Chapter 11 #2
“What?” She sat upright, felt a wave of dizziness roll over her. Blinked to clear it. “I’m going to be late for work.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You got the day off.”
“What?” She glanced at her dead phone. “I don’t. I’m sure of it.”
“You do.”
“Since when?”
“Since I called the hospital and said you were sick.”
“What? Why did you do that? I’m not sick. I’m tired, that’s all.”
“Sick and tired,” he corrected gently. “Gen, your work hours are making you stressed, and soon you will be so tired that it’s only a matter of time before you’re sick.”
“But… you can’t make that decision for me.”
“Gen, I tried to wake you, but you refused to stir. That tells me something.”
“That’s only because your couch is so comfortable.” She frowned. “Why didn’t you wake me up last night?”
“Because that would’ve required lifting you, and I didn’t think my doctor would appreciate me bending over to lift someone at this stage.”
“Oh, you’re going to play that card, are you?”
“Yes.”
His face held a steady determination that she recognized from years ago when he’d stood up for her against his mother. This man could be a wall for her. A wall against her, too.
“Now, seeing you didn’t want to have my pasta last night—”
“That wasn’t true,” she protested.
He smiled. “Are you ready for an omelet now?”
“I’m so hungry I could eat anything.”
“So, do you want pasta or do you want an omelet? Or both?”
She pressed against her forehead, her thoughts still fuzzy. “You really did cook for me last night, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t eat it.”
“It’s okay.”
“I feel bad.”
“Don’t. I ate it. It was good. It was really good. Just so you know.”
“Oh, Kyle.”
“Hey, it just means you’ll have to come again sometime.”
She closed her eyes, but again felt that edge of desperation. “What did you say to the hospital? Who did you speak to?”
“I spoke to someone in reception—I can’t remember her name—and said you were sick and unable to come in.”
“But they were shorthanded as it was. And I’m really not sick, so I feel bad about not being there.” And how was she going to prove her team-player status when she was acting like Goran and not showing up?
“Well, they’re not expecting you in. So you can decide what you want to do about that.”
She winced, but he was right. At this stage it would look weird her suddenly appearing. And it wasn’t like she didn’t have some sick days accrued. “I’m really sorry for causing so much trouble.”
“Are you kidding me? Helping you out like this has been the best thing. And if it means I get to spend some time with you then that’s great.”
She scoffed. “Please. We haven’t even really talked let alone spent time together.”
“I beg to differ. I spent time with you, even if you spent most of that time asleep.”
“Do you mean to sound creepy?”
He chuckled, and the warmth in that sound ignited heat in her chest. She had always enjoyed listening to his laugh.
“I promise, I didn’t sit here all night watching you. I had to leave when you began to snore.”
“I don’t snore!”
“How do you know?”
Good point. “That’s rude to point out if it is true.”
He smiled. “You don’t snore. Not really big lung-clearing snores, anyway. More like these little whiffle sounds that are kinda cute.”
“That’s it. I’m leaving.”
“Not without breakfast, first. You know it’s the most important meal of the day.”
She shook her head. “I knew I shouldn’t have come.”
“Hey, you came because you felt sorry for an injured man. I get it. It does your medical credibility good to be so caring about an injured man, making house calls in this way.”
“I wasn’t—”
“No, don’t kill the illusion.”
His smile carved a path past her protests, eliciting more warmth inside. Oh, why did Kyle always have this effect on her? Too much time in his company, and she would be willing to do anything. Almost anything, anyway. She had learned the hard way that there were consequences.
“Gen, relax. A little bit of time off isn’t going to kill you. But working these crazy hours may well.”
She bit her lip. Maybe he was right. She tended to work too much, saying yes to extra shifts even when she didn’t want to. How else was she supposed to pay off these loans? “Just for the record, I don’t want you organizing me like that again.”
“Hey, I don’t think you staying here overnight is going to be a habit.”
She blushed. Eyed him.
Saw his cheeks had darkened too. “This is a little awkward, huh?”
“Yes,” she whispered. Was he thinking about the last and only other night she’d woken up with him like this? Well, technically it had been her bed, and it had been the sound of her mom returning that had seen him scurry out, then getting caught. But still.
“Come on. You need to eat.”
As if triggered by that last word, her stomach gave a groan. But first—“I need your bathroom.”
“Fine. But I’m serving up food, so don’t take too long.”
She stumbled to the bathroom, then saw her reflection in the mirror.
Oh no! It was a good thing she didn’t wear mascara, but it looked like she had a little bit of dried drool trailing from the corner of her mouth.
How could he not have told her? She hesitated, then hunted through the mirrored cabinet.
If the man wasn’t going to tell her when she wore drool, then she had no problem looking for deodorant so she wouldn’t smell so bad.
She found some, sprayed her armpits, all the time wishing she could change her top so she didn’t smell so bad. Oh well. It was his fault. If he hadn’t asked her here, then she wouldn’t have fallen asleep on his couch, so really, if she smelled bad he only had himself to blame.
She soon returned to the dining room. A bowl of fresh fruit centered the table, the purple grapes the size of mini globes. She glanced at him, and sat at the chair he indicated. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“This looks nice.”
“It’s the least I can do, especially as apparently I’m such boring company that you’d rather fall asleep than talk to me.”