“I don’t, so I can start the bath.” I opened the tap, closed the drain, and checked the water, letting it pour.
“Okay, I’m done.” Milo tapped me on the arm.
I turned around and swallowed my gasp. Milo had shed his hospital gown, baring his naked body, scratched and bruised all over. Dear gods, he must be in so much pain.
“Careful.” I reached out so he could hold on to me.
“I think the pain-killers are making me unsteady. Or maybe it’s the concussion.”
I took him by the hand and forearm and guided him to sit in the tub. He sighed and lowered himself into the water.
“Is it warm enough?” I asked.
“Yeah. It’s perfect. Thanks.” He chewed on his bottom lip, but this time, instead of looking adorable, he looked worried. “Stay? Please.”
“Of course.” I sat on the closed toilet and braced my elbows on my knees, leaning forward toward Milo.
“I missed two days at the cafe.” Milo said through his teeth. “I only do that if I have exams or have to leave town for something important.”
“You had an accident.”
He splashed water on his chest. “You don’t understand.”
“That you’re responsible for the employees and the business because it’s yours?”
Milo turned to me sharply. “Who told you?” He groaned. “You talked to Ethel.”
“Yesterday I overheard some of your clients discussing you buying the cafe. Then it became obvious when I met Ethel at the hospital. You didn’t want me to know?”
Milo shrugged. “I’ve had mixed reactions to it.” He made a face. “You can’t run it properly,” he said in a condescending tone. “You should sell it. It’s a silly dream. It’s too much for you.”
A growl brewed in my chest. “Who said that?”
“Andrew.”
I fucking knew it. “Fuck that guy.”
Milo laid his head back on the edge of the tub. “Have you seen the stack of mail on the table? Those are overdue bills. I’m failing the cafe, Rowan. I am.”
“I don’t believe that. Would you let me go over the numbers with you? When you feel better, of course.”
“Sure. I have so many ideas. But they are either too expensive, or I suck too much to execute them. I burned a pretzel the other day.” He sniffled and wiped his face with a wet hand. “I took out a loan to do necessary renovations in the cafe, and now it’s biting me in the ass. Okay, paying for college is weighing me down too.”
“The cafe is popular. I mean, I can tell you have a rush hour in the morning and it’s fairly quiet the rest of the day, but you’re open late and people love you. How is it not bringing more profit?”
“I’m not gambling or anything, don’t worry.” He glanced at my expectant face and sighed. “Ethel owns half of the cafe, so the profits and her retirement money pay for her stay at Happy Life Senior Home. Well, sort of. The medical expenses and some other stuff cost more than that.”
I was researching the place on my phone as he spoke, my fingers swiping the pictures as I calculated the costs in my head. “There’s no way you can afford that.”
“Yes, I can. I just can’t pay off loans instead.”
“And your own medical insurance.”
“I dropped it a few months ago, yeah. I was supposed to get it again when I sorted some finances. Now the hospital bill will be another thing that will drag me down.”
“We’ll figure it out. I mean, I wanna help you do that.”
“There is nowe, Rowan.” He crossed his arms over the side of the tub and rested his chin on it. “There’s me. No one else.”
