breathe again. All she had to do was keep him at arm’s length. If he kept being so nice, she might let down her walls. Then no one would come out on top. The thought fleeted through her mind that having a winner would also create a loser. She pushed that thought out of her mind as quickly as she could.
She focused on rotating her foot and grimaced as pain shot up her leg. Glancing around the room, her eye caught on a blanket nearby resting in a basket under a table with a lamp on it. She paused and studied the lamp. The whole thing was white, but the details carved into it were something else. Wild horses ran around the bottom and the texture smoothed as her eyes trailed up toward the bulb. It was beautiful.
But she wasn’t here to admire the Johnsons’ décor. And she wasn’t about to call AJ in to help her. Now that she’d been able to rest, her whole body radiated with aches. The tumble she went through was worse than she thought. She’d just have to sleep on the couch.
As she inched toward the edge of the couch, she could hear clanging sounds coming from another part of the house. What was AJ up to? She could have sworn he’d gone up to bed. It almost sounded like he was doing dishes.
Kate shook her head and reached for the blanket. It was just out of reach and she was already teetering from her position on the cushion. She should just sit. But the pain shooting through her body was a good indication she wouldn’t be able to prop herself up again. Just a few more inches. She could keep her balance if she focused.
Her fingertips touched the thick woven fabric and she clawed at it. It was too heavy. There was no way she would be able to pull it up and over her. She gritted her teeth. She wasn’t a quitter.
Scooting just a bit farther, she grabbed the blanket and winced as she yanked on it hard. The small side table it was under rattled and the lamp atop wobbled. Kate gasped. “No no no no.” She lurched for it, her fingers grazing the smooth white ceramic, but it was too late. The lamp tumbled from the table and landed on the wood floor with a resounding crash.
Her throat caught in her chest as she peered over the armrest to see the ceramic pieces scattered across the floor. The light flickered but hadn’t broken. The lamp shade was slightly bent.
Hurried footsteps rounded the hall. Her head shot up as she took in AJ, his chest heaving and a spatula in his hand. His wide eyes surveyed the room before landing on her. She flinched under his angry stare. “What happened?”
Kate dropped the blanket and looked away. “I’m so sorry. I was trying to get that blanket but I couldn’t reach it and then it got stuck under the table and—”
AJ strode toward her and smacked the spatula on the coffee table. His hands snatched up the blanket and he muttered, “Why didn’t you just call for me to help you? I would have been here right away.” He shook out the blanket until he had it large enough to drape over her. Carefully, he laid it over her and walked around the table.
Standing with his hands on his hips, he shook his head. “That one was my great-grandmother’s lamp.”
Kate’s chest tightened. “It was?”
He nodded, his lips pursed. AJ turned his dark green eyes on her. “Don’t move.” He spun on his heel and left the room.
Kate’s hands covered her face and she fought the emotion rising in her throat. She shouldn’t be crying. Accidents happened and she couldn’t see Hazel getting terribly mad at her. She’d be upset, but she’d also tell Kate it was fine.
Digging her fingers into her scalp, Kate lay back and groaned. She needed to get out of there before something else she regretted happened. She should have just gone to her place. Her hands dropped. That’s exactly where she’d be going. Even if the pain was so intense she passed out, she’d go home and recuperate. With some aspirin and a good night’s sleep, she might be able to do some work from her home office.
She tossed the blanket aside and sat up. Pain shot through her leg as she moved it off the stack of pillows and to the floor. Maybe it was broken—or slightly