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“What?No.I said, aren’t you a little oldfor voodoo dolls? As in childish revenge.” She answers my question with more silence and more of that piercing, unblinking stare. “You have a Nathan Hatcher voodoo doll, don’t you?” I cringe.
“Yes. But don’t worry, I don’t poke him much.” She shows me a villainous smile. “I have work to do. Tell Spencer I hope she feels better.”
With that, Dawn rushes out of my office the same way she always does when she’s setting off to put out a fire.
28
Spencer
Iwake up, startled, the tail end of my own snoring jostling me from my deep slumber. I wipe the corner of my mouth where the drool has dried. Sniffing with all my might, I try to suck in oxygen through my nostrils, but they’re far too stuffy.
“Ow.” I wince as I try to sit up. My arms are stiff, my torso made of lead. Every bone in my body has pins and needles stabbing through the marrow. I got hit by a full-speed train, masquerading as the flu.
I want to sink back into the pillow and let the world go dark again, but…
Wait! Shit!
I glance through the blinds, not even a streak of sunshine is visible.It’s motherfucking dark out!I feel around for my phone but it’s nowhere in sight. Summertime in Las Vegas, the sun doesn’t disappear until after eight, meaning I left Charlie at school. Tears form in my dry, stinging eyes.
Oh my God. Oh my God.I kick my legs off the bed, hoping my body will catch up.
Unfortunately, my panic-induced adrenaline doesn’t override the severity of my flu symptoms. The room spins as thenausea overwhelms me. I try to grab on to something so I don’t fall over, but the lamp on the nightstand is even less sturdy than me. I topple to the ground, bringing the lamp down on top of me. The light bulb shatters against the nightstand drawer, shards falling onto my head.
“The fuck?” Nathan shouts, magically appearing in the doorway. “I was gone for two minutes. What happened?”
I try to sit up, but before I can fail again, Nathan’s thick, firm bicep is supporting my neck. “Charlie,” I say. Her name comes out like a feeble croak. I pat my throat aggressively and try again. “I left Charlie at school.” I force out the words, setting my throat on fire.
“I picked up Charlie from school, remember?”
I shake my head.
“Yeah, not a surprise. You’re probably still high as a kite off medicine. I did not realize NyQuil was like ten percent alcohol when I gave you that double dose.”
“You asshat,” I shout. Moaning in pain, I cradle my raw throat.
“You see?” Nathan asks, wearing that stupid smirk. “That’s what you get for shouting at the man who has been your bedside nurse for the past ten hours.”
I try to roll my eyes, but I can’t even muster the strength to show Nathan how annoying he is. “Where is she?”
“I put her in the main house for tonight. She’s on her iPad right now. She ate. She already took a shower. Hair, braided. Teeth, brushed. I checked her homework but I don’t know when the hell sixth-grade algebra got so complicated. I had to take her word that she did it right.”
I smile. “Good. Now bring her home.”
“You’re too sick and contagious, Spencer. Charlie’s safe from your germs in the main house.”
Great.Charlie’s going to infest Nathan’s home like bedbugs. Once she’s in, there’s no getting her out.
“Then why are you here braving my germs?” I peer at his bare chest and realize how sick I am. I must be delirious if I didn’t immediately notice his hard chest and perfectly sculpted abs. “And why are you shirtless?”
“Risking it,” he says nonchalantly. “And you soaked through my shirt.”
“What do you mean I soaked through it?” Dread sweeps over me.Please say sweat, please, please for the love of God say sweat.
“Your fever is so high you’re sweating,” he explains.
Oh, thank God.“You held me?”
“Through thick and thin. And by thick and thin, I’m describing all the logs you were sawing.” He flashes me a devilish smile. “You’ve got some pipes on you. That was impressive snoring.”