“I haven’t been able to use it since the accident, which is a serious bummer because it’s so much damn fun. Actually, I haven’t done much of anything fun since that accident.”
He offered her a mug.
“Mmmm.” She smiled in anticipation. “Thank you. Coffee or chocolate?”
“Chocolate.” He set his own mug on the coffee table. “And don’t even think about asking me what this scores on the glycemic index. Or if the chocolate came from liberated parts of Kenya.” He lifted the blanket. “Get over here.”
This was sweet. Really sweet. A warm spot burned near her heart, but it quickly faded. She wished someone in her life would do this kind of thing for her because they wanted to, not because they wanted something from her. She couldn’t seem to steer her life away from that ulterior motive, even after leaving the business.
“Stop looking so suspicious,” Noah said, “and sit down.”
Returning to the sofa, she sat in one corner and curled her feet underneath her. “I’m impressed you know what a glycemic index is.”
He tossed the blanket over her legs, then sat on the edge of the coffee table and picked up his mug. Julia swiped a finger through the whipped cream, then sucked it off with a hum of pleasure. Noah’s cup stopped halfway to his lips, and his hot denim gaze followed the path of her finger, then held on her lips. A flutter tickled her gut.
She plucked her finger from her mouth. “Let me see your reports.”
His shoulders slumped as he groaned. “But we’re getting along so well.”
She pulled one foot out from beneath her to nudge his knee with her foot through the blanket. “Get.”
He sighed dramatically and set down his mug again to retrieve the envelope from the kitchen, but she could tell the tension between them had evaporated. And without the morning’s stress hovering, they got along great. They had that laid-back camaraderie unique to serious athletes. Julia attributed the bond between athletes to the way they were constantly exposed to groups and teams and camps where everyone had to work together and get along or live in misery. Noah definitely displayed that rare ability to let go of tensions for the sake of sanity. Something she both appreciated and admired.
With his laptop and the envelope, he returned to the table and set the paper reports down beside her. “If I’m going to die, I don’t want to know.” He picked up his mug and added, “Unless I’m not ever going to board again. Then I’d rather you told me I was going to die.”
“Oh, the drama.” She laughed over the rim of her mug. “As if your entire life revolves around five feet of fiberglass.”
“Well…” He shrugged. “It sorta does.”
Before diving into the reports and images, she took a sip of the cocoa to test its temperature. The zing of mint touched her tongue, immediately followed by the gentle burn of alcohol. Another pleasurable hum slid through her, and she took a deeper drink, relishing the bite he’d added.
When she swallowed, the heat tingled down her throat and spread into her chest, she smiled at him. “You little devil. Peppermint schnapps?”
“Makes all the difference, doesn’t it?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Did you add it to yours too?”
“I don’t want to see alcohol again for a month, thanks.”
“Good boy.” She took another deep drink. “Mmmm, so good. Haven’t had this in a really long time.” In fact, she hadn’t had a drink in months. Nor had she eaten anything in about eight hours. And he was heavy-handed with the alcohol.
But with no plans to drive, and her exercise for the day behind her, Julia let herself enjoy the treat for a change. With one hand around her mug, she used the other to sort the reports by date. There were X-rays, an MRI, and notes from his doctors’ visits, and she read over them in order—oldest to newest, the newest being two weeks prior.
By the time she was halfway through the MRI report, she’d finished her cocoa, and felt fifty percent more relaxed. She reached for the discs and handed them to Noah. “Can you pop one of these into your laptop?”
He took them, set down his mug, and opened his laptop. “Want another cup?”
“Love one, but I’d like to get through this first. Might not be able to read after another cup…” she trailed off as she dug deeper into the reports.
She didn’t know how long she’d been reading when he said, “You’re way too quiet, and that frown has me worried. Just tell me how much longer I have and get it over with. I’ve got a lot of stuff to do before I die.”
She smiled without looking up from the MRI report. “Like what?”
Keys clicked on the laptop, followed by a soft metallic whine as the CD was sucked into the machine. “Like…board every double, triple, and quadruple diamond in the world.”
Julia sputtered a laugh and glanced up. “The world? You don’t set your sights high at all.”
“And if I’m going to die anyway, may as well ride Everest. Be a good way to go.”