Chapter 10
Wes
Late-Night Deliveries
The knock on the door caused me to open my eyes and slowly sit up with a moan. My head pounded and my entire body felt like someone had dragged me behind a car for miles.
I swung my legs off the couch and stood. The entire room spun as I tried to make it all stop by squeezing my eyes shut.
Another knock. “Give me a damn second, will you?” I called out, then regretted it when my own words seemed to echo in my head.
With each step I took toward the door, my head ached more. It had to be my mother. The moment she found out I had the flu and wasn’t going to make it for Thanksgiving, she probably started making plans to drive into town to bring me food.
I opened the door, prepared to see my mother, and instead, Clare stood there. She was holding a bag and smiling, and I couldn’t ignore it was the first time in twenty-four hours I felt something other than miserable.
“Clare? What are you doing here?”
“I called Rory to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving and she told me you were home sick with the flu. I figured, why should we both spend the holiday alone, and you could probably use something to eat.”
My stomach took that very moment to agree with her. Clare lifted a brow. “Can I come in?”
“You’ll get sick.”
“I’ve had my flu shot and I’m willing to take the risk.”
I pushed the door open, turned, and shuffled my way back to the sofa. I nearly fell back on it as I laid down, pulled covers over me, and groaned.
“Um, do you think you have enough medicine over here?” Clare asked from the kitchen. “What have you taken?”
“I’m not sure. I ordered it all and they delivered it, but I haven’t taken anything yet. I feel so damn weak.”
The next thing I knew, Clare was standing in front of me, a thermometer in her hand. “Open.”
I did as she said.
Thank God it was one of the fast thermometers and it beeped within seconds. Clare’s eyes went wide.
“You have a hundred- and two-point five temp. Let’s get some medicine in you and some food. You’ll feel so much better.”
All I could do was nod my head.
“Maybe after you take some medicine and eat, you might want to take a lukewarm bath.”
“Only if you join me,” I said before coughing.
Clare laughed as I heard her moving around in the kitchen. I must have dozed off while she was in there because I jolted awake when I heard her sweet voice once again.
“Do you want me to help you sit up?”
Opening my eyes, I saw her standing there. Next to her was one of my TV trays with a plate of food on it and a tall glass of water.
“Nah, I got it,” I said, pushing myself up. “The room is spinning.”
Clare moved the TV tray in front of me, then held her hand out. “First, let’s take some Tylenol for that fever.”
I took the pills and the offered glass of water. The cold felt good going down my throat.
“After you eat, I’ll give you the other medicine.”
Nodding, I focused on the plate in front of me. I blinked a few times then looked up at her.
“You got me Greek food?”
She smiled. “I did. A friend of mine owns a Greek restaurant and they owed me a pretty big favor, so I called it in. He was closed today, but made an exception for me.”
“How did you know what I liked?” I asked as I looked down at the food. There were actually two plates on the tray. One had hummus and pita bread on it. The other had a chicken gyro and fries. A small Greek salad was in a smaller bowl.
When I glanced back up at her, she gave a one-shoulder shrug. “You mentioned it one time and I remembered.”
I blinked at her several times. Clare had remembered such a small detail, and that knowledge did something strange to my chest.
“Thank you, Clare. I don’t think anyone has ever done anything so nice for me before.”
She waved off my comment. “I’m sure that’s not true. I’m going to go get my food and I’ll join you out here.”
I wasn’t about to wait for her to come back. I was starving and dug into the fries first. The more I ate, the better I started to feel.
“I thought you were my mother,” I said when Clare returned with her food, the same exact thing I had. She pulled her legs up onto the chair across from the sofa and pulled the tray to her.
“Rory told Jennifer she was going to make up some leftovers and bring them to you. When I offered to do it, your mom took the phone and thanked me over and over for taking care of her, and I quote, ‘Baby boy’, and on Thanksgiving Day, no doubt.” Clare grinned. “I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was sitting alone in my apartment about to heat up a chicken pot pie.”
I smiled. “You probably just made my mother add you to the list of potential people I should marry.”
Clare paused her chewing for a moment, then rolled her eyes. Once she was finished, she swallowed and said, “Why do our mother’s feel like it’s their duty to try and set us up? Or think they’re in charge of our love life.”
“Beats me. Does she do it with your brother as well?”
Shaking her head, Clare replied, “Nope. She said because he’s in the military it wouldn’t be a good idea for him to settle down just yet.”
I put my gyro down. “So that’s what I have to do to get my mother off my back…join the military?”
Laughing, she simply shook her head and studied me. “How are you feeling?”
“A little bit better.”
“Now that you have some food in your stomach, you can take the other medicine.”
My eyes traveled over her face before catching her gaze. “Thank you for coming over, Clare.”
A shy smile appeared on her beautiful face. “You’re welcome. If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay until your fever comes down some.”
“I don’t mind at all.”
We finished our food and Clare cleared our plates. She returned with a cup of nasty ass medicine and took my temperature again. When she frowned, I asked her if it had gone down any.
“No. Would you be willing to take a lukewarm bath to see if it will come down some. I think it might relax you some as well.”
“Honestly, Clare, I don’t have the energy to take a bath.”
She chewed on her lip. “I can help you.”
I raised a brow. “Is this your way of trying to see the goods?”
Her face turned bright red. “No!”
Laughing, I replied, “Liar.”
“Wes, you’re sick and I’m not interested in seeing your…goods.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
She stood and walked up to me. “When was the last time you changed clothes?”
“Yesterday.”
“Tell me what you want to wear, and I’ll get it all ready, then start the bath. We’ll want to move rather quickly because I don’t want the water to get cold and you start shaking. It will make your fever go up.”
I stood and followed her into my bedroom. “How do you know all of this?”
Glancing over her shoulder at me, she winked. “I’ve been sick before, and my mother has taken care of me. Surely you’ve had the flu before and your mother took care of you.”
I sat down on the bed. “I have, but I don’t remember my mother giving me a bath. She probably did when I was younger.”
“What do you want me to get and where do I get it?”
“Middle left drawer are some black sleeping pants. Yeah, those right there.”
Clare set the pants on the bed next to me.
“Bottom left is my long-sleeve shirts.”
“You sure you want long sleeve?”
“I’m fucking freezing, so, yes, I want long sleeve. And in the middle top are my fuzzy socks.”
Clare slowly turned and looked at me. It was clear she was trying to hide a smile. “Your…fuzzy socks?”
“Yes. Don’t tell me you don’t have a pair of extra warm and cozy socks, Clare.”
Her brows shot up. “I do, but I’m a girl. I’m supposed to have them. You’re a guy.”
I rolled my eyes, and I swore it made my head hurt worse.
“Fine, I’ll get your fuzzy socks. Underwear?”
“No, thanks.”
She stood up ram-rod straight. “You’re going without underwear?”
Her back was still toward me so I couldn’t see her face. “Do you go without a bra when you’re sick.”
“Touché.”
I watched as Clare set the rest of my stuff on the bed, then made her way to the bathroom. I laid back and closed my eyes only to have her gently shake me and wake me up.
“Wes, the bath is ready. Can you stand up okay, or do you need help?”
“Nah, I got it,” I said as I stood, then promptly reached for her when the room spun.
“Come on, let’s get to the bathroom.”
Clare quickly worked at getting my T-shirt off and my sweatpants. The food had given me a temporary reprieve from feeling like shit until I had fallen asleep and Clare had woken me up to take the bath. I now felt like a freight train had slammed into me.
I wanted to tease her about seeing me naked, but Clare was so focused on helping me into the bath, and I was so weak all I could think about was how good the water felt. I sank into the water up to my neck while Clare knelt next to the tub. She had a washcloth and wet it gently, then washed my face.
“Do you want your hair wet?”
I slowly shook my head. “Fuck this feels good.”
Clare rested her chin on her hand which was resting on the edge of the tub. I looked at her and attempted to smile. “Tell me what you’re thinking about.”
Letting out a slow breath, she said, “How handsome you are and what a fool Mandy is.”
It felt like someone kicked me in the stomach. “You think I’m handsome?”
Clare chuckled. “Wes Ward, you know you are.”
Leaning my head back, I exhaled. “I think you’re beautiful, Clare Monroe.”
“Mmm…you must still have a high fever.”
“Why?” I asked.
“To say something like that.”
I jerked my head up, something I regretted the moment I did it and frowned. “Why would you say that?”
She shrugged. “I’ve seen the women you go out with. Not just Mandy, who looks like she could be on a Paris runway. I’m nothing like them.”
Anger suddenly consumed me that she would think she was less than any other woman. “Clare, you are beautiful. Both inside and out. And you outshine all those women. Besides, they don’t mean anything. They’re not like you.”
She scoffed. “How so?”
“You’re the kind of woman a man wants to marry. Have kids with. Not spend a night with having meaningless sex.”
When she didn’t say anything, I opened one of my eyes and peeked at her. She was staring off into space, a slight crease between her brows.
“Clare?”
Her eyes jerked up and met mine. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “That’s probably long enough. Let’s get you out before the water gets too cold.”
I nodded.
“Do you need help getting up?”
“Nah, I feel better after sitting here for a bit. My headache is almost gone too.”
Clare stood, grabbed one of my oversized bath towels, and held it open. “If you think you can stand on your own, I’ll hold this open for you.”
“I might need to hang on to your arm for balance.”
She quickly put the towel over her arm. “Of course. Here, let me help you.”
It was shitty of me to do it, but I didn’t need help getting out of the tub. I simply wanted to feel her hands on my body.
Once I was out, she wrapped me in the towel, then grabbed another one and quickly started to dry off my chest and arms before she dropped down and dried off my legs. She had only gone up to my lower thigh before she stood and wrapped the other towel around my shoulders.
“Let’s get you dressed.”
I followed her out of the bathroom and thanked God above that my dick didn’t get hard with her hands on me. Or at least, I didn’t think it did. When I sat down and undid the towel to put my pants on, I heard Clare gasp. One look and I had a full hard-on.
“Guess he liked you helping me dry off.”
When I glanced back up at her, she was biting down on her lower lip. If I hadn’t been so goddamn weak, flu be damned…I would have pulled her to me and sucked that lip out from her teeth.
Clare’s eyes slowly moved from my dick to my face. “Very impressive, Mr. Ward.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Come on, let’s get you dressed.”
Clare was going to make a wonderful mother. She had me dressed, fuzzy socks and all, and back on the sofa after I insisted I didn’t want to be in bed. For the next forty-eight hours, Clare stayed and nursed me back to health. She even insisted on curling up in the chair in the living room and sleeping so she could be close by if I needed anything. She left once, to run home and pack an overnight bag with some things. The rest of the time she fed me, took my temperature, gave me medicine, and watched movies with me. And the entire time, even though I was sicker than I’d ever been before, everything felt so fucking perfect. I felt so at ease with her. We could talk about anything and everything. While I slept, she read. While I was awake, complaining about a sore throat or stuffy nose, she was right there to listen. I knew I was being a big pussy, but a part of me really liked having her there.
The sound of someone knocking on my door caused me to open my eyes. It was the first time in days I felt like a human. I wasn’t sweating or shaking. My head wasn’t pounding, and my throat wasn’t sore. My body still ached, but not nearly as bad.
“How is he?” my mother asked in a hushed tone.
“His fever finally broke earlier this morning. I was honestly getting worried. He’s been eating really good though.”
“Feed a fever they say!” Mom said as I heard her put something on the counter. “Rory told me you’ve been here for the last two days, Clare. That is so sweet of you.”
“Well, that’s what friends are for.”
“That’s all you are? Just friends?”
Clare paused for the longest moment, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was trying to decide what to say.
“Just friends.”
“Oh, well, I’m glad Wes has friends like you who care about him.”
I closed my eyes and internally groaned. I could hear the disappointment in my mother’s voice. She’d be back to setting me up the moment I was up and walking around.
“Has he been sleeping for long?” Mom asked.
“Um, maybe about an hour or so.”
I could hear walking. “I shouldn’t wake him up, but I want to see how he is feeling.”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you woke him,” Clare stated. “If you would like for me to leave while you visit. I mean, now that his fever is broken, I should be heading home. He’s probably sick of me babysitting him.”
Mom laughed. “Oh please. Wes was always the worst when it came to being sick. The way that boy would complain and whine and say things like, ‘Mom, I need soup’, Mom, I need back rubs.’”
Clare giggled.
I stretched and let out a small sound to let them know I was waking up. When I opened my eyes, I nearly screamed because my mother was right in my face.
“Weston, how are you feeling?”
Looking past my mother, I saw Clare. She mouthed, “Weston?” at me before covering her smile with her hand.
“I’m feeling fine,” I said as I sat up.
Cupping my face, Mom studied me before putting her cheek to my forehead. “Clare’s right. Your fever is broken. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you. You texted me you were feeling better. Rory was the one who told me Clare was here taking care of you.”
My gaze moved back to Clare who was folding a blanket she had been using earlier when she was reading a book.
“Clare kept me fed.”
“She is my new favorite person for taking care of my boy.”
I laughed. “I’m not a boy.”
“You will always be my boy, young man.” Clare just smiled over at me. While mom went on and on about Thanksgiving and everything I missed, I watched Clare straightening everything up. She made her way into the guest bathroom and came out with a small bag and put it in the overnight bag she had brought back with her when she went to her place.
Knowing she was going to be leaving left me with a weird emptiness in my chest.
“I’m going to go ahead and head on out. There is a chicken spaghetti casserole in the refrigerator. All you need to do is heat it up, Wes.”
Standing, I walked toward Clare who was standing near the front door. “You don’t have to leave.”
She smiled and I nearly stumbled. Mom thought it was from being sick, but that had nothing to do with it. It was from the woman standing in front of me. Her light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, no makeup on, and a smile that made my heart feel like it was tripping over itself. She was the reason I had lost my balance. Everything about Clare seemed to make me off balance.
“Your fever broke, and you don’t need me here watching over you.”
But I want you here.
“Um, thank you, Clare. For everything.”
“You’re welcome. Now I expect you to be there for me if I get sick.”
I nodded. “I will be.”
Something moved across her face, but it was gone before I could read it. She turned to my mother. “It was so good seeing you again, Jennifer. I’ll leave you to take care of our patient.”
My mother pulled Clare in for a hug and whispered something into her ear. Clare drew back and grinned before turning her attention on me.
“If you need anything, just let me know.”
“Do you need a ride home?” I asked.
“No, I called an Uber.”
Turning to open the door, I found myself calling out her name. “Clare?”
She glanced back. “Yeah?”
“Thanks again.”
With a wave, she replied, “Sure thing. Bye!”
“Bye, sweetheart,” Mom said as she walked out into the hallway. “Thank you again, Clare!”
I turned and walked back over to the couch and sat down. I stared at the chair across from me and realized that the last two days had been miserable and wonderful all at the same time.
The door softly clicked shut and I heard Mom moving around in the kitchen. I glanced down and saw a book sitting on the coffee table. It was the book Clare had been reading. Reaching for it, I picked it up.
Dare Meby Samantha Chase.
“Now why can’t you find a girl like Clare, Wes? She has everything. Beauty, brains, a kind heart.”
I nodded but didn’t say anything. Instead, I leaned back, opened the book, and began reading.