“Ow . . . ow!”
Shit!
I rushed over to her, then knelt down. “Are you okay?”
She looked up at me in a daze, her blue eyes glistening.
God, she’s beautiful. Even when she is a mess.
“What . . . what are you doing here?”
“Can you move your leg?”
“It’s my ankle and foot mostly. But everything hurts.”
A couple of employees surrounded us. “Do you need assistance?”
She held out her hand. “No, I’ll be fine.”
“We can call an ambulance. Are you sure?” one of them asked.
“Yes.” She turned to me. “You didn’t answer me. What are you doing here?”
Why was she so concerned with that when she could barely move?
“Is that really relevant? Iris sent me here to run an errand for her.”
“That’s strange. I mentioned to her that I was coming here. Why didn’t she just ask me?”
I have my theories.
When she tried to move her ankle again, she cringed. “Ow.”
“We’d better get you checked out. I’ll drive you to the hospital. Can you stand?”
Blowing out a breath, she said, “Let’s find out.”
Offering her my hand, I helped her up slowly.
Charlotte immediately winced when she tried walking. “This is not good.” She leaned on me as she limped.
I had her wait for me at the entrance while I went to retrieve my car.
Helping her into the vehicle, I said, “I’m surprised you lost control so easily. I was watching you before it happened—before I realized it was you. Your balance was pretty impressive.”
“Well, if I’d known you were watching me, I’m sure my concentration would have suffered. And I lost control because you freaked me out when you called my name. You weren’t supposed to be there.”
I walked around to the driver’s seat, then said, “You might want to consider wearing something less revealing. You had quite the cheering squad of men admiring your little hot pants.”
“Were you one of them?” She cocked her brow, then moved her seat back before kicking her leg up on my dash.
Hell yes, I was . . .
I refused to acknowledge her question.
She laughed. “The answer is in your silence, Eastwood.”
Weaving in and out of traffic, I said, “I’m your boss, Charlotte. All I would need to do is tell you I was admiring you in that way, and you could go after me for sexual harassment.”
“I would never do that to you—ever.”
I believed her. Charlotte wasn’t trying to trap me. She wasn’t an opportunist, either. Sometimes I wish she were, so I could find some kind of real fault in her.
Keeping my eyes on the road was always a challenge with Charlotte in the car.
I glanced over at her. “Rock climbing, huh? Right after I told you I rock climbed? Original. I see your stalkerish tendencies are still in full effect. You mean to tell me this was a coincidence?”
“Not at all. You gave me the idea. I have no problem admitting that. I figured if you liked it, it must be worthwhile, since there’s so little you seem to enjoy.”
I chuckled. “What are you basing that opinion on?”
“You work long days and then you go home. There’s little room for anything else.”
“How do you know what I do after I go home at night?”
“Well, I’m privy to your entire schedule for the most part. I’m assuming there’s not a lot of time for extracurricular activities based on your hours. You work a lot of weekend showings, too.”
“If I wanted to get something past you, I would, Darling.”
“Darling as in my last name, with a big D not a little d, right? That’s okay, I like big Ds.”
She did not just say that.
I bet you do, Charlotte. And in another life, maybe I’d give it to you.CHAPTER 21
CHARLOTTE
Reed took me to the emergency room at New York–Presbyterian. He’d stepped out to take a phone call when the physician entered the room.
“The results of your X-ray indicate that it’s just a sprain. You’re very lucky, Miss Darling.” He handed the paperwork over to the attending nurse.
“So what do I need to do?”
“Keep off your feet for a couple of days. I’ll leave you with this boot and crutches.” He helped me slip my foot into the boot before making his way out of the room.
Reed passed the doctor on his way back in from the hallway.
“Would you mind helping me up off the bed?” I asked.
He looked down at my boot, then up at me. “Of course.”
“Thank you.”
He extended his hand. I took it, selfishly loving that I’d touched Reed more in the last two hours than I had in the entire time I’d known him. He looked particularly hot right now, too. His hair was a bit tousled, and he’d loosened his collar at the top. He’d come to Extreme Climb straight from work in his suit and bow tie, but over the course of the evening, he’d slowly come undone a little. I loved “undone” Reed.