Resisting Her Commander Hero. Lucy Ryder

alarmed. “Are you hurt somewhere else?”

      Shaking her head, she quickly stepped aside and nudged Paige into the doorway. “Tell me what you see. Go on,” she urged when her friend looked at her like she was a crazy person on the verge of a meltdown.

      When she made a get-on-with-it gesture, Paige gave a dramatic eye-roll and stuck her head out, looking around with dramatic furtiveness. “What am I looking for?” she whispered loudly, clearly enjoying the cloak-and-dagger moment.

      Frankie growled and pulled her back into the room. “Any...um...thing that doesn’t belong in the ER?”

      Paige’s eyes widened and sparkled with enjoyment. “You mean like a...a seal?”

      “No.” Of course a SEAL. She huffed out an exasperated laugh, both at herself and Paige.

      “Well, no sign of seals or any other wildlife,” Paige said with a quick head-shake.

      “Okay, good. Because I’m not in the mood to fend off any marine mammals or any other wildlife.”

      She wasn’t in the mood to deal with Nate, especially not in his disapproving big-brother role.

      No wait, she amended. Not in any role. She just wanted to go home, shower for about an hour and then fall into bed and sleep for a week.

      “Thanks, Paige, I owe you,” she said quietly, and walked stiffly from the room.

      “Yes, you do, Francis Abigail,” Paige said, popping her head into the passage. “And I plan to collect...in the form of an explanation. About sea mammals.”

      “Sure,” Frankie said agreeably. “I know a lot about whales and dolphins.” She smirked when Paige sighed loudly, but no way was she sharing her humiliation at the hands of Nathan Oliver. She’d never told a living soul about what had really happened that night and had no intention of discussing it now.

      Or ever. Even with her best friend.