Page 61 of Too Far

She squeezes my hand in reply and lets out a small, sad hum. “Thank you. Love you. Good night, Joey.”

I take that as the cue that we’re done. At least for tonight.

Chapter 25

Josephine

“Andwhat,exactly,areyou making there?”

This cameraman is acting like he’s auditioning for the role of documentary filmmaker this morning.

He’s standing unnecessarily close to Mrs. Lansbury as she peels fresh ginger root. His bulky frame towers over her, and the camera is so close it almost grazes her shoulder as he swoops in for a different angle.

When she shoots me yet another wary glance, I can’t help but jump in and save her.

“I’ll take it from here,” I announce, prying the paring knife from her grip.

With a sigh and a grateful smile, she takes off toward the pantry.

I turn on the cameraman, offer a saccharine smile, and point the knife in his direction. “Nate, was it?”

“Yep,” he confirms as he adjusts the lens. He’s been here since before we woke up. I know, because he was roaming the upstairs hallway when I crept down from the Nest.

“Right. You’re standing too close to me, Nate. The contract states that your presence cannot interfere with anyone’s ability to perform daily tasks and functions. Currently, you’re interfering.”

It really does pay to have a best friend majoring in prelaw.

He chortles, but takes two steps back, giving me enough room to at least finish peeling slivers of ginger.

I make quick work of getting everything into the pot on the stove and give it a good stir. Already, the aroma of the anti-inflammatory tea Mrs. Lansbury started for Nicky permeates the air.

“It appears there are too many cooks in the kitchen,” Kylian announces, bypassing his usual seat at the island to come stand behind me.

He peers over my shoulder, then quietly kisses the side of my neck the camera can’t see.

“We should have stayed in the Nest,” he murmurs, a hand trailing against the cotton covering my stomach.

Each caress is strategically placed so as not to be documented by the insufferable lens of the camera. Little touchpoints, just for me.

I lean back so our bodies barely brush, and he hums low. It’s a recognition of how badly he wants to hold me, but it’s also a warning.

In my periphery, Nate shifts, trying to not so subtly capture our embrace.

My mood sours further…fucking Nate. Fucking feature.

“I promised Nicky I’d go with him to his appointment.” Murmuring low seems to make it difficult for the mics to capture our conversation, so we’ve been doing a lot of that over the last couple of days. “I want to get this tea brewing quickly so it’s ready when he comes down.”

“There’s an outing planned for today?” Nate’s inched closer again, camera still in one hand. Now he’s holding a rolled-up piece of paper in the other and squinting at the page.

“Not for you, there isn’t.”

The cameraman shoots a glare at Kylian, but Kylian’s completely unaffected.

He has the least at stake with SportsZone. He doesn’t have NIL contracts to be concerned about. Although he’s required to be on camera as part of his roommate agreement, he’s rarely the primary focus of the footage.

“If there’s an opportunity—”

“Nicholas has an appointment with a medical professional,” Kylian says, cutting Nate off. “Per the contract, he’s not required to disclose any medical information. If you have questions or don’t understand HIPPA, I suggest you contact Misty.”