My jaw clenched. “I’ll take care of her. Thank you again.”
Rose shuffled closer to me. “I have a coffee shop on Madison Avenue, Around the Corner. If you’re ever around, please drop by—I’d like to buy you a cup of coffee as a thank you.”
“Sure. It’s not safe for you to walk around the park this early in the morning, so be careful in the future.”
“I will. Again, thank you.”
Giving us a nod and a quick wave, Henry jogged away toward the west side.
Rose took a deep breath and sighed. I looked her over from head to toe once again, trying to assess the situation. “I feel fine now, and when Henry insisted I should call someone, I couldn’t protest. I mean, I was going to call Owen, but he probably already started on the baking and I didn’t want to take him from—”
“Rose, stop talking.” I picked up her hand, the one she was holding her phone with, and she winced. I frowned down at her, gently picking up the phone so I could hold her hand and look at the damage. The heel of her palm was scraped and there was some blood.
“Give me your other hand.”
“It’s fine.”
My mouth tightened and I kept my hand open, waiting for her. Reluctantly she held up her palm—the same scrapes, more blood.
“The ring is fine.”
“Do I look like I care about a fucking ring?” I snapped, too busy turning her hand over and gently pressing on her wrists to see if she was hurting.
“Nope, you don’t. How did you get here so fast anyway?”
“I ran.”
She was quiet for a few seconds as I examined her skin.
“You ran?”
I gave her a long look that made her lips twitch which broke my concentration.
“It’s just a bunch of surface scrapes. It’ll be fine once I wash and clean them, Jack. I’m fine. Really. No need to worry.”
“I’m not worrying.”
I ran my thumb across her palm, dislodging a few small stones that were sticking to her skin. She was right—they weren’t so bad that I would consider taking her to the hospital, but I had considered it. There was more dirt on her jeans so I assumed there were more scrapes at unseen places.
I let go of her hands, my eyes scanning her body again.
I watched as she held her hands up to her chest, rubbed the center of one, and winced.
“How did you managed to fall?”
Shifting her feet, she looked up at me under her lashes. “I was feeling a little dizzy and I fricking tripped on something. I don’t even know what it was, I wasn’t paying attention and then my ankle turned and I fell hard on my knees and hands. Henry helped me up, and I was a little shaky so he made me call someone. I couldn’t think of anyone but you. It’s nothing, I just need a little help walking, that’s all.”
I couldn’t think of anyone but you.
That shut me up for a second or two as I stared at her.
“You’re fine?” I asked with my brows raised. I reached for her hands and gently held them between us. Her palms weren’t dripping with blood, but the scrapes weren’t nothing either. “This isn’t nothing. Who knows what your knees look like.”
“I’m sure they look fine. It does hurt a little when I bend them, but only because I landed pretty hard on them, not because they’re scraped.”
Kneeling down, I looked at the foot she was trying her best not to put weight on. I rolled up her jeans once and gently wrapped my hand around her ankle. Even this. Even an innocent touch like this was starting to affect me.
“Jack?” Rose whispered and snapped me back from my thoughts.
When I pressed on a spot that was slightly red, she jerked it back.
“Yes,” I said dryly as I stood up. “You’re completely fine. Can you walk?
“Yes.”
“Okay. Let’s see how you walk.” Slipping her bag off her shoulder, I turned left, but she turned right. I stopped. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“To work, of course,” she replied with a small frown forming between her brows.
“I don’t think so.”
“Excuse me?”
“Rose, I need to take a look at what else is hurt. We’re going home.”
“I don’t think so. I’m already late so if you’re not gonna help, I’m completely fine walking on my own.”
She turned, getting ready to walk away.
“Because that turned out so well for you the last time, right?” I asked, stopping her in her tracks before