Lex nodded and looked down, but she didn’t say anything.

He needed to hurry. Aiden got her ice bag, wrapped her knee, and started her stim.

He should have just walked away, but he didn’t want to leave her like that. “Look, I’m not one of those people who loves to argue and try to debunk or fluster Christians. But I won’t lie to you or anyone else who asks about what I believe or don’t believe.”

She didn’t seem terribly upset – he had expected more defensiveness. What had he expected from her? Derision? He knew her better than to think she’d react that way.

Instead, she shrugged. “That’s you. That’s fine.”

Somehow, her disappointment sliced like a razor blade.

He kept watch on the clock. She finished her ice with three minutes to spare.

“I’ll wait for you out there.” Lex headed to the waiting area.

The receptionist entered the patient area as he cleaned up, and he turned to her. “Could you please tell Spenser I’ll be back in – ”

“Hi, there.” From the waiting area, the familiar purring voice carried back to him.

Oh, no.

“I’m Spenser.”

“Nice to meet you. Are you always this friendly?”

Her mildly sarcastic reply made Aiden pause as he turned the corner. Spenser hovered next to Lex, who leaned casually against the receptionist’s counter.

“Spenser, this is my patient, Lex.”

“Pleasure.” Spenser used his infamous double-hand clasp. He didn’t seem to notice when Lex’s shoulders snapped tight and her smile hardened. She snatched her hand away.

Aiden couldn’t resist. Maybe he just wanted to test her, to affirm… what? He didn’t think. He came up behind her, and making sure Spenser couldn’t see it, he placed a gentle touch at the small of her back.

She didn’t react.

Something bloomed in his chest. It felt like when he made a free throw that swished through the net.

Spenser gave a charming smile. “Aiden isn’t pushing you too hard, is he? I’ll school him for you.”

She regarded him with half-closed eyes and a cool expression. “He pushes me hard enough.”

“How dare he push a sweet thing like you? You put Hershey’s out of business.”

She burst into laughter. “Oh, come on. You can do better than that.”

Aiden had to admit Spenser took it in stride with a warm, more genuine smile than before. However, Aiden wasn’t going to let her stay and taste more of his magnetism, much less discover that he had recently broken up with his girlfriend and was Christian. Although to Aiden right now, he was more like the snake in Eden.

Aiden moved away from her, even though he wanted to stick to her like PB and J, but his physical distance would fool Spenser into believing his professional distance from her. “Sorry, Spenser, but I’m Lex’s ride home. I’ll be back in fifteen.” He headed out the door.

He paused outside so Lex could catch up to him, still staggering in her straight-legged brace. “He works at the same pharmaceutical company as Trish.”

Aiden glanced sidelong at her. “He does?”

“I didn’t actually meet him, but you went out to lunch with him that day I went to eat with Trish.”

Now he remembered. “He’s a good friend.”

“You guys are like oil and vinegar.”

“Who’s the oil, and who’s the vinegar?”

She giggled. Giggled. She’d rarely done that with him. “Oh, you’re definitely the vinegar.”

“So, he’s the oil?”

“Actually it fits him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t get me wrong, he was nice. But he’s also slick. Like my brother Richard.”

Aiden thought he hid his surprise, but she frowned as they waited for the elevator. “What?”

He shrugged. “Most women use words like ‘charming,’ ‘sweet,’ ‘cute.’ ”

Lex guffawed. “Oh, please. I grew up with guys like him. Richard’s the worst out of all my male cousins.” They entered the elevator. “They’re just boys with nice smiles. All my life, I’ve heard what they really think after the girls have gone home.”

Her mobile, expressive face smiled at him. Such a contrast to the slightly cynical mask she had with Spenser. She even looked at him differently than she looked at other guys.

Maybe she was different.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Aw, come on, Venus. Please?” Lex tried to keep her cell phone on her shoulder as she struggled to strap her leg more firmly into her brace.

“No, I’m too busy at work. I already called Trish to come pick you up.”

“Trish? Since when is she my favorite person?” Lex stood and maneuvered past her boxes toward the bathroom.

“Jenn is out of town this weekend – rather conveniently, if you ask me. So it’s either Trish or Mariko.”

Ew. “Okay. When is she coming?”

“I caught her as she left home, so she should be there soon.” A murmuring in the background claimed Venus’s attention. “No, write an action item… No, not – Lex, I’ve gotta go.” Click.

The doorbell rang.

Trish had lost weight. Dark bags sagged under her bleary eyes, and her mouth drooped in a petulant frown. “Let’s go.”

Once in the car, Trish broke the silence first. “I don’t want to talk about it, okay? We both have to survive Uncle’s birthday party, so let’s just ignore it for now.”

“Fine.” Lex’s teeth clicked together, but she uncrossed her arms.

“So… uh… How’s PT?”

That’s a loaded question. A few weeks ago, she would have told Trish all about getting the massage, conquering her fear, the triumphant feeling afterward, like… an Ultimate Fighting Champion. “It’s going well.” She couldn’t resist adding a little dig. “You know Aiden’s my therapist?”

Trish’s eyes ballooned. “Aiden’s your PT? How is he?”

“He’s really good. All my volleyball friends recommended him.”

Trish sniffed. “Has he bitten your head off about your Christian-ity yet?”

“Is that what he did with you?”

“He kept going on about it. Finally I told him I couldn’t work with him anymore because he wasn’t Christian. I didn’t like him harping on me.”

Harping didn’t sound like Aiden. And her current attitude about Trish didn’t put Lex in a mood to believe her cousin’s version of Aiden.

She kind of liked him, even though he didn’t really fit the List. But he fit one thing she hadn’t thought to add: Someone who doesn’t make me freak out when he touches me.

She wondered if it would go anywhere with him. If not, she wondered if he might be willing to pose as a boyfriend in front of Grandma. Except that would be kind of, well, lying.

They arrived at their uncle’s house, which already rang with childish screaming and collective male groaning – the Giants’ game? Probably.

Eat and leave. Here we go again.

Trish had to park a few blocks away because the earlier arrivals had taken up all the curb space. She grunted in frustration. “I hate walking. Especially in these shoes.”

She started off at a fast clip, then turned to give Lex an impatient look. “Any time this year.”

Lex stumbled after her. The doctor had cleared her off her crutches, but she wished she’d brought them so she could get in a good thwack to the upside of Trish’s head.

As soon as she walked in the door, an uncle’s beer-soaked breath reached her a millisecond before he grabbed at her. “Hey, Lexie, Trish.”

Lex snapped stiffer than an ironing board and shoved him away. Their harmless uncle became overly affectionate when supplied with Miller Genuine Draft.

“Where’s the food?” Trish headed down the narrow hallway toward the kitchen. Another cheer came from the living room -hmm, maybe they were watching the A’s game instead.

“I got you! I got you!”

Lex had only a half-second warning before two of her cousins’ children barreled around the corner of the hallway. They swished past Trish’s skirts and rammed straight into Lex’s brace.

Bonk! The little girl ricocheted off the metal frame and bounced on the wooden floor. The impact sent a sharp jolt through Lex’s knee joint.