Page 66 of Darn Knit All

I traced the embroidered pattern we’d created. “Whenever we faced any kind of life event she would say, ‘mizu ni nagasu,’ which means ‘the water flows.’” I ran my finger down the waterfall pattern Theo had designed, tracing the electric blue and red threads. “It’s the equivalent of the English saying, ‘water under the bridge.’ I’m a naturally anxious person, and the reminder to let things go is a sentiment I appreciate, even if I don’t always practice it.”

Warm hands clasped my shoulders, squeezing gently.

I tipped my head back to grin up at Theo. “But we try, right?”

He nodded. “We always try.”

Michelle sighed. “I love it.” She tipped her head to one side. “How do your parents feel about you being on the show?”

I glanced at Michelle, wondering if she was asking because she was interested, or if she was falling into a biased opinion about potential conflict between my parents wanting a different career for their daughter.

“They’re very supportive.” I gestured around the table. “My grandmother was a seamstress. One could say I’m following in the family tradition.”

Michelle grinned. “Oh, I like that. Do you have any examples of your grandmother’s designs?”

“I do.” Theo reached for his back pocket then chuckled. “Sorry, I forgot you guys made us hand over our phones.”

Michelle chuckled. “I’ll be sure to catch up with you later to see them. Good luck, you two.” She left us alone at the table as the clock ticked down.

“I didn’t know you had some ofobaasan’sdesigns.”

He gave me a strained smile. “Why wouldn’t I? Your grandmother is awesome. We text regularly.”

I filed away that revelation for further examination as I raked my gaze over his face. “Are you okay?”

The lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth were pinched, a sure sign he wasn’t.

“I need to sit down,” he admitted, leaning heavily against the workbench. “And I wouldn’t say no to some ibuprofen and a heat pack.”

I hustled, grabbing one of the stools from under the table. “Sit, let me go see what I can find.”

He gestured at the half-completed outfit. “But you need to finish.”

“And we will—together and whole.”

With a sigh, he took the offered seat without protest, his quick acquiescence setting off a fresh round of alarm bells.

Theo never did anything without protest—downplaying his pain and brushing off our attention with a smart comment or smile. The fact he wasn’t protesting my hovering was a testament to how much he had to be hurting.

I searched out the medic who followed me back to our workstation.

“It’s cramping,” she said, after I gently bullied him into letting her examine his thigh. “Likely from overuse. You need to rest and elevate it, if possible.”

Theo tossed back the pain pills, stubbornly ignoring the camera crew who swarmed like flies around our table. “I’m fine, I just need to sit a minute.”

The medic hummed under her breath. “If you’re gonna force this then at least sit for the next hour. I’m not going to order you to leave the set, but I do want you to stay in the competition and the only way you’ll do that is if you take appropriate rest breaks.”

She ripped the back off a heat patch and gently pressed it to his scarred skin. “Promise me, rest.”

Theo nodded, his jaw tight. I met Theo’s gaze over the top of the medic’s head. With a forced smile, he jerked his head at my machine. “Mai, time is wasting.”

I didn’t want to leave him, but the desperate, almost pleading look in his eyes sent me back to my seat.

“Fine,” I said, forcing a lightness I didn’t feel. “But I know you’re faking to get out of this challenge.”

He laughed, then groaned as the medic dug her fingers into the tight knot of convulsing muscle, massaging his flesh. “That’s me—always such a drama queen.”

I bent my head, forcing myself to focus on the task—and not the attractive man who sat in silent agony behind me.

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