She leaned against the counter and looked at him in puzzlement. “Why is that extravagant? Don’t you deserve to live as normal a life as possible during your recovery? Why should you stay cooped up here, when you could get out and do things? I mean, unless you’re in pain, then I’d understand.”
Jamie shook his head. “No, I’m not in pain.”
Not much, anyway. And not enough to make him turn down the offer she was extending. Even the cost of the rental vehicle was worth it. He’d been saving his money for the past few years in order to build a little place somewhere nearby. A couple hundred bucks for a rental wasn’t going to break him financially. He knew Rachel hadn’t given the added expense a second thought. She was probably accustomed to clients who were rolling in money and willing to pay top dollar for the smallest convenience. He might not be rich, but he’d pay whatever price she asked if it meant spending more time in her company.
“Good, then it’s settled.” She smiled brightly. “I’ll head up to Whitefish and pick up a vehicle this morning, so start thinking about where you might like to go. That reminds me—” She broke off and gave him a doubtful look. “Do you have a wheelchair?”
“I do.”
“Great, because if you think you’re just going to sit in the car while I chauffeur you around, think again. We are getting out and moving.” Before he could respond, she turned back to her tablet. “So that takes care of the main issues. We’ll figure the rest out as we go along.”
Jamie felt a little dazed. He’d been so certain Rachel would try to find reasons not to spend time with him, yet here she was, inserting herself neatly into his life as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He had to remind himself that for her, this was just a job. She’d likely do the same thing for any other poor bastard. The thought deflated his ego just a bit.
“Sounds good,” he responded, and hitched his crutches beneath his arms. “Is that it?”
If she noticed his surly tone, she gave no indication. She consulted her tablet and nodded in satisfaction. “I think so. I just need your cell phone number. I can’t help you if I can’t reach you.”
Jamie watched as she punched his number into her phone, and then gathered up her tablet. Up close, her skin was fine and creamy, and he could see a tiny pulse beating at the base of her slender throat. She wore a deep pink, sleeveless blouse with a pair of jeans, and her arms were slim and toned. The denim hugged the curve of her hips like a second skin. Jamie ached to touch her.
“So we’re done?”
“For now. I’ll go get a car for us. I should be back after lunch, so think about what you might like to do this afternoon.” She glanced outside. “It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day.”
“Why are you doing this?”
Rachel turned back to him, her eyes wide. “Doing what?”
He gave her a patient look. “You don’t need to cater to me. I’m perfectly happy just hanging out here on my own for the next two weeks.” Seeing her expression, he raised a hand. “Don’t get me wrong; I’d rather spend time with you than by myself, but I don’t want you to feel like you’re under any obligation to do this. And don’t worry—I won’t rat you out to our parents. I’ll tell them you took good care of me. But you don’t have to sacrifice your free time for me.”
“Is that what you think I’m doing?”
“Isn’t it?”
She looked indignant. “I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t want to. As long as we’re being honest, when my mother first suggested I help you out, I was against it.”
“So don’t do it.” He could have bitten his tongue off as soon as the words left his mouth. What if she called his bluff?
“In fact,” she continued, ignoring him, “right up until I came over this morning, I wasn’t sure how much time I wanted to spend with you. But…”
Her sentence hung in the air between them, until Jamie took the bait.
“But what?”
She gave a shrug of one slim shoulder. “After my parents left this morning, I sat in the kitchen for nearly four hours, wondering what I was going to do for the next two weeks. Just four hours, and I was nearly crawling out of my skin with boredom.”
“I’m sure you would have figured something out.”
“I won’t lie,” she said. “I came over here thinking I’d just leave you my number and that would be it. You wouldn’t want me interfering in your life, and I could at least tell my parents I offered to help you. Then we could each go our separate ways.”