Page 16 of Unraveling Rain
“Great. If you follow me, I can show you to your room and give you a quick tour before I leave.”
She leads me up the stairs next to the main door. The second floor is lined with closed doors. I can’t help but wonder what they all lead to—none of them are labeled.
“The rooms on the left are for patients. The rooms on the right are offices,” she explains, pointing at the first door on the right. “This one’s mine. We’ll have our first session tomorrow morning after breakfast.”
We keep walking.
“Here’s your room. Why don’t you leave your luggage here so we can continue the tour?” she suggests.
I step inside briefly. At first glance, it’s spacious and bright. I’ll check it out more later.
“This is the physical therapy room—Dylan’s. And over here is Manny’s office. He’s our head doctor,” Ruin says as we continue down the hall.
I glance at each door, already excited to meet the team I’ll be working with. Ruin catches it instantly.
“You’ll meet them tomorrow. Dylan asked for a personal day, and Manny is with his last patient of the day.”
We reach another set of stairs that lead down to the kitchen.
It’s industrial-grade and looks like a bomb went off. Veggies and fruits cover the counters, and there’s a pile of pots and pans in the sink.
Before I have the chance to ask what on earth happened, a vision materializes.
The redhead from the diner.
What are the odds?
Her gray eyes lock on mine, and I go still. Seeing her again shouldn’t rattle me. But there’s something about her that calls to me, and I can’t figure it out.
A rush of adrenaline surges through me, sharp and immediate. I’m left speechless—frozen in place, like my body forgot how to move.
“Hey, Raindrop. I thought you were gone,” Ruin says to the stunner in front of us.
“Ha! And leave this mess? A chef never leaves until the kitchen is spotless,” the woman says, giving me a once-over that nearly knocks the breath out of me.
“Do you have a name, or are you just going to keep shamelessly ogling me like you did back at the diner?” the gorgeous chef asks.
I bark out a laugh instead of introducing myself.
Real smooth, jackass.
“So he can laugh but can’t say his name. Got it.”
I can’t for the life of me form a single word.
“Is this the hockey dude?” she asks, pointing a thumb in my direction and looking at Ruin, who’s just as frozen, watching us.
“Yes, this is Xander González,” Ruin says with a wicked grin.
“I’m Rain MacAllister. This loser’s cooler twin,” Rain says, introducing herself without taking her hands off the counter.
Wait. She’s been wiping it down this whole time? I hadn’t even noticed. It’s like she sucked the air out of my lungs and knocked me on my ass.
What the actual fuck?
“Good to meet you, Hotshot. Hopefully you’ll be able to speak next time,” Rain adds, turning back to the kitchen chaos.
Ruin clears her throat and gives me apull it togetherlook before motioning for me to follow her.
