As Seth watched Tia eat the pasta in garlic sauce he’d made with sausage, tomatoes and mushrooms, he couldn’t help noticing that her bandages were coming loose. They couldn’t withstand the movement of her jaw while she talked and chewed, but she kept pressing them back to her cheek to make them stick.

He wished she’d just take them off. Were the scars really that bad? He had a hard time believing they wouldn’t improve over time or that a good plastic surgeon couldn’t make a big difference.

“Would you please quit staring at me?” Tia lifted a piece of the crusty sourdough he’d purchased to go with the pasta. “You wanted to make sure I’m eating. Well, here I am, eating.”

“I’m not staring at you,” he said. “I’m staring at those bandages. They’re falling off.”

“That’s my problem.”

“It’s distracting.”

She shifted uncomfortably. “Sorry, but you’re the one who wanted to do this.”

He wouldn’t have had to do it if she hadn’t been acting as though she was tempted to walk off a cliff. But he didn’t point that out. “Why keep messing with them?”

“Put yourself in my shoes, and I think it’ll be pretty easy to answer that question.”

“Fine,” he said with a shrug. “If you prefer to be uncomfortable, suit yourself.” He stabbed a few rigatoni with his fork. “Are you planning to go home for Christmas?”

“No.”

Damn. He knew how hard it was to get through the holidays after a major tragedy. That was why he dreaded Christmas each year. “Why not?” Then her family or someone else would have to take care of her. She needed some emotional support, whether she would admit it or not.

“I’d rather stay here.”

Of course. But he didn’t think that was best for her. He was the only one here to make sure she was okay. “Alone? Won’t that upset your family?”

“They’re already upset.”

They were? Why? And how badly were they behaving? Were they mistreating Tia, or was Tia rebuffing their attempts to help her? He wanted to ask, but he knew she’d probably take exception to him probing any deeper into her personal life. Her answers were clipped for a reason.

“Do you have a husband or a boyfriend?” he asked. Maybe a love interest would step up to help her.

“No. I went through a messy breakup while filming the movie—the guy I was with was way too controlling—and haven’t dipped my toe back into the dating pool since. Now I think it’ll be a long time before I do.”

He put down his fork. “Tia, you’re still incredibly beautiful.” He meant that, but he could tell by her doubtful expression that she assumed he was patronizing her.