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She sent him a droll look of frustration, and he grinned back at her. “At least, promise me you’ll try.”

“You don’t have to do this, Cristiano. I can look after myself.”

He didn’t react nor respond, until he’d settled her onto an armchair and crouched in front of her. Milly was like a fascinated flower girl at an odd wedding. She stood at his elbow, her face a mixture of worry and fascination.

“I know you can,” Cristiano agreed firmly, lifting her ankle into the palm of his hands. “May I?”

She arched a brow at him in surprise. “Don’t you think that’s a little redundant, all things considered?”

He dipped his head forward in a silent concession. He ran his fingers over her foot and ankle, gently prodding, observing her when she winced. His touch was gentle and almost professional seeming, and yet it sent little darts of awareness along the length of her leg and into her soul.

“Well?” She prompted quietly, when he just held her ankle and stared at it.

He lifted his eyes to hers as though she’d woken him from a dream. He blinked to clear the heaviness of his thoughts and nodded. “Nothing’s broken, but you’re going to need to keep it elevated for the next few days. No running around like an escaped elf.”

She pulled a face. “I can’t stay off my feet. It’s just not possible.”

“Sorry, you’ll have to. Pretend. Doctor’s orders.” He strode to the other side of the lounge and lifted a footrest, which he placed a short distance in front of the chair, then gently guided her ankle onto it.

So gently that her heart turned over in her chest.

“Thank you,” she said awkwardly.

Their eyes seemed to be tethered together through an invisible string.

“Dah?” It was Milly’s voice that broke the contact. She was pointing at the tree and Cristiano responded with a grave nod.

“Yes, you’re quite right, Milly. I will have to take over, won’t I?” He crouched down beside Ava, scanning her face until her mouth was dry with anticipation. “You are going to have to delegate.”

“You really don’t have to do this, Cris. It’s just … it’s just a tree.”

“I know.” His smile was lopsided; her pulse was skittering.

To his credit, he took direction far better than either of them had anticipated. And though he got a crash course in how to balance a tree appropriately, he didn’t complain for a moment.

Milly was rubbing her eyes by the time Marie and Jackson came in, and Ava was surprised to see how much time had passed.

“What the heck’s happened to you?” Jackson asked, lifting his wide-brimmed hat from his head.

“A tree decorating accident,” Ava said with a shake of her head.

“Elf down?” Marie joked, and Cristiano laughed.

“That is what I said.” He turned to Ava with an expression of mirth. “You realise you have quite the reputation.”

She shrugged her shoulders and pretended her heart wasn’t pitter pattering in her chest. “Well deserved and much appreciated,” she said, her voice a little uneven.

“You can’t get up,” Marie was saying with her naturally authoritative manner. “And you need someone to make sure you don’t attempt it. Jackson and I’ll take Milly for the night. She loves coming to our place to stay. That way you can make sure you get a good night’s sleep.”

“Oh.” Ava blinked, and f

elt her face wash with self-consciousness. Had there ever been a more heavy-handed attempt at a set-up? “That’s really not necessary. Cris can help get her in bed and then …”

“Nonsense,” Marie rebuffed firmly. “You’re not going to be able to use the stairs. You’ll need to sleep down here, and you can’t be up and down to Milly, can you? We’ll take her. We’ve had her before. You know how much we love it.”

Ava sent Marie a look that would have frozen a stone, but Marie reflected it with a sugary smile.

“It makes sense, Ava,” Cristiano surprised her by siding with Marie’s suggestion.

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