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Kandace had my wrist and was examining the injury.
“Huh. He got you to hold his hand after all. Tricky bastard,” Andrew teased.
Right now? Really?
Kandace shot him a raised eyebrow look, then turned back to me. “It wasn’t at that angle before, was it?”
I hadn’t really looked, but now I examined my thumb. “No. It doesn’t usually sit at an angle. Are you a doctor?” Stupid question. The screenplay would say that if she was a doctor. Though, come to think of it, the story kind of glossed over her profession.
“No. I’m a mother.” Her tone was cool, but in alet’s handle the crisiskind of way, rather than the icy brush off she gave me earlier.
“I’m so sorry.” One of the interns handed over a plastic bag filled with ice. “I tripped. I didn’t mean… I’m so sorry.”
Everyone was watching us. Me. I didn’t care for this kind of attention anyway, but I really didn’t want it while I was sitting here trying to bite back the pain.
“Don’t they have work to do?” Kandace glanced at Andrew.
Yup, this was the woman from the script. Practical. Decisive. Possibly the smartest person in the room.
Andrew gave a curt nod and whistled sharply. “No one died and no one is going to die. Go do something else.”
“Hold this here, in whatever way hurts the least.” Kandace pressed the ice pack to my hand.
It was probably the pain talking, but I swore little sparkles danced around her. The actress playing adult-Kandace in the movie didn’t hold a candle to her anyway, but I was pretty sure sparkles floated around her now.
Nope, that was the pain making me loopy.
“Should we call an ambulance?” Andrew asked.
Probably a good idea.
Kandace shook her head. “Out here? It’ll take too long. I’ll drive him.”
“If you didn’t want the grand tour, you could’ve just said so,” Andrew said.
Kandace glared at him. “Tour’s over. You’re going to bring that up now?”
They were going to argue now? With my thumb bent like a banana?
“I make jokes in stressful situations. That’s what I do.” Andrew shrugged.
“Pretty sure the second half of that sentence wasn’t necessary.” Kandace turned to me. “I’ll drive you, if you’re okay with that.”
Right. I could actually participate in this conversation. “Please.”
Andrew stopped Kandace as she and I were walking away. His voice was quiet—who knew that was possible?—but I caught something about her using the company card if there was a bill, and making sure all the workman’s comp got filled out.
Kandace joined me again and we walked in silence to the parking lot. Which wasn’t great. Without the bedlam to observe, my brain was free to home in onfuck, this hurts. I wasn’t sure I trusted myself to speak, though. What came out would either be whimper, or something else that might bring that stony mask back she’d put on earlier.
I hadn’t meant to offend her. I never did things like ask strangers out to lunch, especially with lines about them being pretty. Joystick probably wouldn’t have fucked things up so badly.
Great—he was the last person I needed to be thinking about.
Ooh, I could play thewhich car does she drivegame. Something practical. Subtle, but classy. Something that wouldn’t stand out, but was pristine.
The lights blinked and the alarm chirped on a candy red Mercedes SUV, and she pointed us in that direction.
As we climbed into the truck, my thumb throbbed with insistence. So much for blocking that out.
