Stages of Grace - By Carey Heywood Page 0,39

will have to work on my dismount."

"How does your knee feel?"

"It's fine. I feel a bit silly you had to carry me and even with my fall I had a great time. The water was beautiful. Really, thank you so much for taking me."

Conversation ceases for a bit once our food arrives. Hands down the best burger I have ever had. It's so thick I follow Ryan's lead and squish it before trying to take a bite. The onion rings are amazing as well. The perfect level of crispiness. I’m happy this place isn’t a chain or I’d fear for my arteries. I ask Ryan what made him settle down in Florida. It seems somewhat tame after all the places he talked about. It turns out the owner of the house he rents is an old friend he'd done some of his traveling with. They had come up with the idea of the business together, and since his friend is wealthy, he said he would put up the investment if Ryan ran the place. His friend is American and wanted to keep the business stateside.

"So where's your friend?"

"Jack pops in from time to time, but he never stays long. Bit of a gypsy. I think he's in Indonesia right now."

"Do you wish you were with him?"

"I love to travel, and there are still many places I want to see. I usually try and take one trip a year, but I like sleeping in my own bed."

"Someday I'd like to travel, maybe go outside of the US."

"What's stopping you?"

"Work, money, fear of the unknown."

"And your Jon? Does he like to travel?"

I shrug, uncomfortable that I don’t even know the answer to that. While Ryan may think it's a strange, non-answer, he doesn’t push. After finishing our food and paying the check, we stand to leave. When Ryan notices me grimace he talks me into letting him double check my bandages once we are at the car. I patiently sit in the passenger seat, my legs facing out as Ryan inspects my knee. I try explaining to him that I'm fine and that it's just stiff and all I need to do is put ice on it once we get back to Kate's, but Ryan isn’t convinced. I don’t press it; I'm enjoying his hands on my legs too much, wondering if maybe he's making a big deal just so he can touch me. I shake off the idea of him being interested in me; he's just a nice guy. Since my bleeding had stopped ages ago, Ryan finally admits an ice pack is a good idea and looks guilty when he warns me I'll probably have a nasty bruise.

"Ryan, seriously. Relax. I bruise easy. It's not a big deal. I'm a total klutz."

"So Grace is not very graceful?"

"No," I laugh. "I most certainly am not."

Ryan thinks this is funny and teases me about it most of the way home, asking me for examples of my klutziest moments. I have plenty to share. My story about crashing a Segway on a rogue speed bump almost makes him cry, he is laughing so hard. I can't help but laugh, his laughter is contagious. I stress how much it hurt at the time but that only makes him crack up more, until I find myself shaking with laughter along with him. After I catch my breath I tell him how I had been with my parents and can still remember how angry my father had gotten at the rental guy. At the time, I didn’t have health insurance and had been happy and felt lucky I had not broken anything. I had jumped up after my crash, checking myself for broken bones and said I'm fine, I'm good over and over. Looking back, I'm not sure if I was trying to convince my father or myself.

When we get back to my grandmother's house, I take a quick shower and change into some khaki shorts and a tank. Then Ryan gets me all set on a lounge chair with an ice pack. I'm unsuccessful trying to take care of myself, and once Ryan tells Kate about my knee, she gangs up on me as well. As much as I fight the attention, I secretly enjoy it, knowing Jon would not have spared my knee a second glance. Once they're satisfied I am comfortable, Kate gets us all caught up on gossip from her knitting group, excited to announce the grandson of one of the members