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“Great. Andrew is already here, so we can go whenever you’re ready.”
“Okay.”
Right, so we were back to not talking, I guess. Or making eye contact. Or actually leaving. “Let’s go, then.”
The moment she stood up, she swayed a little, and raised her hand to her head, clearly dizzy. I stepped forward to steady her, but she pulled away. “I’m fine.”
“My apologies.” Bending down, I went to retrieve her overnight bag from next to the bed.
“I can take it myself!”
I backed off, hands raised in a gesture of surrender. Jesus Christ. “Sure thing.”
She slung her bag over her shoulder, almost losing her balance in the process. There was something about her ridiculous, stubborn independence that had me gritting my teeth as we walked down the hospital corridor. Things didn’t improve when she got in the limo. Andrew opened the door for her and made a move to take her bag. She snapped, “I’ve got it!” and climbed in, pulling the door behind her.
It got even more awkward when we boarded the plane and she stowed her bag, with the steward standing next to her, blinking in confusion. “The attendants are paid to carry your bags, open doors for you, get things for you. It’s why they’re here.”
“I don’t need anyone looking after me.” Even the way she sat down seemed angry.
I bit back a sigh and took my seat across from her.
“Where’s a fucking blanket?”
“How about I ask AJ to get it for you?”
She was bent over, looking under her seat. “Who’s AJ?”
“The steward.”
Straightening, she twisted around, checking behind her. “You don’t need to be an asshole.”
The wordsNeither do youwere on the tip of my tongue, but then I saw she was blinking rapidly, like she was trying not to cry. So, without a word, I pressed the hidden door in the plane's wall. It popped open, revealing a pile of neatly folded, fluffy blankets. I handed one to her, accepted her mumbled, “Thank you,” and leaned back in my chair, ready for takeoff.
Once we were airborne, I said, “If you want to recline, you just press that lever there.”
Without looking at me, she pressed on the lever, got the chair how she wanted it, pulled the blanket up to her chin and closed her eyes.
Figuring it was best to just let her be, I pulled out my tablet and brought up my emails. When I glanced up a few moments later, there was a pinched look on her face. As though, even in sleep, she was uncomfortable. The blanket had fallen off her shoulders, so I leaned over and twitched it back up. Doing my best to ignore that uncomfortable, lurching feeling at seeing her so vulnerable.
When we landed, I realized even the small exertion of the trip had worn her out. Because when AJ said, “Ma’am, may I take your bag?” She just nodded.
She was quiet on the short ride to the house. The only moment that let me know she was remotely interested in what was happening was when I pulled up out front. With her hand on the dash, she leaned forward and peered through the windscreen. “You do like your modern aesthetic.”
She wasn’t wrong. It was all glass and steel, blending seamlessly into the landscape. “Yeah.” I pushed the car door open, hesitating for a moment, seriously considering going around to Stef’s side of the car to open the door for her. By the time I’d thought that was probably a bad idea, she was dragging herself out. Then she just stood there, looking around, swaying a little. Okay, time to get inside. I grabbed her bag from the trunk and led Stef to the house.
“I’ll show you your room. It’s down here.” I gestured towards the long hallway that came off the entranceway. She went aheadof me, her movements slow and stiff. “This one.” I opened her bedroom door and dropped her bag just inside. “You can take a rest, if you like.”
Now she was offended. Her spine snapped straight, and she said, “I’m fine.”
I swear, if she’d had the strength to stomp, that’s what she would have done as she walked back up the hall. I followed, shaking my head.
She barely paid any attention to the living room as she padded across the polished concrete floor to the sunroom. There were two recliners that faced out over the ocean and she sank onto one.
“Vera will be here soon.”
“Who’s Vera?”
“The housekeeper. She’ll be preparing all your meals and cleaning up while you’re here.”