“A friend of mine. Married to Hayes’ brother, Beckett. She’s got a heart of gold, and when she heard you were in town and didn’t have friends here, she made it her mission to make you feel welcome.”
I watched Boden’s reaction, on the lookout for any sign that he might bristle at locals trying to worm their way into his life. Instead, a grin spread across his face. “You’re talking to your friends about me?”
I rolled my eyes. “Please don’t get a big head. Ev saw you drive through town. That’s how the whole conversation started.”
“Mm-hmm, sure.”
I slapped Boden with a kitchen towel. “Someone needs to have a look at your ego, it might cause a brain bleed.”
“I’d love to go to dinner with your friends. Just tell me where and when.”
I fought the urge to squirm. “I’ll ask Addie.”
I bent to put a plate into the dishwasher, and my back spasmed. I lost my grip on the dish, and it clattered into the machine.
Boden was at my side in a flash, helping me stand. “What is it? Your back?”
I nodded, eyes watering. “Sitting on chairs with no back isn’t always the best.”
He glared at me. “Why didn’t you say something? We could’ve eaten at the dining table.”
“I thought it would be okay. It wasn’t long.”
“But you’ve had a long day, and your back was already hurting.”
I bit the inside of my cheek so I didn’t bite Boden’s head off. “Sometimes, I don’t want everyone around me to have to make concessions because my body can’t keep up like the rest of yours.”
“Sitting at a table instead of a bar is hardly a concession.” He guided me towards the large couch in the living room that was practically wide enough to be a double bed. “Sit down.”
“Stop bossing me.”
“I will when you sit down.”
I scowled at Boden as I lowered myself to the cushion but couldn’t hold back my wince as I did.
He sat next to me. “Is there some medicine you can take?”
“Not really. I only take the hard stuff for special occasions when I have to be on my feet for hours.”
“Like exhibit openings.”
I nodded. “The rest of the time, I muddle through.” It was the deal I’d made with myself long ago, and it was a promise I planned to keep.
“What does it feel like?”
My gaze shot to Boden’s face. No one had ever asked that before. No one besides a doctor, anyway. People would ask if I was in pain, but they didn’t try to understand it. Because they didn’t want to know all the ways a body could betray you.
For the first time in years, I tried to put the sensations into words. “My back is like a mortar and pestle. Like someone’s grinding into the muscle and bone there. Sometimes, I get a cramp or spasm—like now—and it can take time for my body to calm down. To realize we’re not about to do battle.”
“It’s not just your back.”
It wasn’t a question, but I shook my head anyway. “I get pretty bad nerve pain in my legs. It makes them feel as if they’re on fire. Usually, an ice bath helps with that if I can maneuver a bag of ice to my tub.”
Boden’s jaw worked back and forth. “Are you feeling that now?”
I nodded slowly. “It’s not too bad.”
He stood. “Stay here. I have an idea.”