Mitch laughed. He couldn’t believe that he did, but it just burst out of him. She blinked in surprise, and then she smiled too. The tension in the air disappeared, and they suddenly felt like they knew one another again.
“OK, Reena. I’ll tell you everything.”
She exhaled, relieved. “Sit down. I’ll clean your cuts while you talk.” She ran warm water in the sink, found a fresh face cloth and got a tube of antibiotic cream from the medicine cabinet.
Mitch sat back on the edge of the tub and watched her, liking the way her graceful painter's hands moved. She gently cleaned his face with water and a bit of soap and he closed his eyes again, enjoying her touch, relaxing fully for the first time in what felt like years.
“The truth is… I’m fighting to pay off a debt." He sighed. "A big one.”
