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His tone let me know he would not budge on this one.
“I’m okay. Really. I can wait until you get back.”
Hayden’s eyes narrowed.
“I promise I’ll stay right here. Maybe I’ll give Austin a call, give him proof of life.”
Hayden nodded. “I’ll be back before you know it, soup in hand.”
He turned around, getting ready to head toward the door and the deli in question, when I said, “Maybe you can get yourself some and eat it in here with me? Let me know what I missed on Bounty Hunter Wars the past few weeks?”
Hayden stopped and looked over his shoulder at me.
“Explaining things to you before you watch them may or may not be worse than your interruptions during a live viewing. But I’m game to give it a try.”
He turned back around and continued his quest to bring me soup. I looked down at my hands, feeling that warm feeling again, glad Hayden had walked away before the large smile broke across my face.
Chapter
Thirteen
Hayden
The next Monday, I convinced Charlotte I should take her to work via my car service, so she wouldn’t tire herself out on her first morning back.
“So, this is how you get to work every morning?” Charlotte asked, sliding into the car ahead of me and scooting over to the far side.
“Duncan wanted to be sure his regular driver wasn’t without work while he was away for such a significant time, so he left the contract open for me. Though I’ll admit, not having to fight the masses every morning and afternoon isn’t the worst thing.”
“Yeah, who would want to mingle with the commoners on the Metro?” Charlotte teased, her cheeks pink with health and her eyes sparkling. It was so good to see her feeling better.
As the driver pulled into traffic from the front of our building, I started scrolling through my phone out of habit. Charlotte cleared her throat next to me.
“Are you sure it’s not a big deal for you to drop me off? I don’t want to make you late after keeping you home all week.”
I put my phone face down on my lap and looked over at her.
“Not that it matters, because I’d send you in the car by yourself if I really needed to, but it turns out your office is only a few minutes from mine. It’s not a problem at all.”
Charlotte settled back into her seat, seeming pleased.
“Well, in that case, maybe I should be mad I haven’t been getting this option all along. It’s not like I stuffed paper towels in your shoe or anything. A girl could get used to this.”
I laughed, turning my head away, hoping she couldn’t see all over my face just how much I wouldn’t mind sharing an enclosed space with her every weekday morning.
Being back in the office felt strange after almost a week of working from home. My suit felt weird and constricting on my body. I hadn’t missed the way Charlotte took me in as I waited for her by the front door so we could head down in the elevator together.
As I rode the elevator to my floor, I thought back to our weekend. I got work done during her naps but gave myself completely over to a lazy weekend once five o’clock on Friday rolled around. We alternated movie picks and ordered in all weekend. I got Charlotte through the original trilogy of Star Wars, and I also secretly enjoyed Charlotte’s picks: Pitch Perfect, John Tucker Must Die, and the adaptation of one of her favorite romance novels, Red, White & Royal Blue. Charlotte fell asleep watching football both Saturday and Sunday night. On Saturday, I tucked a blanket around her and tried to continue watching the game, only to wake up alone on the couch in the early hours of Sunday morning. Last night, I shook her awake, wanting her to get a good night’s sleep before the start of a long week.
I checked my phone for a message from her, even though I had dropped her off just moments ago, only to be disappointed when there was nothing. There was no good excuse to keep us both in the apartment any longer, but I was still worried about her overdoing it on her first day back. The gala was Friday night, and I knew she was eager to dive back in and catch up. I knew re-energized was a feeling I should try to stir up in myself, but I was having trouble getting motivated. Instead, I found myself missing the Charlotte and Hayden clubhouse we had created.
I reached my office and was unsurprised to find Leslie already at her desk.
“Morning, Leslie,” I greeted her, setting a cup of coffee on her desk. I asked my driver to stop so I could grab it for her after we dropped off Charlotte.
“Good morning, Mr. Brandt. What’s this for? Usually, I’m the one getting coffee. You’re depriving me of a trip to the gossip mines this morning.”
I laughed.
