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“Whose boat is it?”

I looked up. “Pardon?”

She smiled. “It’s both your boat. If you’re the only one keeping things smooth sailing, that’s not fair, is it?”

Her comment landed harder than I expected.

As if she sensed it, Mrs. Rivers shifted in her chair, and her gaze dropped to her cast. “This is my nineteenth one.”

I blinked. “Your nineteenth cast?”

“Yep.”

“That’s a lot of breaks.”

“My orthopedist has four kids. I’m putting them all through Ivy League colleges.” She smiled again. “I have a genetic condition where my blood doesn’t make enough collagen to keep my bones as strong as most people’s.”

Calder had told me this, but I just nodded. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It could be worse. I have a moderate case. Some people have the severe form and have hundreds of fractures over their lifetime. I just feel badly that I have to rely on people now, like Rafe.” Her expression softened. “I don’t even ask him for help. He just shows up like a superhero. A few years ago, he even dropped out of college for a semester to take care of me. That time I’d broken my back.”

“Wow.”

She shook her head. “I told him not to. I forbid it, actually. But he’s stubborn.”

I smiled. “Sounds like he really loves you.”

“He does. But loving someone doesn’t mean asking them to give up pieces of their life for you.”

Her words poked at me again.

Mrs. Rivers waved her hand. “I’ve been jabbering long enough. You go enjoy your day. Thank you again for your help.”

“Anytime. I mean that.”

I headed up the stairs. When I reached the second-floor landing, Rafe’s door was open. I knocked lightly, but it only nudged the door wider—just enough for me to see inside. Rafe was doing pull-ups again, with his back to me. And wow. His muscles flexed with each controlled movement, and a sheen of sweat caught the light from the window. I felt myself breathing along with his rhythm as I watched—arms flex and up…shoulders tighten and down. After what could’ve been ten seconds or ten minutes—I really had no damn idea—I realized however long I’d been standing there was too long.

He pulled himself up again, held for a few seconds, then dropped to the floor and turned. I jumped, like I’d been caught doing something I absolutely shouldn’t have been doing.

Rafe’s brows lifted slightly, and a slow smile spread across his face, like he knew I’d been standing there for a while.

“Hey,” he said, reaching up to pull his AirPods out. He bent to grab a towel from the floor, and as he did, his gaze swept over me.

Or maybe I imagined it.

“Hi.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, suddenly very aware of my tight leggings and midriff-baring tank top. I was also slightly out of breath again, and it had nothing to do with my run anymore.

He dragged the towel over the back of his neck. “Haven’t seen you in a few days.”

“Yeah, I’ve been…busy.”

With what exactly? I asked myself. Avoiding thinking about my life? Avoiding you?

His eyes moved over my face. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” I nodded, as if extra proof was needed to confirm I wasn’t lying. “I just got back from a run, and when I came in, your aunt was calling for you.”

His expression shifted immediately. “She was?”