in case she falls or needs something she can’t reach. I think another few days and she’ll be fine on her own for brief periods of time.”
“I’m so glad you called. I would have been sitting at home watching a baseball game anyway. This is much more fun.”
“You have a strange idea of fun, if you think hanging around babysitting an invalid will be at all entertaining,” Juliet snapped, then felt crusty and cranky, like a sour old lady in need of a nap.
He ignored her, just like everyone else did, and held up his bags. “I brought things to make dinner. I hope you haven’t eaten. I thought I would make linguine and clams, since I know how much you like it.”
Juliet’s appetite seemed to have disappeared since her accident, thanks mostly to the painkillers she hated, but her mouth watered suddenly. She really did love his linguine with white clam sauce, which he made with fresh butter and Italian parsley.
“That sounds delicious,” Olivia said.
“I would offer to save you some leftovers but we usually don’t have any,” Henry said.
Still looking reluctant, she picked up a large purse from the entry table. “I shouldn’t be too late.”
“Take your time. We’ll be fine,” Henry assured her.
Juliet wasn’t so certain. She wasn’t sure it was a good idea to be alone with him right now, when she was feeling so weak and vulnerable.
“Don’t forget to take a jacket,” she said as her daughter was leaving. “Evenings are still cool here.”
Okay, her daughter was thirty. But Juliet would always be her mother and would always worry about her, whether Olivia liked it or not.
Her daughter lifted her bag. “Got one in here. Along with an umbrella, pepper spray, a flashlight and an extra phone charger.”
“Sounds like you’re covered,” Henry said.
“You can’t be too careful,” Juliet said, feeling even more like an old lady with every passing moment.
“You two have fun. Thanks again, Henry.”
The house, her refuge and her sanctuary, seemed to echo with emptiness after Olivia left. Otis stood at the door for a moment, as if making sure his owner wasn’t coming right back. Eventually he wandered back over to Juliet, who ignored the pain and scooped down to lift him into her lap.
“You could let me do that for you.”
“He only weighs five or six pounds. I should be good.” She paused. “I know you told Olivia you would stay here the whole time but you really don’t have to.”
“I’m staying. I’m looking forward to it. Why wouldn’t I be? It’s a lovely spring evening in Cape Sanctuary. You’ve got the windows open. I can smell the flowers and the sea and I can hear the sound of the waves. What’s not to love?”
Juliet sighed. Why did he have to be so blasted cheerful all the time? She hurt and wanted to wallow in her misery. That was extremely hard to manage around Henry Cragun.
“I’m going to start dinner.”
“I can help.”
“Not necessary. You stay right there and let me wait on you for once, unless you’d rather go outside.”
“I would enjoy that,” she admitted. She felt as if she had been cooped up inside for months. This was a horrible time of year to be down with an injury. Spring was the most glorious season here in Cape Sanctuary and she was missing it because of a single act of stupidity. “I would love to go out to the back terrace but I don’t think we can manage. You could just wheel me out to the porch.”
“Why can’t we go out back?” he asked, with the air of a man who had just been issued a challenge.
“Because you built the ramp out front. To use the terrace, you would have to wheel me around on the grass. It will be too hard.”
It sounded ridiculous when she said it aloud. Why would he have trouble, for heaven’s sake? The man worked outside all day digging holes for plants, carting around hundred-pound bags full of mulch.
“We should absolutely eat out there. Do you want to go out now or when dinner is ready? The pasta is quick. It should only take me about twenty minutes.”
“I’m good here for now.” He was right. Why wouldn’t she be good? She had the dog, the breeze, her book and the added advantage of being able to enjoy the guilty pleasure of watching him cook.
She settled in her recliner while he went to work, grateful for the open floor plan on this level of the cottage