10. Stella
CHAPTER 10
STELLA
C am and Wyatt are both looking at me expectantly when I walk back out into the lobby. When I stop at the front desk, they both jump up to join me.
Wyatt runs a hand through his tousled hair. “What did they say? Is he going to be okay?”
“They can’t say for certain yet, but the expectation is that this is just an upset stomach and he’ll be fine. They’re going to run bloodwork, and they gave me medicine for the vomiting. If he still isn’t eating by tomorrow, or if the blood tests show something bad, I’ll need to bring him back in.”
Cam’s posture softens, his shoulders relaxing. “Okay, we’ll be standing by ready to bring him back if we need to.”
When the bill, which is quite sizable due to the emergency service, is presented, Wyatt grabs it. “I’ve got this.”
“We’ve got this,” Cam says, pulling out his wallet.
There’s something different about the energy between the men. There’s a stiffness that wasn’t there before, and a couple of irritated looks exchanged between them. Maybe they had some sort of argument while Goldfish and I were in the exam room.
After they pay and we head back to the car, Cam rushes ahead to open the door for me. A few minutes into the drive home, he asks, “Do you have dinner plans?” Quickly, he adds, “I mean, what were you going to do for dinner? Did this mess up your evening?”
“I’ll be making something at home.”
Wyatt turns and gives me a grin. “Chicken nuggets?” He’s being a smartass, but there’s something so charming about his grin, that I can’t help but smile.
“Maybe. They’re Jessie’s favorite, and they’re easy. I usually cook while Marissa’s on her way home, but this evening didn’t go as planned.”
“We’ll bring dinner over for the three of you,” Cam says. “It’s our fault your schedule’s thrown off.”
“You don’t have to do that. Taking care of the vet bill was plenty.” More than plenty, really. I wonder if Marissa knew how much vets cost before she decided to adopt a dog.
“I know we don’t have to,” Cam says. “I want to.”
“Let me see if Marissa’s made anything yet.” I text her, first with an update on G, then I ask about food.
“I gave Jessie a snack, but we haven’t had dinner yet,” comes her reply.
When I relay this to Cam, his grin widens. “Great. We’ll bring something over. How about in half an hour? We’ll get carryout, if that’s okay, so dinner isn’t too late for Jessie. Any allergies or dislikes?”
Wyatt names a popular chicken restaurant chain, and I tell him that anything from there would be good.
This evening has been a hassle, but being treated to dinner, and not having to cook, is nice.
When Cam pulls into my driveway, Wyatt jumps out to open my door. I have to admit they have very nice manners, especially for man-children.
“We’ll see you soon,” Cam calls with a wave before pulling away.
Inside, Jessie runs up and wraps Goldfish in a hug. His tail wags like he hasn’t seen her for years.
A few minutes later, when she offers him a treat, he takes it. I hold my breath, worried the treat will come right back up, but he seems to be fine, and he’s still doing fine when the men show up only twenty minutes later with two big bags in hand.
“How’s Goldfish doing?” Wyatt asks, and Jessie tells them about the treat he ate.
“That’s great!” While Jessie’s petting Goldfish, the men kneel down on her level. “Jessie, we’re sorry for making Goldfish sick,” Wyatt says.
“We were being careless, but we’ll be much more careful next time,” Cam adds.
She nods, looking thoughtful. “Do you play with marshmallows a lot?”
Both of them chuckle. “Not really, but it was actually fun.”
Goldfish licks Wyatt’s chin, making Jessie giggle. “He likes you!” she says, as little warning flares go off in my head.
The men unpack the food they brought—chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, green beans, salad, and bread—and then they start saying goodbye.
“Aren’t you going to stay for dinner?” Jessie asks them, and she looks so disappointed about them leaving, that I can’t help but invite them to stay.
Unfortunately, our dining table only has four chairs, but as soon as Jessie sees the problem, she runs off to bring a chair from her bedroom. She returns a few seconds later with one of the small pink plastic seats that goes with the play table in her room.
“That’s meant for a smaller table,” I tell her when she sets it next to the dining table. “You won’t be able to reach your plate.”
Marissa looks between me and our guests. “I’ll sit at the kitchen counter.”
“How about if I take that one?” Cam says, reaching for Jessie’s chair. “It looks pretty sturdy. Then we can all fit at the table.”
He sits down in Jessie’s chair, and my daughter erupts into giggles.
“What’s so funny?” he asks with mock innocence as he looks around as if searching for what might be the cause of her laughter.
His knees are level with his chest, and the little chair has all but disappeared under his body. It’s all so ridiculous, but my chest fills with warmth at hearing Jessie laugh on this night when she’s been so worried about Goldfish.
We all sit down to eat, with Cam somehow making the chair work, even though it leaves him a bit lower than the table. Conversation flows pretty smoothly, and the guys are great with Jessie. They question her about what some of her favorite things are, like colors, foods, and songs, and they even ask to try the special sauce she mixes up for her chicken, which is ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.
At first I’m surprised how well they relate to her, but I guess it makes sense, since they’re like kids themselves.
While they’re talking to Jessie, I take the opportunity to study them, and decide they’re every bit as good looking as I thought when I first saw them. Almost unfairly so, with their beautiful, thick eyelashes and strong cheekbones.
It’s odd that they’re making online content by having marshmallow battles, yet the woman at the grocery store seemed to appreciate them for their looks. I wonder if she’s representative of their fan base demographics. You’d think the men would just do workout videos or some kind of “hey, girl” motivational messages if they were trying to capitalize on their looks.
As I study them, I can’t find any particular similarities in their features, except that they’re both so attractive. “Are you two related to each other?” I ask when there’s a break in the conversation.
“No, we’re friends from college,” Wyatt says.
“So are we,” Marissa tells them.
A discussion follows about where we all went to school and when, and I’m stunned to find out the men are five years older than I am. It’s hard to believe, because they seem so boyish.
When we’re all done eating, the men help clear the table, and they even try to load the dishwasher, but I stop them. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Alright, we’ll get out of your hair,” Cam says with an amiable grin.
“I hope we can get together again soon,” Wyatt says. “Under better circumstances, that is. And I hope we can have chicken again, too, because Jessie’s really on to something with that special sauce.”
My daughter glows at the compliment.
At the door, when it’s just me and the guys, Cam pauses on the threshold. “Can we get your number …you know, so we can check in on how Goldfish is doing tomorrow?”
“How many times today are you going to ask for her number?” Wyatt quips, earning a dirty look from his friend.
“Yeah, was this all just a setup to get my number?” I tease.
As we exchange numbers, Cam says, “It’s good for neighbors to be able to get in touch. If you ever need anything, give us a call.”
After they leave, I find Marissa in the kitchen. “They were a lot of fun,” she says. “Not too hard on the eyes, either.”
“Are you interested in them?”
She smirks. “I might have been, but it was clear that they only have eyes for you.”
While Jessie plays in her room for a few minutes before it’s time to get ready for bed, I catch Marissa up on how I first met the men this morning at the store, and also on Ana’s visit.
“She was horrified to find out how long it’s been since I had sex,” I tell Marissa, who already knows about my years of abstinence. “She encouraged me to go have sex with someone as soon as possible.”
“Well, one of those men would certainly be a good candidate,” Marissa says.