“Thanks, but that won’t be necessary.” Matt gestured with his chin toward the crowd in the center of the room. “You’ve got all the recommendations I need right here.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

OVER THE NEXT few weeks, Matt worked harder than he ever had before. He was grateful that Eli had offered the use of his house because he wasn’t sure he could have handled driving such a long distance three times a week. Penny had him on an aggressive treatment plan. She’d explained everything she was doing, but most of it went over his head. In the end, the only thing he cared about was that his shoulder hurt less and less each day. He didn’t feel like he was getting stronger yet, but at least he wasn’t in as much pain. That was something.

Matt decided to drive home in mid-February and check on his house. His sister had been checking on it for him, collecting his mail and watering the few scraggly plants he had. She and Trent were there currently to keep him company his first weekend back in town.

“So, tell us about therapy. How is Penny doing?”

Matt froze, his beer halfway to his mouth. “She’s great. Things are going well so far. I’m still supposed to wear the sling when I’m hanging at home, but she said I can take it off when I go out now.”

“That’s great, Matt. See? I was right. Penny was exactly what you needed.”

Matt made a noncommittal sound. “How are things with you? Do you still hate your job?”

He was eager to turn the conversation to his sister. She was relentless when she caught wind of something to do with his love life. He’d been mostly successful at keeping her away from the few girls he’d dated the past year. The last thing he needed was for Mara to dig her heels in and pester him about Penny. Especially since he wasn’t even sure how he felt about Penny.

“I got a promotion and I’m assisting one of the top executives now. He’s slightly less annoying than my previous manager, so that’s a plus. It also means a good pay raise.”

“That’s great, right?”

“Yeah, it is. I can finally stop worrying about money so much. I can start paying you back, too.”

“You don’t need to, I already told you that. It’s not a big deal. It was a gift.”

“I know.” Mara hooked an arm around his neck and pulled him into a quick hug. “I just feel bad taking so much money from you. What if you need it?”

Trent rapped on the table to get Mara’s attention. “If your brother is in a generous mood, just say thank you.”

“Okay, okay. I’m not trying to be ungrateful. I’ve just never had someone give me ten thousand dollars before.”

Trent spit out the sip of soda he’d just taken. “Wait, how much?”

Mara looked between the two of them uncertainly. “Ten thousand dollars. He gave me part of my down payment for the town house. I never would have been able to afford to buy it if he hadn’t done that.”

Matt shook his head. “That’s not true. I was living with you off and on for years so I wouldn’t have to pay for my own place. I appreciated you letting me crash with you. It was more like paying you back.”

Trent stood so suddenly that his chair teetered on two legs before crashing to the ground behind him. “Mara, can I talk to you?”

Mara glanced at Matt. “Sure, okay. Matt, I got those pretzel things you like. They’re in the kitchen.” She walked with Trent back toward the bedroom.

Matt got up too and wandered into the kitchen. He found the jumbo pretzel sticks and stuck two in his mouth. There probably wasn’t much on television, but if nothing else, he could turn to sports. When he sat on the couch, the voices floating back from the bedroom got progressively louder.

“I’m not comfortable with owing Matt that kind of money.”

Matt turned up the volume, hoping it would drown them out. It was embarrassing enough to be caught in the middle of an argument between his sister and one of his best friends. Having to pretend not to hear it was just icing on the cake. He couldn’t even sneak out since they were at his house.

“He’s my brother. He’s just looking out for me. It’s not like I got the money from some pimp on the streets or something.”

“Your brother is always there to save the day, isn’t he?”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means I’m starting to wonder if there’s any room left for me to help you, Mara. Seems like you never really need my help. The role of protector has already been taken.”

After an uncomfortably long minute, Matt was starting to wonder if he should get up and check on them. Another minute passed and finally he couldn’t take it anymore. He rounded the corner and stopped short. Mara was leaning against the wall, the faint black trails on her cheeks evidence that she’d been crying.

Matt had been working to tamp down his overprotective-big-brother instincts for the past year, but the sight of his sister in tears gave him the immediate urge to hunt his friend down and beat his ass. Just for the hell of it.

“Are you okay?”

Mara wiped at the wet tracks on her cheeks. “I’m fine. Trent left. He had some stuff to do.”

It was a little ridiculous to pretend he hadn’t overheard their conversation, but Matt was tempted to. Partially because he was afraid talking about it would make her break down in tears again. “Look, I can take the money back if it’s going to cause a problem between you and Trent. You can pay me back whenever you get the money.”