Page 6 of Frozen Flames

She dared ask if I love her.

She’s mygirl, of course I love her.

A knock at the door halts my line of thinking, and I wheel to the front door, letting in Claire, my new nurse and PT assistant.

“Harvey.” She bows her head slightly, a shy smile on her face, her cheeks red from the cold-ass weather.

“Claire,” I mock her, wheeling myself to the kitchen.

Hiring a nurse is the biggest waste of my parents’ money. It is helpful, though, to have her assistance for Stefan’s exercises, which, as my physical therapist, he hounds my ass to do.

“I was thinking we could get some fresh air.” Her eyes sparkle with glee.

I shrug, not too keen on freezing my dick off outside, when she throws me my winter coat, and I give in, heading to put on my black boots. She has no idea how many underclothes I usually have to wear to be able to stand the cold, but I skip all of that today, thinking we probably won’t be outside for long.

I take the ramp once we’re in the backyard, while Claire sits on one of the steps on the low deck.

“Gemma has a job interview?” she asks, and she must see a stunned expression on my face, since she adds, “I saw her pass by in the hallway in a suit.”

I look away. “Yeah, she does.”

An awkward silence greets us until I hear a chuckle and something hits me lightly in the neck.

What the…

I turn and see Claire tipping her head back as I push the snow off me.

I shake my head, laughing in disbelief as she holds another snowball in her mittened hands and cocks her head to the side. “What are you,twelve?”

She throws another one against my coat, her brow arching up in defiance, her cheeks reddening by the second.

Her fiery red hair is in a bun atop her head with a satin headband near her hairline. She’s shorter than Gemma—a bit curvier too. Her brown eyes stare at me, and something about it bothers me.

One second I’m laughing, and the next I’m telling her it’s too cold to stay out any longer. Dismissing the shock on her face from the tone of my voice, I wheel myself inside and remove my winter layers.

That’s when I realize that Gemma left without saying goodbye.

I wheel in front of the fridge and notice her message on the whiteboard, reminding me of the charity event tonight.

“Here.” Claire hands me my pills, as if I can’t do this myself. “Don’t roll your eyes, Harvey. Gemma prefers I do this.”

“What about what I prefer?” I ask dully.

“That’s a valid point. You can take it up with her.”

Some days it’s like I have two mother hens catering to me, ensuring I don’t break. Don’t even get me started on my mom and her endless text messages.

“Ready to start?” Claire asks, and I meet her question with a shrug.

I so badly want to ask her what made her go to college and study hard, only to end up with a patient like me—one who can do loads on his own.

I doubt she’ll stay here long.

The long line of nurses before her certainly didn’t. Though the first nurse I had after the accident lasted a while.

Claire sets up all the PT equipment in the living room. Then she takes out an iPad, no doubt going through Stefan’s charts.

My parents are essentially paying for two physical therapists, yet they’re too obsessed with McKleen, despite my once or twice a month appointment, to let him go. He’s good at his job, but he’s pushy.

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