Page 23 of Miss Fortune

“Appreciate the offer, but I’m not sure having a partner get involved in the staff’s personal issues would make things better.”

No, it probably wouldn’t.

It turned out Daisy lived only three miles from my house in Studio City. I parked on the street outside her building and quickly went around to her side of the truck to help her out.

Her six-story apartment building had a security door at the lobby. After she typed in the code, we entered, and I led her to the elevator. On the third floor, I took her keys to open the double-locked door to her apartment.

The interior was a reflection of Daisy herself. It was colorful, classic, and full of personality. A comfortable red sofa and loveseat were center stage in the living room. They were adorned with silk pillows in jewel colors of emerald, sapphire, and gold. An ornamental rug tied in bright hues was in contrast to the wood floor. A small television sat in a wall unit brimming over with dozens of different books on the shelves.

“Where would you like to sit?”

“Uh, probably at the counter in case I’m still bleeding.”

I pulled out one of the stools so she could sit down. “You okay?”

Her vivid green eyes met mine, making me suck in a breath. What was with my attraction to this woman?

“Yeah. Better. Thank you for the ride and for calling your friend.”

Her attempt to dismiss me fell on deaf ears. “I’m not going anywhere. I need to check your cut to see if the bleeding has stopped. You ready?”

She bit her lip, which made me need to grind my teeth. She was in pain and I had to quit getting turned on.

Her nod gave me the go-ahead.

I gently unwrapped the T-shirt, frowning once I glimpsed the three-inch gash in her tender flesh. The blood flow had stopped, but the cut appeared deep. I wrapped the T-shirt gently back around her arm, more to keep her from looking at it than for functionality.

“How bad is it?”

“You’ll probably need stitches, but the bleeding has stopped.”

The slight shake to her body made it obvious how she felt about the prospect of a needle.

The sound of my phone was a welcome distraction. It was Lucas.

Chapter Twelve

Daisy

I was officially losing it. Had to be if I had imagined Caleb closing the gap between us and kissing me. Get a grip, Daisy. He was only being nice and helping me because I’d cut my arm and was a total chicken around the sight of blood. Just because he’d taken off his shirt to bind my wound, affording me a view of his delicious six-pack abs, and carried me to his truck did not mean I should be diving into some Hallmark fantasy.

Perhaps chivalry wasn’t dead. Maybe instead it was wrapped inside of a complex man who I’d yet to figure out.

As he spoke on the phone with the doctor, I took some deep breaths to calm myself. Ever since I was a child, I’d had an aversion to blood, needles, and hospitals. Probably because I’d spent a good number of years in and out of hospitals due to my heart condition. They’d drawn my blood until my arms were bruised. I used to start getting nauseous simply thinking about my next appointment. Of course, post-transplant, I still had to go in for routine exams, but at least it was only every six months. At least I could opt for a doctor’s office for my checkups instead of the hospital.

Once Caleb ended the call, he focused those intense caramel eyes on me. “Dr. Lucas will be here in twenty minutes.”

Thank goodness. “You don’t have to stay. I’m sure I’ve disrupted enough of your day.”

“I’ll stick around until Lucas gets here. It’s partially my fault you fell.”

I lifted a brow, not having once blamed him. “My grandmother used to say I have two left feet. Believe me. It wasn’t your fault in the least.”

“I distracted you from watching where you were going.”

Yes, he had, but not in the way he thought. “Yeah, well, if Eric hadn’t tried to make his ex jealous, and I hadn’t insisted on getting an Uber, neither of us would be in this position.”

“I’m all for blaming Eric for everything.”