Page 39 of One Midnight Kiss

15

FOX

Iwoke up on Natalia’s couch. A crick in my neck told me I had slept deeply, which was something I hadn’t been able to do for a while. My eyes didn’t feel full of sand anymore. I actually felt refreshed.

The living room was lit with early morning sunlight slipping through her half-drawn curtains. It took me a moment to orient myself and remember why I was here.

Everything came flooding back. Natalia was sick.

She had fallen asleep on the other side of the couch, a blanket pulled tight around her shoulders. I had taken her to her bedroom and tucked her in, knowing she would sleep better on a proper mattress. I glanced toward her door, slightly ajar, and for a split second, I debated going in there.

Just to check on her, I told myself, nothing more. She was my patient. I was going to make her another bowl of Theraflu if she still sounded stuffy.

I stood up and tiptoed down the short hallway to peek inside her room. She was still asleep, her dark hair splayed out over the pillow like a messy halo. I didn’t want to disturb her but I needed to check on her. I could hear her breathing, but if she was still running a fever, I was going to find a way to break it.

I walked to the side of her bed, hoping she didn’t wake up and see me looming over her. That would freak her out. I pressed the back of my hand to her forehead. Warm but better than last night. I internally patted myself on the back for my stellar nursing skills. I pulled my hand back and took a moment to look at her.

It was weird seeing her like this, vulnerable and without that usual hard edge she kept on display. I pulled the blanket up a bit higher, tucking it under her chin, and left quietly. I wasn’t going to watch her sleep any longer than I already had.

That was creepy.

I desperately needed coffee. I made my way back to her kitchen that was now flooded with sunlight. That was a rarity. The sun highlighted the yellows and greens of her kitchen. It made it look very cheery. Again, I was surprised by how homey and eclectic her house was. It was very artsy.

Her kitchen was less organized than I had expected, which was a surprise. I hadn’t exactly gone through every drawer the night before, despite what I said, but I had gotten a good idea about where things were. I didn’t remember seeing any coffee. I started rummaging through her cabinets, finally finding her fancy French press tucked behind an entire row of health supplements. A multivitamin, a huge jar of collagen powder, and something called “Mood Magic.” I smirked. I would have to ask her about that one later.

Just as the water began boiling, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Jerrod.

“Morning,” he greeted. I could hear a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Where the hell are you?”

“Good morning to you, too,” I said, pouring the water into the French press. I watched the coffee bloom, the dark liquid swirling, promising a blast of caffeine. “I’m not coming in today.”

“You’re not coming in today,” he repeated flatly. “Care to explain why, or is this another one of your ‘I had a revelation at three a.m. and need to sit on a cliff somewhere to think’ days?”

I snorted. “It’s not that dramatic. I’m just taking care of something.”

“Uh huh. Do you want to hear the numbers from the campaign this weekend?”

“You know I do, you tease.”

He didn’t laugh at my joke. “We’ve got tens of thousands signing up to receive their Hannas once the rollout begins in December. Traffic on the website spiked like crazy, and we’re trending in a few key forums.” He sounded pleased but not overly so. Jerrod was a pessimist until proven otherwise. “The social media kids are pretty excited.”

“They hate when you call them kids,” I reminded him.

“Did anyone actually check their ID?” he asked. “I swear that one kid is like twelve.”

“Everyone looks twelve when you’re pushing forty, Jerrod,” I said, leaning up against the kitchen counter. “They know what they’re doing.”

“We’re both thirty-three,” he retorted.

“Deep down, you’ve always been a fifty-year old man in a younger body,” I said. “Any contracts yet? Any companies willing to do a big buy? Hotels?”

“Not yet,” he said. “But that’s why we’ve got the symposium. You need to charm the pants off these execs, Fox. It’s your superpower, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah, if only the public liked me as much as other tech folks do,” I said as I pressed down on the French press plunger. “I’ll work my magic.”

“Where are you, anyway?”

I paused, a smile tugging at my lips. “Nowhere you need to know about.”