“Maybe because if you don’t, I’m liable to impale you with this peeler.”
“Eh, it doesn’t look too sharp to me. I’ll risk it.”
“I could always pick up one of those knives from the butcher block…”
“Hadley!” my mom chided. “That’s a little too much, don’t you think?”
I scowled at Calder.
His grin only grew. “It’s not my fault I’m her favorite.”
Mom patted his shoulder. “You really are. You gave me grandbabies. You don’t cause me to have heart attacks—”
“He’s a freaking firefighter,” I argued. “That doesn’t give you a heart attack?”
“Calder knows how to handle himself.”
I knew he did, but accidents could happen anyway. I shook my head and turned back to my peeling.
Dinner went by with its usual mixture of conversations. Calder sat next to me, bringing his chair in even closer to mine as dessert was served.
“What are you doing?” I hissed.
“Getting comfortable. Do you have a problem with that?”
Yes, I did. Because I had no idea what was running through Calder’s mind, and the lingering touches were driving me mad. “I’m fighting the urge to stab you with my fork.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Then you’ll be the one who has to care for me. You’re the EMT.”
I growled at him. Full-on growled. I needed space. To feel like I could actually take a full breath. That I could think straight. None of that was possible with Calder so close.
I popped the last piece of brownie into my mouth. “I’m sorry to eat and run, but I have an early morning tomorrow.” It was a lie, but I’d deceive the pope himself if it gave me some space from Calder right now. “Anyone else done? I’ll clear plates.”
A few people said they were, and I moved around the table, stacking plates and cutlery. As I bent over to take Hayes’, my mom gasped. “Hadley! What in the world happened to your back?”
She lifted the back of my shirt, which I was sure revealed the purpling bruises there. I pulled out of her grasp. “I took a tumble when I was mountain biking. It’s just some bruises, nothing serious.”
“Did you go to a doctor?”
“No,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’m an EMT. I would know if I were seriously injured.”
Mom straightened in her chair. “You might be an EMT, but you’re not a medical doctor. They have more training. Tests they can do. I want you to go first thing in the morning and get an x-ray.”
“I’m fine. I’m not paying to see a doctor and have tests done that I don’t need.”
“I’ll pay for it if money’s the issue. If you would’ve gone to college like I suggested—”
“Mom, stop. I’m okay. But please don’t do this.” I was begging. I didn’t care. I didn’t have it in me with everything that was or wasn’t going on with Calder to deal with my mother, too.
“Don’t do what? Care about my daughter? How dare I?”
“Julia,” my dad said softly. “She’s taken worse spills than this. She’ll be okay.”
Mom’s eyes hardened. “I know she has. So why for the love of all that’s holy does she keep up with all of these reckless hobbies?”
I moved towards the kitchen, setting the plates in the sink. Raised voices sounded from the table, but I did my best to block them out as I moved towards the door. A hand caught my elbow, and I whirled.
Calder was right there. “Hey, it’s just me.”