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“He hit me with his car,” Nikki finished for him.
“WHAT?” Asa yelled.
Nikki held André’s gaze and just barely managed to hold back the smug smile that wanted to curl her lips. He deserved so much worse than Asa yelling at him and he knew it.
André dipped his chin and faced Asa fully. “I didn’t see her. It wasn’t intentional,” he said quietly. Resigned.
Nikki rolled her eyes.
Oh, he could be so very proper when it suited him.
“I just wanted to make sure—”
“I’m fine.” Nikki stood up. “It’s barely a sprain. You’ve done your duty; you can go now.” And she was going to take some ibuprofen because not only did her arm hurt from her elbow to her wrist, but she was now getting a headache.
She stepped gingerly around the furniture and the three grown men in the room, and headed for the small kitchen at the back of the house.
“If you’re feeling better, we can still make it to the game,” Ryan said trailing after her.
She groaned.
“Game? What game?” André asked,like it was any of his business.
They’d followed her into the kitchen. She got a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with water. She turned to the cabinet that housed their vitamins and medicines, but Asa was already there. He dropped two ibuprofen into her palm.
“A ballgame. We had a date tonight. We’ll have to skip dinner, but we can get hot dogs at the stadium,” Ryan suggested eagerly.
“Date? Are you…?” André asked.
“I’m her boyfriend. Ryan Malcom.” He stuck out his hand.
Nikki choked, almost spitting the pills back out. She shook her head as she finished swallowing. “You are not my boyfriend, Ryan,” she said.
He frowned at her and she could tell she’d wounded him. Which hadn’t been her intention, but she wasn’t going to let him believe something that just wasn’t true. He had two dates left in the queue and that was it.
“Don’t feel bad, I’m her fiancé,” André decided to add.
Nikki shot him a look and he arched an eyebrow.
“What? Too soon?” André asked with a playful smirk.
And she was done.
She grimaced and waved her one good hand in the air, indicating all of Ryan and André. “It’s time for you to leave.”
Asa herded Ryan and André back the way they’d come. “You heard the lady.”
Ryan craned his neck to catch Nikki’s eye. “But what about…?”
“I’ll call you when I’m feeling up to it, Ryan. I promise. Go to the game, have a hot dog for me.” She forced a smile.
“Okay!” Ryan agreed and left without further comment.
André stopped at the door. The smirk was gone and he was back to being apologetic.
“I shouldn’t have—”
“No. You shouldn’t have,” she agreed. “And as usual, you have brought your very special brand of chaos and calamity into my life. I had a truly horrible time. I hope I never see you again.” She didn’t wait for him to reply because she didn’t care what he had to say.
