Fix Me

“You good?” Luke asked.

“So good,” I said turning my face towards him and smiling.

“Let’s go for a walk,” Mel suggested. “I want to get my feet in the water.”

Luke helped me to stand. I winced when he reached for my elbow. He immediately noticed and lifted up the gauzy arm of the coverup. “What happened?” he asked.

The alarm in his voice told me there was definitely a bruise. “What do you mean?”

“Your arm is bruised from the elbow to halfway down your arm,” he hissed, lifting the sleeve higher.

“I fell,” I said trying to sound casual.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

“Just my pride.”

“Bree, where else did you hit? Where did you fall?”

I felt the coverup that fell to my knees being raised. It was a little undignified to be looked over like a child while I stood on the beach. I had no idea how many people were around. I hoped like hell no one was watching. I heard him curse under his breath.

“What’s wrong?” Mel asked.

“You have a hell of a bruise on your hip too, but I suppose you already knew that. Is anything broken?”

“No,” I told him. “It’s just a bruise.”

“Two bruises. Deep bruises. You could have been hurt.”

“I’m fine,” I insisted, stepping away and pushing the gauzy material back over my body. I was feeling very vulnerable and wished like hell I would have said I didn’t want to go to the beach. “It’s just a bruise or two. I’ve been bruised before. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”

There was an awkward silence. I imagined Mel and Luke were exchanging looks. They were pitying me without saying it. “Alright, let’s go for that walk,” Mel said in a fake cheery tone.

I rolled my eyes and hated feeling like I had to be lied to and cheered up. I hated being the odd man out. Luke, who usually put his hand on my elbow to guide me, took my hand instead. “You could have told me,” he said in a low voice.

“It’s not a big deal,” I snapped. “Don’t make it into one.”

“You could have been hurt.”

“I could be hurt right now. A plane could drop out of the sky or a man could run down the beach and knock all of us to the ground. Shit happens. I fell. It isn’t a big deal. I’m sure I’ll probably fall a hundred more times before this life is over.”

“But this was preventable,” Luke insisted.

“Are you going to be there waiting when I step out of the shower?”

Mel burst into laughter. “Don’t tease the man, Bree.”

“You know what I mean,” I growled. “It was a fall. I tripped and fell. End of story.”

“I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” he said, with a finality in his voice that suggested he wasn’t to be argued with.

I had no idea how he planned to do that, but more power to him. I didn’t exactly enjoy falling on my ass, but it was a part of my new life.

Chapter Fourteen

Luke

I WALKED INTO THE HOUSE, leaving Bree and Mel alone to say their goodbyes. I was furious with myse