Page 30 of Property of Bob

“Answer me.”

“No.”

I blinked. “No?”

“No.” She stood. “You’re sitting in a hospital bed after almost dying. I’m not dumping my problems on you five minutes after seeing you for the first time in twenty years.”

“You came here because of your problems.”

“I came here because I needed somewhere to go.”

“You came here because of me.”

Her mouth opened, then closed.

Got her.

I pushed myself a little higher against the pillows. Bad idea. Pain pulled across my throat and down into my chest. I sucked in a breath and Ramona was beside me before I could tell her not to move. “Ash.”

“I’m fine.”

“Stop saying that.”

Her hand landed on my forearm.

Warm and soft.

My entire body went still.

Not because it hurt, because it didn’t. Her fingers curled around my arm like touching me was the most natural thing in the world.

Twenty years disappeared for one fucking second.

Ramona must’ve realized she was touching me at the same time I did.

Her eyes dropped to her hand, then lifted to mine. She slowly pulled her hand away. “You need to rest.”

“I’ve done nothing but rest.”

“Then apparently you need to do more of it.”

“Ramona.”

“Bob.”

That stopped me.

Not Ash.

Bob.

I didn’t know why that bothered me. Or maybe I knew exactly why.

She stood beside the bed and looked down at me. “I’ll tell you what happened.”

“When?”

“Later.”