I couldn’t help but think of Knox.What if he got worse during the night?Well, at least he was in the hospital and under strict supervision.
I wondered again if he’d flirted with the doctor after I left, then chastised myself as I pulled into my driveway.Why the hell did my thoughts always veer that way?Shaking my head, I got out of the car and walked into my home.
It was a one-bedroom house—a rarity in this neighborhood.But I didn’t need any more space, and the rent was fantastic.I’d put up shelves everywhere in the living room, which were now full of books and drawings from my younger students.
I loved being a high school teacher, but I also enjoyed helping out with the little ones this semester.Kids were simply adorable at that age.They had so much love to give and were eager to learn.
My favorite painting was from Lisa, a seven-year-old.I’d found out early on that something was off with her, because every day at lunchtime, she’d stay back in the classroom while everyone else went to lunch.It turned out that her parents were very poor and unable to pack a lunch for her, so I always brought her something.Tomorrow, Lisa was getting leftovers from yesterday’s pot pie—it was full of chopped veggies.I’d come up with the recipe, and she’d said it was her favorite.
After I packed the lunchboxes, I put them in the fridge, then paced the living room.I usually went to bed early, but tonight I was a bit high-strung.I couldn’t shake my worries about Knox.Sitting down on my small couch, I put my feet up on the ottoman and decided to text him.
Amy: Feeling better?
I stared at the screen, waiting for him to reply.My friendship with Knox was what I liked to call “low-maintenance”—when you didn’t have to constantly keep in touch to know that they’d be there for you no matter what.Whenever we met, it was like we’d seen each other the day before.
I glanced at my phone again.Damn it.Why isn’t he replying?
Maybe his concussion is worse than he let on.
Or maybe he’s too busy flirting with that doctor.
The thought transported me right back to the night when Knox and I went out for the first time back in college.I’d mistakenly thought he was taking me out on a date.I’d made myself extra pretty and put on my favorite perfume, only for him to show up with a bunch of guys from his dorm.I couldn’t understand how I’d gotten mixed signals, but later that night, I’d figured out why: Knox was flirty with everyone.He couldn’t help himself.
We’d gone to a club and danced sinfully—but for one song only.After that, he kept dancing with everyone but me.
Eventually, I realized that we truly were just friends.And honestly, I was grateful for that.To my knowledge, Knox Sterling had never dated anyone seriously, and I would have just been another notch on his bedpost.
When my phone beeped, I looked at it with a grin.
Knox: Feeling much better.
Amy: Are you being truthful?
Knox: Always.
Knox: When do you want to drop by this week?
Amy: Want to lock this down, huh?
Knox: Hell yeah.Otherwise, it may be another year before I see you.
Amy: Knox Sterling, is that your way of telling me that you miss me?
Why did I text him that?I swear, I was holding my breath waiting for his reply.
My phone started vibrating the next second.He was calling me, so I put him on speakerphone.I was a weirdo, but I preferred talking this way when I could.I didn’t do it in public, but always at home.
“Can’t type so much.”
“Still?Aren’t the doctors worried about that?”
“Nah.Doctor said it’s normal.And to answer your question, yeah, of course I missed you.”
“Obviously.You still have my number, right?”
He laughed.“Yes.But I always get caught up in things.”
“I understand.It’s the same for me, and I’m not the one running a gazillion companies.Have you added a few more since we last spoke?”
