The Love at First Sight Box Set

and turned in his direction.
"Good." He walked to the other side of the room and motioned for me to follow, turning around to study my movements as I did. "Let's get to work, Miss Abernathy."
* * *
The sweat on my back was finally cooling as I drove back into Green Valley. Get to work, indeed. My legs hurt. And my back hurt. And my arms. The thought of going home, and how I'd never be able to talk to my mom about this without her getting that puckered expression on her face, like she'd just sucked on a lemon felt unbearable.
Are you sure that's a good idea? I'd hate for you to get your hopes up and then not have it work out. You're so good in that chair, sweetie.
I could hear the words clear as a bell. She’d said them years ago when I first told her I wanted to start working on walking sporadically. She'd never said them again, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't scrub them from my brain.
Without making the decision to, my car pointed itself to Levi's. When I pulled into the driveway, his big black truck wasn't there, so I parked closer to the main house. The Buchanans had put a ramp in the garage, and no, I did not take for granted how amazing it was that my best friend's family loved me so much that they modified their house to make it easier for me to be there.
After I parked and got my chair out, I pushed up the ramp in the garage and used my left hand to open the door into the mud room.
"Anyone home?"
"In here, sweetie," Mrs. Buchanan called from the kitchen. "Perfect timing."
"Yeah?"
She was at the large island, glaring at her stand mixer like it had sinned against her.
I smiled. "What's wrong?"
"The frosting is too loose, and I can't figure out why."
Leaning up so I could see what she was making, I nodded. "Mr. B's strawberry cake? I didn't miss his birthday, did I?"
Absently, she patted my shoulder. "Oh, honey, you didn't miss it. I just wanted to surprise him is all. He's been so busy at work."
I opened up the drawer to my right and grabbed a spoon, then reached over to scoop some of the frosting from the bowl. "'S'good. But do you normally put diced strawberries in the frosting? I thought you only put them between the layers."
Her eyes, the same shade as Levi's, lit with understanding. "You know, you're right. I don't normally put them in there, do I? Lord, I'm losing my mind. I think I'm going senile, Joss."
"No, you're not." I laughed. "But that would probably do it. Not much you can do about getting rid of the moisture in the berries."
With a shake of her head, she opened up the garbage and dumped the frosting. "Well, if this is any indication, I'd better practice the cake Sylvia wanted me to make for her shower,."
"What'd she ask for?"
"That wild berry tart I haven't made in about eighteen years." She waved a hand. "I suppose it hasn't been that long, but it sure feels like it."
"Mmm, I love that one. Do you need any help with the shower?"
"I think we've got it all handled, honey, but I'll let you know. My sisters are doing most of the food, and Memaw Buchanan is handling all the setup."
I gave the spoon another slow lick while I thought about their extended family, all of whom I knew. "Isn't that funny?"
"What?"
"You come from a family of all girls, and the Buchanans have always had boys, didn't they?"
She laughed. "Almost always. Mr. B's brother, you know Glenn, he and his ex-wife had the first girl in five generations. Of course, the family joke was that she was only allowed to be born a Buchanan girl because she came out with a twin brother. You remember the twins, right? Grady and Grace? It's been a few years since they visited."
"Yeah, it was Christmas about four years ago, right?"
I remembered two tawny-haired, ridiculously attractive people only a couple of years older than Levi. Grace intimidated me because she wore Daisy Dukes no matter what the weather and had a perpetual look on her face like she would beat the shit out of anyone who crossed her. Her brother was sweet, though. Reminded me a lot of Levi.
"That's right," she said. "They'll be here for the wedding."
I nodded.
She eyed me. "How's your day going, honey? Levi told me you started with a new PT today. He's out for a run with Connor, by the way. Should be back soon."
I sighed. "Yeah, I had PT."
"Come on, tell me everything."
I opened my mouth to give her a standard answer, but I got the Francine Buchanan look. The don't you dare try to put me off right now look.
"It sucked," I said, dropping my head into my hands. "I was so rusty, it felt like I was trying to walk on cooked noodles."
"Well now, nothing worthwhile will come from easy work, right?"
"Says the woman who can stand on her own two feet without worrying about tipping over."
She clucked her tongue. "Don't sass me. We've all got stuff that's hard for us."
I took another small bite of the frosting left on my spoon and then brought it over to the sink so I could toss it in with the rest of the dishes she had soaking. "Want me to start on these?"
"No, no, I've more of a mess to make yet. Keep talking while I work."
I went to the opposite side of the island, locked my chair, and lifted myself into one of the stools. "My new therapist is much tougher on me."
"Good. That last one was a waste."
"Okay, Levi."
Mrs. B smiled prettily. "Maybe I did hear that a time or two from him. You need people in your life who are willing to push you, sweetie." She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow as she said it.
The unspoken layer under