe have a good soak in the hot tub.”

He tapped the wheel with one hand. “I should’ve thought of that.”

The pain kicked in, stronger than ever. Gritting her teeth, she refused to give in. She was a nurse, for heaven’s sake! Today had been so good, and she didn’t want to ruin it. Instead, she focused on the shops they passed as they headed back. The colors blurred in her vision as the pain increased. She grabbed the panic handle above her and squeezed it whenever the pain increased. No amount of stretching or massaging was working. The pain crawled from her calf to her upper thigh.

As he pulled into the parking lot, the pain started to subside. A little out of breath, she panted and rubbed her legs. “I think the worst is over.”

He parked and turned off the engine. “Do you want to rest here for a while?”

A group passed the car, and she found Chase in the crowd, walking by with a few of the boys from the Michigan group. How had things changed so drastically? They had all been close friends for years, so what had changed? Had she changed?

“No, I’m fine.” She opened her car door, stood, and immediately yelled out in pain. Not a good idea. Her legs collapsed, and she hit the asphalt hard, scraping both of her knees. The Michigan group turned as she lifted her head.

Chase didn’t hesitate, he ran to her side quicker than Andy could get out of the car.

“Are you okay?” he asked, kneeling down to check her legs.

“Yeah, just a charley horse.” Every word was clipped and to the point. She didn’t need or want his help.

“I hope you’re not upset about our talk at the gazebo, Sadie.”

She glared at him, her head becoming clear for the first time since the pain hit. “I hated you bringing up the worst year of my life as an ‘if only’ scenario days before your wedding. If you’re unsure about marrying Piper, maybe you shouldn’t be together.”

Chase looked taken back, while the other guys in the group took it as a sign to leave.

Andy sidled up to Sadie, giving her a concerned look and Chase a buzz-off glare. Chase reached around to pick her up, but Andy beat him to the punch and lifted her up in one solid motion.

“I’ll take it from here.” His voice was sharp and confident.

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