confirmed our time was coming to an end. He had only promised to fly me to Florida. He hadn’t mentioned anything about staying a minute longer. And why should he? I wasn’t his girlfriend or his responsibility. I wasn’t even his friend anymore. He had a job and a life on the other side of the country.
“Thank you.” My fingers grasped the edge of the granite, weakly though. “You did far more than you needed to. I appreciate it—no…” Where were my words? What did I really want to say to him? “I’m grateful, Garin. Grateful that you stayed and oversaw all my care and made sure it was the best I could possibly get. I’m positive the reason I’m standing here right now, so shortly after the accident, is because of you.”
I didn’t deserve his help. His care. His attention.
But I wanted it. God, I wanted it.
“Do you have everything you need?” he asked flatly.
I nodded. “My meds are in my purse. The fridge is stocked. I’m sure I have enough email to keep me busy for days. I’ll be fine.”
His eyes roamed my kitchen and slowly returned to me. “It doesn’t feel like you in here.”
He was right. This house wasn’t me; it was Anthony. It didn’t matter how many times I remodeled or redecorated; I couldn’t find its heart. That was because it had no heart. And no warmth. There wasn’t any warmth in my business either.
And there wasn’t any warmth coming from the man standing across from me. Somehow, before he left, I needed to feel some from him.
“I’m sure you’re anxious to get back to Vegas,” I said. “You’ve missed so much work.”
“Anxious? No.”
He had unspoken words. I swore I felt them. I swore that underneath those words was the guy I remembered.
“I—” His phone beeped, cutting him off. He took it out of his pocket and stared at the screen. “Looks like I’m going to be in Florida for the night.”
“You’re staying?”
He continued to read the screen. “My pilot maxed out his hours when he flew in from Vegas to pick us up in Jersey and bring us down to Tampa. He tried to find a replacement crew but couldn’t.” He hit a button and held the phone up to his ear. “I’m going to call my assistant and have her book me a hotel—”
“Stay here.” The words were out of my mouth before he had even finished speaking. “I have a guest room. Or you could take my room, and I’ll sleep in the spare room.”
He said nothing.
“Please, it’s the least I can do. I want you to stay, Garin.”
“I’ll call you back,” he said and hung up.
I knew the consequences of going against Anthony’s warning. I was already in so much trouble with him and would be in even more after he found out Garin’s crew had been inside the house. I didn’t know what he would do to me, and the thought scared the hell out of me.
But I couldn’t let Garin go to a hotel. I couldn’t let him be in this city and not be with me.
“You’re sure about this?”
I looked at the racks of powered doughnuts. “Go get your suitcase from the car, and send the driver home.”
Thirty
Kyle
After a long, steamy shower, I dressed myself in a pair of yoga pants and a thin cotton tank. I squeezed some of the water out of my hair and let the long locks fall down the middle of my shirt, soaking through to my back. There was no reason to blow-dry it. No reason to put on makeup either. Garin had been looking at my bare face for days.
When I left my bedroom, I saw him sitting outside on the lanai. There was a pizza box on the kitchen counter and five bottles of a six-pack of beer next to it. The missing one was in Garin’s hand, his cell in the other as he held it up to his ear. I filled the plates with two slices each, tucked the beer under my arm, and joined him outside.
Before my shower, Garin had offered to take me out for dinner or to pick up food from any restaurant I wanted. Our time together was limited; I wanted to spend it in a setting where we could talk and be alone. So, I’d ordered a pizza and told him I’d be out of the shower by the time it was delivered.
It looked like I had stayed in there a little longer