Slim started up the winding staircase and discovered it was rather narrow. He was careful to navigate the twisting turns so no part of her smacked anything. “I come from a long line of circus performers. We’re known for our agility and ability to transport damsels of all kinds, whether they’re in distress or not.”

She shook with laughter. “Circus performers, huh?”

“Uh-huh. Wow, this is so cool,” he said when they arrived in a combined kitchen and living room, which was circular and had a three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the island. He set her carefully on the sofa. “Where do you keep your first aid kit?”

“Under the sink.”

He went to retrieve it and grabbed a bag of frozen corn from the freezer.

“What’s that for?” she asked about the corn.

“It makes for an excellent ice pack.” Slim untied her running shoe and removed it and then the ankle-high sock, revealing her injured ankle, which was even more swollen and purple than it had been a few minutes ago. “Ouch. That’s gotta hurt.”

“It does. I feel so stupid. I went to the movies and figured I’d have plenty of time to get home before it got dark, but the projector was acting up, so the movie started half an hour late and then the movie ran long. It was dumb to be out there by myself in the dark.”

He opened the first aid kit, found an Ace bandage and began wrapping it around her ankle.

“I can do that,” she said. “You were on your way somewhere.”

“I was on my way home. It’s no problem.”

“You seem to know what you’re doing. Did you learn that in the circus, too?”

“Nope,” he said with a laugh. “That’s EMT training from a previous lifetime.”

“You’ve had a lot of lifetimes.”

“Indeed I have.” He finished wrapping her ankle and then placed the bag of corn on top of it. “Painkillers?”

“In the cabinet by the sink.”

He went to get them and returned with a glass of water and two pills. “Now, what’re we going to do about the bathroom?”

Her brown eyes went wide. “Excuse me?”

“I don’t see one on this level, so what’re you going to do when you gotta go?”

“Um, I suppose I’ll hobble to the stairs and get myself up there.”

“I’ll stay.” He plopped into the chair next to the sofa and put his feet up on the coffee table.

“Wait a minute…”

“What’s the problem? You need help. I’ve got nowhere to be. Seems like a perfect solution to me.”

“Are you always so…” She rolled her hand, giving him the opportunity to fill in the blank.

Raising an eyebrow, he said, “Pushy?”

“Yes. That’s a good word for it.”