He eyed me with deep suspicion, like I might rip his ankle clean off his leg. "Are you a registered nurse?"
I rolled my eyes. "No, princess, I'm not a nurse. But I've taken first aid classes, so I'm qualified to look at her your ankle without killing you."
Even though I'd kind of like to do that. Never in my life had I fantasized about murdering someone, but I did now. And the more time I spent around Nico, the more gruesome those fantasies got. The one that went through my head while I palpated his ankle involved a chainsaw.
He squealed. Seriously. Like a little pink piggy.
"Calm down," I said in my patient, professional voice, the one Eve had taught me. She'd told me everyone needed to have a voice like that for dealing with annoying people. Damn, she was right. I told Nico, "I'm barely touching you, so just try to relax while I gently feel your ankle to check for injuries. Okay?"
He nodded, his bottom lip quivering.
And yeah, he had tears forming in his eyes.
I focused on his ankle. Once I'd finished checking it out, I said, "No broken bones. But if it keeps hurting"---I held up a hand to stop him when he opened his mouth, to complain, no doubt---"I'll take you to the hospital. But only if it's super painful. Got it?"
"Yeah," he mumbled.
A squirrel chattered from high above us.
Nico screamed.
My ears hurt. I was kneeling right beside him, a few feet from his big mouth.
"That's a squirrel," I told him when he stopped screaming. "It won't hurt you."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." I sighed. "I'll help you get up, and you can lean on me while we walk back to the guest house. If you can't manage that, I'll go get somebody to help me carry you. Okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
Nico was being polite. I'd known the guy for maybe an hour, but he'd acted like a jerk the whole time. I guessed getting injured while fleeing from a raccoon had made him humbler. At least for now.
I shoved my arms under his and hefted him up, careful not to bump his ankle or get it bent wrong. He threw an arm around me, and I kept my arm around him. Oh yeah, this was how I'd imagined spending my afternoon. Hugging Mara's ex-husband.
We started down the trail. It was slow going, with Nico limping, but we made gradual progress toward the trailhead. Nico got winded twice, and we stopped so he could rest. Maybe his ankle really did hurt a lot. I had to assume it did and give him the benefit of the doubt. When we trudged out of the woods, Val saw us. He'd been standing at the edge of the lawn, at this end, so he ran over to help me get Nico into the main house. It was closer than the guest house.
Nico didn't even bitch about a naked guy assisting him.
After a lot of wrangling, we got Nico on the sofa in the living room, lying lengthwise on it with his ankle propped up on pillows.
"We have Tylenol and Advil," Val said to Nico. "Would you like either of those?"
"Advil," he said. "Thanks."
I sat down on an armchair across from Nico. "How's your ankle?"
"Kind of better. Still hurts like a son of a bitch, though."
"Maybe I should get you some ice."
"That might help. Thanks."
By the time I got the ice, Val had given Nico the Advil, and Mara and Eve had come to see what was happening. We finally decided Nico didn't need a doctor---and he actually agreed. His room in the guest house was upstairs, so Eve and Val offered to stay there instead so he could sleep in their room here.
Mara's parents seemed kind of annoyed by Nico's needy, whiny behavior. Because yeah, the guy kept complaining and demanding everybody get him things, like water "not from the tap but with electrolytes" and "organic gluten-free crackers with sea salt." Luckily, we had bottled water and those funky crackers, though not organic ones, thanks to Eve's insistence we try to accommodate anything our guests might want. Some people genuinely needed gluten-free foods, but Nico just wanted that because it was trendy. I knew because I asked if he had any food allergies, and he said no.
When Mara and I finally got to our rooms in the guest house, we were so tired, mentally and physically, that we kissed each other good night and went to bed.
Man, what a day. Mara's parents. Her ex. My ex. Jeez, what would happen tomorrow?
Chapter Twenty-One
Mara
The next day passed in a blur, with Ollie too busy to spend much time with me and Nico constantly texting me to ask for food or a drink or whatever thing he decided he had to have at the moment. I didn't see my parents much either, since I felt like I had to take care of Nico so Ollie, Eve, and Val could do their jobs instead of catering to the needs of my annoying ex. By the end of the day, I needed a break from all of it.
Nico tried to get me to sit at his bedside all night to "watch over" him, but I said no. He had dumped me. I'd given up my day for him. Why should I tend to his needs all night? It wasn't like he was dying. He didn't need a twenty-four-hour nurse for a twisted ankle. Once I'd explained that to him, Nico pouted but stopped demanding I stay with him.
I met up with Ollie in the guest house, and we walked upstairs hand in hand.
At the door to my room, we stopped. I pushed the door open and leaned against the jamb while Ollie slanted in to kiss me. It started out sweet and soft but swiftly intensified as I thrust my tongue between his lips and slid my hands up his neck to link them at his nape, tugging him closer. He groaned and responded with increased hunger,
