19. Nova
19
NOVA
I sat curled up on the couch.
Bryan crouched down in front of the fire, poking at it. It was not quite roaring to life the way I think he had expected it to. He set the poker carefully into the rack and turned to me. “How are your toes?”
My toes were protected up under me and in a thick pair of his wooly socks.
“My toes are nice and warm,” I said.
He had been asking me about my toes from the very moment he carried me from my car to his. I was more concerned with his back, or having him rupture a hernia. I wasn’t a lightweight, but he moved me without any problems. He even insisted on carrying me inside when we had arrived at the house.
“Get your shoes and socks off!” he ordered after he set me down on a chair.
He ran into the house, his coat still on.
“Amelia, can you help?” I held out my coat sleeve to her the same way she did for me to help her take her coat off. Once she pulled my coat off, I helped her.
“Why are your boots still on your feet? I thought I told you to get those off immediately.” Bryan stood in the doorway to the kitchen, his arms full of thick gray sweats and a folded up pair of socks in his fist.
“Let me look at your feet.” The tone of his voice was very clear that I was not to argue.
“You do not need to see my feet,” I responded as I pulled off one boot, and then the other.
He held out the socks. “Put these on. Stop being so weird, Nova,” he said in a calm, even tone. “I need to see if your toes are okay.”
“My toes are perfectly fine.” I was tempted to shove my foot under his nose and wiggle my toes at him, but instead, I tucked them under the chair I was sitting on, hiding them from his view.
“Amelia is right there,” I said under my breath, cutting my glance to where his daughter was wrestling with our coats.
Bryan just shook his head before crossing the room and helping Amelia. “Fine. I won’t look. Are your toes pink or white?”
“That’s a stupid question. They’re skin colored,” I snarked.
“And what color is the skin, Nova, pink or white?”
My toes were actually starting to get itchy as the feeling was coming back into them. I pulled off the damp socks. I looked down at my toes.
“Oh, my God, they’re bright pink,” I said. I stared at my toes and wiggled them around, wondering why they were such a lurid color. “I look like a boiled lobster. That can’t be good. Can it?”
“Bright pink is good,” Bryan said.
“Are you sure? These don’t look right.” I held out my foot and wiggled my toes. The whole foot was bright pink and the prickly, itchy feeling started to feel more like a burning sensation.
He returned to where I sat and kneeled down in front of me, cupping my heel and pulling my foot forward until he rested it on his thigh. He rubbed his hands over the tops of my feet. “Pink is good. It means you don’t have frostbite.”
“Oh, is that what you’ve been on about?”
“What did you think I was worried about?” He watched me as his brows pulled together. He shook his head, dismissing whatever thought crossed his mind. “Don’t even bother telling me what you were thinking. Yes, frostbite. Now take these clothes and go get out of those wet clothes.”
“I need to get the groceries out of the car.”
“I will take care of that while you’re getting changed.”
I laughed, thinking he was teasing me in some strange fashion.
He gave me an intense stare that basically told me he wasn’t interested in arguing anymore.
“Fine.” I shoved the socks on my feet. They were warm and soft. I grabbed the rest of the clothes and went to the bathroom to change.
The sweatpants were miles too long and entirely too tight through my hips. The sweatshirt fit just as awkwardly. Bryan’s shoulders were incredibly wide, and he was built like an inverted triangle, so it fit fine through the chest, accommodating my boobs. But through the waist, it was snug. I didn’t care. They were warm and cozy, and I was now wrapped up in layers of blankets. I even had Amelia’s stuffed animal, Humphrey, tucked in with me to keep me company and give me comfort as I sat nestled into the corner of the couch while Bryan built the fire.
Amelia sat on the floor in front of me coloring. Every five minutes, she would get up and show me exactly what she had done.
“That looks great,” I said after she added in some blue on the picture of the bird she was working on.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re comfortable, warm?” Bryan asked.
“I’m great. Thank you,” I replied. I was actually feeling a little too warm, the cold of the car more of a bad memory than anything else. I began to shift the blankets off me.
“What are you doing?”
“I thought I’d go make some hot chocolate,” I said, not wanting to pressure him any further. He was being so nice to me, and even though he had promised he would make me a drink, he hadn’t yet. He was doing so many other things to see to my comfort.
“I’ll get that for you. You stay put.”
“I can make hot chocolate. I’m fine. I was a little cold.”
“You were stuck in a car for over two hours, Nova.”
“I had the heater on for most of that time,” I reminded him.
“Are you certain?” He looked so concerned.
“Look, I’ll make some hot chocolate. And while I’m in the kitchen, I can double check that you got all the groceries in and put them away.”
“I told you I took care of the groceries and put everything in the refrigerator. You don’t need to cook anything right now. You can relax.”
I bundled the blankets back onto my lap and pouted. “I can make hot chocolate.” I blew out a long breath. Bryan was winning this particular argument, but it was my job to take care of Amelia and feed him. It didn’t feel right to let him take care of me.
“Could you at least bring me my phone? Maybe I should call the tow company.”
“Your phone is still charging. You don’t need to call the tow company. You can call them later. Just get used to the idea that you’re going to be staying here through this storm.”
“I should at least call my mother,” I said. “I can go into the kitchen and call her while I make the hot chocolate.”
He made a grouchy harumph noise and a few moments later handed me the phone. “Call your mother, but I’m making the hot chocolate. You stay put.”
The couch was comfortable and the fire was starting to finally crackle properly and give off a decent amount of heat. I was beginning to feel a little too warm. I had gone from one extreme to another. There had to be a good, comfortable, happy medium.
I texted my mother.
Car stuck, phone battery died. I’m fine.
Nova! I was wondering what happened when you didn’t call me back. I was hoping you got busy with the tow truck .
I bit my lip and chuckled. Mom had a way of getting phrases just wrong enough to be awkward. I was not getting busy with anyone, but I knew what she meant.
I set one of the blankets to the side while still leaving a few other ones wrapped around my legs.
Boss found me on the side of the road.
If I was texting Veronica, I might have said it was very romantic how he carried me into his car like a real rescue hero. But this was Mom. She didn’t need to know I had those kinds of thoughts about the boss.
Bryan wasn’t gone for very long, and he returned with several steaming mugs of hot chocolate. One for each of us.
I have hot chocolate and am safe. I’ll let you know when I find out about the car. For now, it’s stuck in the snow.
Be safe. I love you , she texted back.
Love you too.
I set my phone to the side and took a sip of the hot chocolate. The treat was sweet and creamy and heated me up from the inside, as it should.
“Careful,” he said as he handed one of the mugs to Amelia. “That’s hot.”
“I usually put an ice cube in the mug,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, I know that trick too.” He sat on the other end of the couch. “I noticed a rack of lamb as I was putting the groceries away, and also some boxed macaroni noodles and cheese. That’s not for dinner, is it?” he asked with a light chuckle.
“The rack of lamb is for Christmas Eve. I know that you’re expecting something much more sophisticated than what I’ve been feeding you for dinners lately.”
“We haven’t had a chance to discuss the menu. Have we?”
“I guess now is as good a time as any. The boxed noodles and cheese are for lunch for her.” I tipped my head toward Amelia.
“What is your plan?”
“I won’t be feeding your mother boxed noodles with powdered cheese mix.” I went over my planned meal.
Bryan nodded, confirming that all of my choices were good.
“Are you sure I shouldn’t call a tow truck?” I asked after a while. “It’s getting late and I’m going to need to get home.”
“You’re not going anywhere. The road conditions are hazardous. There are plenty of guest rooms upstairs. You will have your choice of where to stay, and your clothes will be clean and dry by tomorrow.”