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“New York City.”
“What part?”
She paused and assessed him before answering. “Queens. Do you know the area?”
“No.” It didn’t really matter. He just wanted to keep her talking and get her mind off her injury. “Do you live with your father?”
She shifted, her gaze dropping to the floor. “Yes.”
“In a house?”
“Apartment.”
She was answering his questions, but he wanted to get her talking more. He tried to think of questions that might require more than just one-word answers. “Is that where you grew up?”
“No. I grew up north of New York, in Chester.”
“Is Chester a big town?”
She snorted. “No.”
“What’s there to do in Chester?”
She made a face. “Why do you want to know about where I’m from? Chester isn’t that interesting. I mean, our claim to fame is that it’s where Philadelphia style cream cheese was invented.”
“Really? Not in Philadelphia?”
Riley laughed. “I know, right? Makes no sense.”
Jalen relaxed a bit. She didn’t seem to be having any symptoms of shock. “I feel lied to my whole life.”
Her lips twitched. “It’s a travesty.”
He pulled back on the towel to check the bleeding. It hadn’t stopped, but it had slowed quite a bit. He gently prodded to see how deep the cut was. “Good news. I don’t think you’ll need stitches.”
“That’s a relief.”
Neil must have come back while they were in the bathroom because there was a first-aid kit sitting on the end table. Jalen opened it and put some ointment and a bandage on her cut. Sir Barks watched his every movement.
He raised his gaze to hers, still keeping pressure on the bandage. “Does it hurt?”
She stared down at his hands. “No.”
He’d forgotten he’d taken off his gloves. And his boots and socks. It was the most exposed he’d been to another person as Shadow. He suddenly felt vulnerable. He slowly set her foot down and stood. “I’m glad it doesn’t hurt. You should probably stay off it tonight and see how you feel tomorrow. You can text me if you feel like you need more time.”
She shook her head. Quite a few tendrils of hair had come loose from her bun and swayed with the movement. “I’m sure it will be fine. I don’t need any time off.”
“Well, you should be given some time off.”
She pulled up her foot, placing it on her other knee, almost in a protective stance. She said it didn’t hurt, but he wondered if she lied. “Shouldn’t Jalen be the one to decide that?”
“I’m sure he’d agree with me. We’ve worked together long enough, I feel quite confident in saying he would be fine if you needed a break.”
“I honestly don’t need any time off. Seriously, you’re being way over-protective. I swear, I’m not going to sue you or anything.”
She thought he was worried about a lawsuit? He would be offended if he thought she was serious. He couldn’t quite tell, though. “I’m not worried about you suing.”
“Look, it’s fine.” She stood to prove her point. Except she couldn’t keep a cringe from her face.
