Chapter Six
Larissa stared at Janie over the breakfast table. Her scrutiny was unnerving, though Janie did her best to ignore her friend while eating the veggie omelet Larissa had prepared.
Realizing staring wasn’t doing anything, Larissa let out a heavy sigh. “You can’t avoid him forever, you know. I have to leave for work soon, and you’re the one helping him today. Plus, Quinn wants to meet Lilly and me for dinner tonight since he’s sleeping at the studio again.”
Janie stifled a sigh of her own. She couldn’t argue with that. Larissa had every right to go to dinner with her husband, especially since he had readily agreed to helping Archer and having both him and Janie stay with them for the foreseeable future. Larissa had helped Archer all through the evening before with his breathing treatments and making sure he took his pills on schedule. She was right, Janie couldn’t avoid him any longer.
“Fine,” Janie said softly. “Have your date tonight. Since I’m off work, I’ll take care of Archer all day. In exchange, tomorrow I’m going out with someone after I’m done working.”
Larissa frowned, clearly displeased. “I thought I’d cook a nice dinner for when you got home from work tomorrow. Having you live here is like having a sister around. You know I always wanted a sister. I love the McCallister clan, but you’re the sister of my heart. You’ve always been there for me, and I want to be around for you too. Let’s have family dinners. When Archer is well enough to handle the stairs, he can eat them with us too.”
Janie knew Larissa was perfectly happy being a part of the McCallister family with all the extended brothers and sisters she had through Quinn’s siblings and their spouses. Larissa wasn’t very sneaky. Her friend wanted to keep her from sleeping around and thought manipulating her would work.
Despite her irritation at Larissa’s attempt for deception, Janie grinned. “Nice try, sis. I’m not going to stop my life because we’re helping Archer. I’m taking care of him during the days, and I’ll do nights if you have plans with Quinn. I think I owe him that much since I broke his ribs. However, other than that, I’m going to find a nice boytoy to take my mind off...” She stopped herself before she could say Archer’s name.
Why would she need to take her mind off him? It wasn’t like his poor opinion of her mattered. She’d woken up this morning determined to stop worrying about it.
Larissa wiped food from Lilly’s mouth, set the little girl’s dish aside, and then lifted the cutie out of her highchair. “Fine. I can see I’ve pushed you too far, and I don’t want to fight. You know I love you no matter what, don’t you?”
Janie approached them, tickling Lilly under her chin before giving Larissa a peck on the cheek. “If I didn’t, do you think I’d still be here. I know you love me and worry, but this has to stop. I’m going to live my life the way I want, and I’d appreciate it if my best and only real friend would continue quietly supporting me like she’s done the past several years. I understand your position. If I ever find a man worthy of my full-time attention, I’ll come to you for advice. In the meantime, stop meddling.”
Larissa gave a nearly imperceptible nod. It seemed this particular discussion was over, at least for now. “Our patient’s breakfast is in the oven on the warm setting. I have to get going so I can drop Lilly off with Sierra before heading to the spa. Archer’s due for another pain pill soon and needs to do his breathing treatment. Also, take him some more ice.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll hold down the fort. I have my alarms on my phone set for his schedule, and I’m the one who told you what the doctor said to do.” Janie gathered their dirty breakfast dishes. “I’ve got this covered.”
“I know,” Larissa said. “Lilly, say goodbye to Aunt Janie.” Larissa helped the little girl to wave while Janie returned the gesture with her free hand before heading to the kitchen to clean up the breakfast mess before facing Archer.
Setting up a tray for him was a bit difficult. She didn’t know what things Archer liked, and although she’d decided not to care what he thought of her, she wanted to impress him with her consideration. Larissa had cooked meat and cheese inside Archer’s omelet. Janie finished the tray off with hot sauce, ketchup, orange juice, and coffee. For good measure, she added some of the berries Larissa had in the fridge. The good thing about living with a McCallister was that, no matter the price of food, the kitchen was stocked with almost anything Janie could desire.
Carefully making her way up the stairs, Janie balanced the tray on a small end table outside the bathroom, then gave a soft knock to Archer’s door. “Are you awake? I brought breakfast.”
A muffled groan answered her first before Archer’s voice rasped out, “Sure, I’m up.”
He sounded in pain and his throat must be bothering him more this morning after all the water he’d ingested, then expelled.
She opened the door and brought the tray in, setting it down on the top of the dresser before facing Archer. He looked rough. He’d obviously had a horrible night, and the pain pills weren’t quite managing things for him. He held a pillow across his chest, hugging it like the doctor had suggested. His face was an ashen color, speaking to the level of his pain. Of course, Janie had suffered injuries before and knew that it often got worse before getting better, so his worsened state wasn’t entirely unexpected.
His green eyes cracked open, and a wan smile ghosted across his lips. “Wasn’t sure I’d see you again, Angel.”
“Can’t get rid of me that easily. I busted up your chest, least I can do is help take care of you.” Janie forced a short laugh and approached him. “Here, grab ahold of my shoulders and I’ll help you sit up. Larissa made omelets before she left for work.”
Putting one arm under his left armpit and the other around his neck, Janie cautiously lifted him upright.
Archer groaned and clamped on tightly to her back with his left arm, clutching the pillow tighter to his injured side with his other hand.
She tried not to notice how powerful his body felt against her, or how his breath tickled at the crook of her neck where he had his face within inches of her delicate flesh. Someone had helped him remove his shirt before he slept, and his powerfully sculped muscles and hot skin felt good pressing into her. Even if the man had hurt her feelings, that didn’t stop how damn sexy he was. Janie was surprised to find that she still wouldn’t mind taking him for a “test drive” once he healed.
Chiding herself for getting side tracked, she stuffed pillows behind him to help keep him upright. When she tried to move away, his arm stayed around her shoulder just a touch too long, squeezing her against him for a moment before releasing her.
“Thanks, Janie. I really am glad to see you today.”
His touch and his words made her heart pound wildly. Why was he acting like that? Had he decided her lifestyle wasn’t so bad and he’d now like to screw her once he was better? It wouldn’t be unheard of. Janie knew few men who even tried to resist her charms, so a change of heart in Archer could happen.
Somehow, the thought that he might want to have meaningless sex with her wasn’t reassuring. Rather, it made her strangely sad in a way she couldn’t understand.
Shaking her head slightly to banish her confusing thoughts and feelings, she retrieved the tray and placed it across his lap. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, exactly, but hopefully this is all okay.”
Archer grabbed the icepack from the tray first, moving the pillow to put it across his injury. He simply closed his eyes and breathed shallowly for a few moments.
Once he had better control of the pain, he looked back toward the food. “This all looks great. Thanks.”
“I didn’t know if you took cream or sugar with your coffee. I can go grab it if you want.”
“No, black is fine.” He picked up the hot sauce and carefully shook a bit of it onto his eggs. “This is perfect.”
While he ate, Janie busied herself by looking through the dresser at the clothing Larissa must have put away yesterday. Janie needed to get his body covered so she’d quit having thoughts about what she’d love to do to him. It wasn’t healthy to fantasize about a man who would be out of commission for at least six weeks. She would spend entirely too much time with Archer to have a fling with him, even if he was suddenly seeming more interested.
“Once you’re finished eating, we’ll get you up and walking around a little, plus help you get to the bathroom.” Janie kept her tone light and professional, pretending she was a nurse just helping a patient, instead of a woman with an ultra-high libido stuck with a man who had the body of Adonis but was off limits. “I’m not sure you’re up to showering yet, but at least you could do a quick clean up and it’ll get you out of the bed.”
He nodded, swallowing the food in his mouth before responding. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m going to be able to shower without help. Maybe when Larissa’s husband comes home he could assist me?” Archer’s cheeks turned a bit red over the top of their pallor, and Janie realized it embarrassed him to ask for help in something so personal.
However, having Quinn do it would be a lot better than trying herself. There was no way she’d be able to continue acting like nothing more than a nurse when faced with washing down the hard, masculine bulges of his sexy body.
Stop that, Janie!
“Sounds like a plan,” she agreed, looking around the room—anywhere but at him. “Quinn’s sleeping in the studio quite a bit since he has so much work. If he doesn’t come home soon, I’ll get one of the other guys to come help.”
Archer’s face darkened further. “I don’t want to bother anyone.”
She shook her head. “I know you’re new to the island, but I promise none of them will consider it a bother. Even Brad would be willing to come help, but I’d probably ask Parker since he’s the easiest going. I think you and he would get along really well. Either that, or we could invite Sydney and Matt over. They don’t have any children so that might be the easiest. Sydney is always happy to be in the center of everything, and her husband is super nice. He’d be more than willing to help out.”
“Doesn’t Matt run the island as comanager?” Archer’s eyes were wide. “I couldn’t ask him or Brad to help. They’re my main bosses!”
Janie chuckled. “You have to get the idea that the McCallisters are some sort of unattainable gods out of your head. They are wonderful people, including all their spouses. You’ll see soon enough. I imagine with you and I staying here, family dinners will move to this house instead of being at Shane and Elaina’s. They’ll welcome you with open arms. No sense fighting it, since they won’t take no for an answer. They’re loving, wonderful people before they’re our bosses and owners of this island.”
“That’s good to know, actually,” Archer admitted, his face relaxing from its tense expression. “It’s nice to work for people you can respect, and it sounds like they’re worthy of admiration instead of being uptight rich people who care only about money.”
Talking like this with Archer had finally put Janie at ease. Right now, they were simply coworkers, sharing information about life on the island. She placed the fresh clothing on the end of the bed and then took her spot on the chair next to him.
“Definitely not uptight. You’ll see. I promise, once you see how great it is here, you’ll never want to leave the island,” Janie told him. “I don’t trust many people, but the McCallisters have my respect.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t trust people?”
Shit. She hadn’t meant to let anything like that slip. Why was her guard already dropping around him?
She forced a laugh. “Well, you know, people suck. It’s nothing serious, just the way things are.”
His pursed lips told her that he wasn’t buying her explanation, but luckily, he returned to his meal without pressing her further.
If things continued like this, perhaps they could end up getting along. For some reason, that thought filled Janie with a pleasant fluttering throughout her chest. It wasn’t as though she could trust Archer but maybe, given time, he could become a friend.
***
Archer was in agony after a short walk to the bathroom and a stroll around the upper floor of the house, but he tried to hide that fact from Janie. His angel was certainly a mystery. She’d been so supportive while Dr. Peterson informed them of his fractures, but then disappeared for the rest of the night. Today, she seemed less hostile, but Archer wouldn’t exactly call their conversations friendly.
It was hard being so close to her, touched by her when she helped him, smelling her intriguing scent and feeling her warmth. Archer tried not to be affected by her, but he couldn’t help finding her incredibly attractive. He’d continued dwelling on what Shane said about getting dumped being a blessing. Archer argued with his pounding heart that Janie wasn’t the woman for him, even if Carrie dumping him did eventually lead him to his supposed soulmate. It wouldn’t be Janie. They were too different. Besides, she could barely stand him, even if he did find her intriguing.
Janie’s dark head of hair peaked around the bedroom doorframe as though his thoughts had summoned her. “How’s the pain level? Ready for your next pill?”
Archer was startled to see her with another food tray. “Didn’t I just eat breakfast? What time is it?”
“A little after noon. You slept for a while after our walk.”
He’d thought the pain was too bad for him to go back to sleep, but exhaustion must have caught up with him. He wasn’t yet hungry but taking the pain pill on an empty stomach wouldn’t be good. “Thanks for taking such good care of me.”
“It’s nothing. Let’s sit you up again.” She frowned slightly while placing the tray aside. “I know it’s painful to move, but Dr. Peterson did say you’ll heal better. Come here.”
Archer couldn’t help the way his heart pounded at the prospect of being so near her again. She smelled divine, a hint of strawberry on her skin that must come from lotion but tantalized Archer’s senses. As her arms closed around him, he took a deep inhale, deciding that enjoying the guilty pleasure wouldn’t hurt anything.
At least having her warm body in his arms helped distract him a bit from the sharp pain moving generated. Once he was upright, he held her a moment longer, trying to regain some semblance of calm through the combined effect of her proximity to him and his discomfort.
“Um, Archer?” Her voice was soft, hesitant. “Could you let go now?”
With a start, he dropped his arms. The last thing he wanted was to creep her out. His ultimate goal was to become friends so as to better enjoy his life on the island once he healed. Losing himself in the softness of her femininity when he knew he couldn’t afford to was stupid.
“Sorry,” he said. “Somehow, your warmth helps me hold onto what seems real instead of giving in to the pain when we move me.”
Her long eyelashes once again fluttered, brushing her face in a way that made Archer’s heart pound every time. “I think I understand,” she said. “It has nothing to do with me, just some human contact to center you.”
While Archer knew that wasn’t the entire reason, he decided not to contradict her. What good would it do to let his attraction grow?
“Thanks for understanding,” he said. “I’ve never felt so dependent on someone in my life. I’m usually the person helping others.”
She smiled, placing his lunch across his lap. “I can see that about you. With the way you jumped into the water without thought, you’re rather like an eager little puppy, trying to take care of and please others.”
“Except when I open my big, dumb mouth and make an enemy out of a woman I’d like to be friends with.” He grimaced, reaching out to catch her hand and give it a squeeze before quickly dropping it. “Can we start over and pretend that never happened?”
She arched an eyebrow. “Pretend I don’t disgust you?”
Damn! How could he have let that slip from his mouth? It was probably the rudest thing he’d said in his life.
“I didn’t mean that. It had less to do with you and more to do with myself, since I just went through a breakup and the woman was cheating on me with a lot of people.”
“Ah, I see.” Her lips pursed together as she stared at the far side of the room, seeming deep in thought.
Archer ate in silence for a bit, wondering what was going on in her mind.
“Cheaters are the worst,” she finally said, “but very few people are devoted like they should be, ya know? Fidelity and honesty don’t seem important in today’s world. It’s the reason I argue with Larissa about settling down with one man for some fictional storybook romance. Everyone either cheats or leaves. It’s the way life works.”
Archer gasped. He’d had the same thoughts after catching Carrie in her web of lies but realized that deep down, he didn’t believe that. Hearing Janie say it so bluntly, realizing it was the way she lived her life as a deeply held belief, helped put things in perspective.
“Not everyone’s a cheater,” he said, trying to catch her eyes, although she avoided his gaze. “Some of us are honest and wish for that storybook romance. Sure, love might not work out quite like the tales promise, and there will always be problems, but it’s something to strive for.”
She let out an impatient snort. “Until the person you supposedly love gets sick and rather than taking care of them, you leave them to fend for themselves and die alone. Or maybe the person you aren’t really devoted to will disappoint you by not being pretty enough. As soon as someone more beautiful comes along, you’re out like a shot. Everyone’s like that.”
Her vehemence caught Archer off guard. She was obviously speaking from experience. There was a bitter pain in her voice, such a contrast to the bubbly woman from the beach the day before.
He caught her hand again. “I’ve never seen someone more beautiful than you, and I mean that honestly. If someone said something different, he needed his eyes checked.”
“Why are you being so nice?” The suspicion in her voice was impossible to miss as she pulled her hand away from him again.
“I’m not being nice,” he insisted. “It’s the truth. You are drop dead gorgeous, you must know that.”
Maybe the reason she moved on from person to person, besides her belief that romance wasn’t real, was to avoid the risk that her lover would become tired of her after she had decided to devote herself to them. Besides, Shane had been right. The men Janie dated knew the deal going in. Neither of them expected a commitment. She was honest in her tactics, different from Carrie. She certainly wasn’t a cheater and she didn’t promise anything and then go against her word. Archer had to admire that.
“I never should have said what I did in the car yesterday,” he continued when she didn’t respond. “You’re nothing like my ex. You’re honest and selfless and beautiful to boot. I let my personal experience cloud my judgement and I lashed out. It wasn’t fair to you.”
She shook her head. “Think you’re the first person to be disgusted by me? I hear the whispers everywhere I go. They all think I’m a slut. Larissa understands me, so I don’t care what the rest of you think.”
“Not everyone thinks that,” Archer argued. “Last night, Shane told me what a great person you are. He said you’re honest about what you want, which is better than a lot of people. I’m sure the people who know you probably agree. Nothing wrong with enjoying the carnal side of life as long as you aren’t hurting anyone.”
Janie’s brown eyes clouded over, and she seemed confused. “Let’s just put this subject to rest. I’m tired of talking about it.”
“As long as you understand that I know I was wrong, putting it in the past suits me just fine.”
She gave a small nod of agreement. “Now, finish your lunch. It’s time for you to do your breathing exercises.”