Page 87 of Cakes for the Grump

Or at least it feels that way. In reality, I’m breathing rather deeply as if flirting with hyperventilation itself, the effect causing my breasts to strain a generously low neckline. I’m still wearing my sparkly blue dress and itisvery tight and not designed for vigorous lung expansion.

“What are you doing here?” Luke finally manages out.

“To check. I’m—here to do that. But I didn’tseeanything.”

“What are you checking?”

“You’ve been in a fight, so you.”

My fault, I silently remember with not a low amount of guilt. I hold up the ice pack I’ve brought along. “Cold compression therapy helps stimulate blood flow, speeds up recovery time, reduces swelling, and helps numb the affected area. Your mouth.” Gingerly, I move closer. “And there are bruises already forming in other places. I can see.”

“I’ll take the ice.” He holds out his hand.

When I get close enough to pass it to him, I notice his knuckles. They are battered and look painful. More guilt slams into me.

“There is not enough ice,” I exclaim. “You’ll need much more!”

Giving him the single pack, I turn on my heel to grab the rest of the packs from the kitchen freezer.

“You should rest,” says Luke, when I come back with more in my arms.

“Sit down.”

“I can do it myself.”

“Not easily. And it’s better to get them on as many areas as we can. The earlier, the better.” I kind of corral him toward the bed until he finally concedes and sits down on theedge. “Hands first.”

He holds them out. Very gently I put two packs over his knuckles, barely skimming over the skin so the chill is not a shock to his system.

“Don’t give me that face,” he says.

“Which one?”

“The sad one.”

“I’m not sad,” I tell him. “I’mprofoundlysad.”

“So I shouldn’t have come after you hung up on me?”

“No, that’s not what I mean.”Does he not realize everything he’s done?“I was—surprised when I saw you. I didn’t know what kind of situation it was going to turn into. Rather like a movie or some crime show in retrospect. Not something that is supposed to happen in real life. Rather scary, if I’m being honest. So when you showed up it was very—relieving, to say the least. Thank you. I don’t think I’ve said that yet. And when they tried to make you stay, and you saw—me—the knife—I… Well, I didn’t know you could fight like that.”

“Next time, skip the part where you don’t tell me what is going on. Let me handle it.”

I take the ice off his hands, letting them have a break. Then I raise a smaller pack to his mouth, not meeting his eyes. “Considering I’m never going to another mysterious rich person party again, you won’t have to worry about that.”

“It doesn’t have to be an exact scenario, Rita. Call me whenever you need to.”

Does he hear what he is saying?“That’s—silly.”

“How so?”

“I’m frequently uncomfortable, so if I do that, you’ll be wasting your time.”

“I’ve got the resources to waste my time.”

He’s lying. I know how busy he always is. “Always have the helicopter on standby, do you?”

“For someone like you who has a propensity to get herself into trouble, yes. I’ll have to.”