“Wait here.”
I nodded.
Sabrina walked out of the bathroom, and a few seconds later, I heard her on the phone. Her voice was low, and I couldn’t make out what she was saying. The conversation was short and sweet because, a few seconds later, she came back in.
“They’re bringing up some first-aid stuff,” she said after she gently closed the bathroom door behind her. “If you want to come out into the living room, I got you breakfast. You can eat while we wait.”
I raised my eyebrows and winced again—this was going to be a problem. “You got me breakfast?” I asked as I moved to stand.
Sabrina’s gaze turned shy as she nodded. “I got your favorite things.”
My eyes widened. “My favorite things?”
She gave me a confident smile, which only made my own smile spread even more. I liked this side of Sabrina.
“I did my research,” she said from over her shoulder.
I gave her an approving nod as I walked up to join her next to the door. She pressed her finger to her lips as she quietly turned the door handle and then tiptoed into the bedroom. I followed closely behind her. Once we were past the bed and through the room, Sabrina shut the bedroom door behind us and then turned to face me.
I hadn’t expected her to address me as soon as we were through the door, so I hadn’t bothered to give us space. Suddenly, she was right next to me, her body tense as she slowly lifted her gaze to meet mine.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered before stepping back and putting space between us.
I didn’t know how to describe it, but I loved when she got all nervous around me. I could feel it in the energy between us. I could see it in the way her gaze kept meeting mine before she’d drop it again.
I wasn’t an idiot. I knew why she was so hesitant around me. I knew it wasn’t because she was suddenly interested in me—like I was rapidly becoming interested in her. It was because I was her boss. Which I respected. However, there was a part of me that hoped I wasn’t the only one feeling the electricity pulsating around us as we stood next to each other.
“The food is over there,” she said with a slight nod. “Why don’t you go sit on the couch and I’ll get it for you.”
I obeyed and collapsed on the soft cushions. With one arm draped across the back, I shifted my weight and stretched out my legs. I could get used to this. Bonnie had always told me that I needed an assistant, but I’d always rejected that idea. I’d always seen an assistant as a way for Bonnie to keep tabs on me when she wasn’t around.
But with Sabrina, she was my hire. She didn’t know Bonnie. There wasn’t any split loyalty there. Besides her taking care of me and getting me food, I liked her company. I hated being alone, and having Sabrina and Samuel with me was…nice.
“Here you go,” Sabrina said as she set a white coffee cup down on the coffee table and what looked like a sandwich wrapped in white paper. She stared at it for a moment before she looked up at me. I could see the anticipation in her gaze.
“Wow,” I said as I leaned forward and grabbed the sandwich. I unwrapped it and peeled back the top of the croissant so I could inspect the insides. I was incredibly curious as to what Sabrina got me. I stared at the egg and sausage. I could feel her anxiety while she waited for my response.
My favorite breakfast was a thick slab of French toast, but I didn’t want her to feel bad. “This looks great,” I said, making sure to give her an extra wide smile when I glanced back up.
“Really?” she asked, the words coming out all breathy like she had been holding her breath.
I nodded. “Really.” Her smile was worth it for me to keep my favorite breakfast to myself.
“I got you a cold brew concentrate as well.” She nodded in the direction of the white cup.
“Mmm,” I mumbled through the large bite I’d just taken out of the breakfast sandwich. I had no idea what a cold brew concentrate was. My favorite breakfast drink was hot cocoa with whip cream and mini marshmallows. Every Christmas, I might have not had a ton of presents under the tree, but Mom never skimped on the number of French toast slices I could have or how many cups of hot cocoa I could drink.
Every time I smelled melted chocolate and cinnamon, I was instantly taken back to my childhood.
I knew that Sabrina wasn’t going to be satisfied until I’d taken a drink of the coffee, so I lifted the cup up and took a sip. Heat and bitterness assaulted my mouth. I tried everything I could to school my face so that Sabrina wouldn’t discover the truth.
Unfortunately for me, her focus on my reaction was razor sharp. I saw her face fall in real time. I wanted to explain, so I quickly lowered the cup and breathed out, “That was hot.” As if that would explain the look of displeasure on my face.
“Oh!” Sabrina started glancing around. “I can get you some water.” She hurried into the bedroom and then came out seconds later holding a water bottle. “George brought these up. They aren’t cold, but it should help.” She was standing in front of me now with the water bottle extended.
“Thanks,” I said as I took it from her. I really wasn’t thirsty, but Sabrina seemed determined to make sure I was okay. So I cracked the lid on the bottle and let the cool liquid slide down my throat.
My mom taught me never to be rude when given a gift, so I took a few more bites of the sandwich and tried to wash it down with the coffee. I was not a coffee drinker, and I was reminded of that fact with each sip I took. I tried to look content as I could since Sabrina seemed determined to watch me finish off the breakfast.
