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“It’s probably going to hurt.”
“I won’t hold it against you.”
He gently raised her foot and angled it. She closed her eyes and winced in anticipation. A sharp prick went through her foot, and she let out a gasp.
“It’s out,” he declared, holding the small piece of glass up. “Now let’s see the damage.” He peeled the sock off and held her foot up. “Lot of blood, but it doesn’t seem that deep.” He stood from the tub and grabbed a cotton ball and the bottle of peroxide. “Here, put your foot over the tub.”
She did as he said, and he poured the clear liquid onto the cut. It instantly fizzed up, but it didn’t sting. Blood and peroxide dripped into the tub, and Nolan turned the water on to help wash it down. He grabbed a few bandages, then unraveled some toilet paper.
He motioned for her to sit on the toilet, and he gathered her foot in his hand again, dabbing it dry with the rolled-up toilet paper. “The good news is it doesn’t look like you’ll need stitches. The bad news, it’s in a really bad spot, so your foot might be a bit tender for the next few days.”
“Great, just in time for me to go back to work where I’m on my feet for eight hours a day.”
“I’m sure your parents will give you more time off.”
She shook her head. “I’ve already taken too much. It’s our busy season with weddings and baby showers and bridal showers. I have a million centerpieces I have to make when I go back. Most of them are my design, so to expect anyone else to do them for me. I can’t. They’re my responsibility.”
“I can respect that, and I’m happy to hear you’re finally designing your own centerpieces. Before I left, you had been tossing around the idea of asking your parents.”
“Honestly, with you leaving…” She shrugged. “I figured I had nothing else to lose, so why not go for it? My parents were thrilled to let me take over that part of the business, and I got to finally do what I really love. It was a win-win, and I’m only sad I didn’t suggest it sooner.”
“Better late than never.”
“That’s true. And in a way I have you to thank.”
“At least there was something positive out of my leaving.”
Her head tilted. “But you left to follow your own passion. That in itself is a positive thing.”
He finished putting the bandages on her foot and rested his hand on her ankle. “I thought so, but in the end, it wasn’t very positive at all.” He inhaled, his chest rising and falling with the movement. “I quit my job. And not because I didn’t love it. I did. But I was up for a promotion that was as good as mine, only for my boss to bring in his inexperienced nephew for the position. I couldn’t stay there, so I quit and now I’m here.”
“Well, that’s really shitty,” she exclaimed.
He laughed. “That is definitely one way to look at it.”
“There really is no other way to look at it. Your boss is a jerk.” She rested her hand on his and waited for his eyes to meet hers. “You’ll find something else. Something that you love just as much, if not more.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so.” She smiled. “You always land on your feet. Like senior year when you were failing English and by the fourth quarter you were on the Dean’s List. Or the time you literally landed on your feet when you fell out of the tree after you and Milo made a bet to see who could climb higher.”
“I would’ve won if that bug didn’t fly at my face.”
Isla laughed. “Sure, blame it on the bug.”
“It attacked me.”
“You were in its space.”
“Are you really defending the bug?”
“Just saying.”
His eyes locked on hers, a smile spreading across his face. He was so close, closer than he’d been in a long time, and she missed him more than ever. Even though he was right in front of her, there for her to touch, the ache of missing him grew. She couldn’t touch him. Not anymore.
“The pizza should be here soon.”
She stood and throbbing pain shot through her foot. Her body swayed in an attempt to stop the pain. She threw her arms out, hoping to grab anything before she fell over. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, and she sighed a breath of relief as she shifted her weight to Nolan.
