Page 21 of A Newport Christmess

I removed the washcloth for a moment to find Landon standing next to the couch with the dosing cup in hand and studying the Benadryl bottle with intensity. “I don’t remember exactly,” I mumbled. “Maybe four or five.”

“Four or five what?”

“Tspppps.” The idea of the sound made sense in my head but sounded wrong when I spoke it. What was the actual word? Tispons? No. Something like that, though. I was just too tired to recall it. “I need a nap.” My words seemed to slur together in my mind. “Please don’t kill me while I sleep.”

SEVEN

LANDON

Nikki’s concerned gaze remained on Quinn. “How long has she been out?”

“Almost six hours,” I said quietly. Six horribly long hours. The hives had been one thing, but at least, with them, I knew how to help. When Quinn mentioned, in her medicine-induced state, she took extra Benadryl before proceeding to pass out, that was when I lost my cool. In my panic, I’d had Poison Control dialed before I’d had the sense to call my dad, who’d spent his career as an ER doctor. “Dad said an extra dose or two wouldn’t be dangerous to an adult, but because she’s so petite, he advised I watch her closely to make sure her breathing doesn’t change and her heart rate remains steady.”

Nikki glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes, and I was certain I saw her lips twitch like she was holding back a smile. “So you’ve stayed with her the whole time?”

“What else was I supposed to do?” I grumbled, refusing to give her the satisfaction of thinking her matchmaking intuition had been right. Nikki would never discover how attentive I’d been. And neither would Quinn. Quinn already thought I was some sort of closet murderer, so I didn’t need her to find out I’d spent the better part of six hours in the room while she slept. Listening to her breathe. Occasionally feeling her wrist to check her pulse. And smiling to myself every time her light snoring interrupted my reading.

“I think she’s waking up,” Kade said, refocusing my attention on Quinn.

She tucked the blanket I’d draped over her up to her chin and rolled away from us with a groan of complaint.

“Quinn?” Nikki approached the couch. “Are you awake?”

A small noise escaped Quinn, but I couldn’t see much from where I stood near the fireplace.

Nikki squatted next to the couch and touched Quinn’s arm. “Quinn, how are you feeling?”

Slowly, Quinn’s head turned toward Nikki. Her eyes blinked heavily a few times, focused, and then rounded. “Nikki. Hey!” She scrambled to sit, pushing the blanket off her legs, only to have the towel still wrapped around her head tip sideways. With clumsy movements, she quickly unwound the towel and freed the ends secured in its folds. “When did you get here?” she asked, running her hands through her hair and glancing around. Her gaze settled on me. “Have I been asleep long?”

“Six hours,” Nikki said, saving me from answering. “Are you feeling okay?”

Quinn gave a slow, stunned nod, then returned her attention to my sister. “Much better. Thanks.”

Nikki slid onto the couch next to Quinn. “I’m so sorry about all of this.”

“It’s fine.” Quinn batted at the air dismissively. “It’s so good to see you again. It’s been way too long.” She gestured to Kade, who stood a few feet behind Nikki, her voice unnaturally high and fast. “And I haven’t met your fiancé. How was the flight? Did you get your dress?” Quinn’s cheeks turned a darker shade of pink than the remnants of calamine lotion that still covered her face and neck.

Nikki smiled sweetly, obviously as charmed by Quinn’s rapid firing of questions as I secretly was. There was something about this woman that constantly made me fight a smile.

“Our flight was great,” Nikki said. “I got the dress. And this is my fiancé, Kade.” Kade waved, and Nikki settled a hand over Quinn’s. “And it’s good to see you, too. Thanks for coming all this way. I hope you don’t mind, but I peeked at your work.” She gestured toward the gingerbread structure on the table I’d admired earlier. Quinn had done a remarkable job with it, considering that, even undecorated, I knew it was a replica of the house where Nikki and I had grown up here in Newport. The house my dad still lived in. “I can’t imagine a better collection of centerpieces for our wedding.”

Quinn ran a hand through her hair again and shifted in her seat. “Well, I’m glad to be here.”

Nikki’s gaze locked on me. “My brother hasn’t been too terrible a host, has he?”

Quinn glanced at me, lifting her chin slightly as though resolving herself to our plan—well, not really a plan, but an understanding that we would thwart Nikki’s scheme at any cost. “Other than when I thought he was breaking in and the whole Christmas-tree ordeal today, I haven’t seen him much.”

I tightened my already folded arms, trying not to shift under Nikki’s glare. “You haven’t shown Quinn Newport yet?”

I shifted. Shoot. “She said she had a lot of work to do.”

“Unbelievable.” Nikki shook her head and looked back to Quinn, her expression shifting from disappointment to apology. “I’ll take you, then.”

“Oh, you don’t need to do that. I’m sure you have so much to do before your wedding.”

Kade dropped onto the sectional next to Nikki and wrapped an arm around her waist. “She didn’t hire the most uptight wedding planner on the East Coast for nothing.”

Nikki dipped her chin, sending Kade a correctional look. “Irene Garrity is a dear. Besides, the wedding guests don’t start arriving for another week. There’s plenty of time to plan a night out.” She pointed at me. “But you’re not invited.”