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“Good.” She sat up and pulled the covers off her. “I’m glad we got that straight.”
She didn’t wait for a response but stretched and stood, pushing past the curtain and striding toward Hannah’s bedside. Her sister’s eyes were closed, the ventilator removed. Her chest rose and fell, and her pale skin had taken on a bit of color.Thank goodness.Once Lillian was sure Hannah had fully recovered, she’d be on the next flight to Boston.
“I told you she was sleeping.”
Tristan’s deep voice vibrated her hair, causing her to jump.
How had she not heard him move? “I…I know. I just needed to see for myself.”
The door opened, and she startled. It was just the nurse to check vitals. Lillian didn’t look at Tristan, but she didn’t kid herself he hadn’t noticed her reaction.
Her dad came to the rescue. “Why don’t you two grab lunch? I’ll stay with Hannah.”
Lillian frowned, exchanging a silent communication with her dad, whose expression indicated it was the only idea he could think of to distract Tristan. She hoped her dad correctly interpreted her answering frown as saying she shouldn’t be leaving the hospital.
She flicked a quick glance at Tristan, who nodded, his blue eyes piercing. “Good idea.” He motioned for Lillian to proceed in front of him.
She ran her fingers through her hair, fluffing it, and forced a smile. Objecting would only put Tristan on full alert, and she had to eat at some point. “Call or text me when she’s awake, okay?” she told her dad. “I’ll comerightback.”
Her father had already taken the chair next to her sister’s bedside. He nodded and waved her off. “Don’t worry. I will.” She hoped he caught her emphasis on the word “right” and understood she wanted him to summon her to return as soon as possible. She didn’t need to be hanging out with Tristan any longer than necessary.
Then she was heading toward the stairs, Tristan’s warm breath on her back. He placed a hand on her shoulder, directing her to the nurse’s station. A wave of heat traveled over her skin and lightened her step. How easily his presence calmed and energized her.
“Let’s stop at the front desk. Hannah’s father told me you’re authorized to request her medical records. I want to look them over and share them with the doctor I was telling you about—Melanie Harris. She’ll check into Hannah’s treatment.”
He guided her toward the desk where two nurses sat.
“My friend is feeling better now. Is it really necessary to involve another doctor in her care?”
“Mel—Dr. Harris is the best respiratory doctor around.”
She wanted to argue that Tristan’s fancy doctor friend couldn’t do anything more for Hannah than Lillian already had. But he wouldn’t believe her, so she might as well save her breath. Besides, she’d agreed to let Tristan have access to Hannah’s records, and it wouldn’t hurt Hannah to have Tristan’s doctor friend look over them, would it?
“Hello, Tristan,” a familiar female voice purred, interrupting their conversation. “How did it go with your mom?”
Tristan stiffened, and Lillian had a strange sense of déjà vu when he draped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side. Every place where her body touched Tristan came alive, and she had to work hard to keep from shivering.
“Hello, Angelina. She’s recuperating. Have I introduced you to my friend?”
She peered at Lillian and nodded her head, not missing a beat. “Oh, yes, the other night. And you brought her to yesterday’s little shindig.” She turned to Lillian, offering her a limp hand and a fake smile. “I’m Angelina Ramos.”
“Zoey Mills.” Lillian knew the smile she mustered up was also fake.
“Did you enjoy the little party?”
Enjoy it?“Yes, yes it was nice,” Lillian said, hoping she sounded enthusiastic enough for Angelina.
But as it turned out, Angelina was only being polite and had already turned her attention to Tristan. “I’m looking forward to talking with you at the event tonight. Why don’t we ride together? I can pick you up at six.”
“I can’t. Zoey will be coming with me.”
“Oh.” Angelina’s smile faded, but she shrugged and gave a sad little pout that Lillian wondered if she practiced because it somehow looked cute and not all that sad. It seemed to work on Tristan, though, because he hadn’t taken his eyes off Angelina, even though he had Lillian tucked into his side like a life preserver.
“I’ll look forward to seeing you there, then. We have a lot to catch up on, don’t we?”
She smiled and walked away, and Tristan’s gaze followed her swishing hips all the way down the hall until she disappeared around a corner.
Lillian managed to detach herself from his side.
