Page 20 of Keep On Loving You

“Kat?”

She watched while he visibly tried to bite back his laughter.

“That’s the same thing.”

“It’s not.” She shook her head vehemently. “It’s only a tiny little crack. I’ll be back to new in no time.” She didn’t have much of a choice, because she had clients waiting for her. Fortunately, it wasn’t her dominant arm. It would be clumsy, but Kat was pretty certain she’d be able to work with a cast on for a few weeks.

“If you say so.” The laughter was gone from his voice.

Kat blew out a breath. “At least the meeting was alreadypostponed. I would have been so mad if my stupid accident was the reason we had to push it back.” A few hours earlier, Craig texted the group chat to let everyone know that he still wasn’t feeling up to a family meeting.

“You’re really looking forward to your turn, aren’t you?”

It was ridiculous, but Kat felt the sudden urge to cry at his simple question. She nodded and bit her bottom lip, not trusting herself to speak. All her brothers and her sister had their own special relationship with their father, but Kat was always Michael Carlson’s baby girl. They’d had a bond unlike any other, and she’d been particularly devastated by his death.

She’d spent the last two years watching while all the others took their turn fulfilling their deceased father’s requests in order to keep the family inheritance intact. It wasn’t the challenge that Kat was looking forward to, but what went with it. If Chase, Charli, Craig, and Asher’s experiences were anything to go by—and she was sure they were—there would be a letter written just for her, from her dad.

She’d spent months imagining what he’d written to her and what message he wanted to pass on to her. It kept her up at night and now, she was finally so close to having her turn.

“I am.” Kat finally managed to speak. “More than I can properly express.”

Andy reached out and squeezed her shoulder. The look in his eyes was one of tender care. “It will be your turn soon,Kat. Just another day or two. And I know you’ll want to be one hundred percent before then.”

He wasn’t wrong.

She nodded and swallowed hard. It had been a long day and no doubt the drugs they’d given her at the hospital were making her more emotional than normal.

Too soon, Andy removed his touch. “Why don’t you go get settled on the couch and I’ll make you a grilled cheese?—”

“I can do?—”

“I know you can,” he said gently. “But I want to, Kat. When was the last time you ate?” He held her eyes for a moment.

Maybe it was the painkillers she was on, but Kat couldn’t help but feel warmed by his gaze.

And shewashungry.

She nodded her acceptance and started to move into the living room. The idea of cuddling up on the couch with a full belly and a glass of wine was suddenly very appealing. She hadn’t even managed to complete one full ride, but Kat’s body was sore. She felt like every part of her was bruised, and a chill was settling over her now that she’d removed Andy’s sweater. She was still dressed in her bike shorts and spandex tank top, and she was cold.

Maybe a bath would be a good idea?

A glance behind her told Kat that Andy had gone into the kitchen as promised. She should probably ask him for help running the hot water and getting the bath ready, but how awkward wouldthatbe, given their history?

No.

She could do this herself.

Once upstairs, she didn’t waste any time getting the water running. It wasn’t until after she’d added a generous pour of scented bubble bath to the water before she attempted to strip out of her tight clothes. The shorts were awkward, but doable once she managed to shimmy one leg down and then the other. It wasn’t until Kat tried to get her tight top off that she ran into trouble.

The medic had pushed up the sleeve to her elbow in order to get her cast on, which at the time had made perfect sense. However, now that she was trying to figure out the logistics of removing the skintight layer, an entirely new situation had presented itself.

“This is so stupid,” Kat grunted as she channeled any and all acrobatic skills into shimmying her top off her good arm and over her head. Only her shirt didn’t go easily over her head and managed to hook itself somewhat inside out on both of her arms and her head, trapping her in the tight fabric.

The water was still running in the tub, and no doubt was getting closer to the top, but she couldn’t see to turn the taps, or even to point herself in the right direction.

“Dammit.” She wiggled and struggled futilely for another few minutes and was just about to admit defeat when Andy beat her to it.

“Kat?”

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