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“I gathered.” The nurse pushed a clipboard toward them as she eyed Jodie’s swollen ankle. “What happened?”

“I sprained my ankle.”

“She may have broken it,” Mac said.

Jodie gave him a look. “I’m trying to be optimistic.”

The nurse smiled. “Why don’t we get you checked in and find out who’s right?”

“Me, I’m right,” Jodie said at the same time Mac said, “Probably me.”

Mac carried her to a chair, carefully lowered her into it, then crouched to prop her injured leg on the empty chair beside her.

“Thank you. For everything.” She was looking at Mac’s knuckles again. “Maybe you should get that looked at while we’re here?”

“It’s fine.”

Mac watched her fill out the intake form. When she was done, he carried it back to the desk for her and then sat back down beside her. In the meantime, Jodie dug through her purse, pulled out her wallet and then her phone. The screen lit up before she could unlock it.

“Oh, shit,” Jodie said. “Twenty-three missed texts. Six missed calls.”

Mac caught only the name before she turned the phone toward herself.

Stephanie.

“What’s going on?” he asked as Jodie started to scroll.

“Stephanie found out about Dale.”

The phone buzzed again in Jodie’s hand as another message came through. Her eyebrows went up, then climbed higher as she scrolled.

Mac tried not to be nosy and look. He really did. However, Jodie was holding the phone between them and it was easy to read because Stephanie had apparently decided the situation called for all-caps.

JODIE!!! ARE YOU OKAY!?!?

PLEASE ANSWER ME!!!

I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT DOUCHE ROCKET LEFT YOU TO DIE!!

“Ooohhh boy,” Jodie breathed. She scrolled through a dozen more variations on Stephanie pleading with Jodie not to be dead, and calling Dale increasingly interesting names.

The newest message read:

I’M SO SO SO SORRY! I SWEAR I THOUGHT HE WAS NORMAL.

“Wow.” Jodie’s eyebrows rose. “I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen Stephanie apologize for anything.”

Another came in as they read the last one.

DO NOT LET THIS PUT YOU OFF MEN.

Mac bit the inside of his cheek as his shoulders shook.

Jodie looked at him. “Don’t,” she said as her lips quivered.

“I didn’t say anything.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re trying not to laugh.”