Page 40 of One Midnight Kiss

“Interesting,” Jerrod drawled. “You’re smiling. Why are you smiling?”

“You don’t know I’m smiling.”

“Yes, I do,” he said. “I can hear it in your voice. Did you go out last night? It’s not like you to sleep over.”

“How do you know I slept over somewhere?” I asked.

He chuckled again. “Because you’re talking quietly and you’re not here. You hooked up and you’re doing the whole breakfast thing. Who is this woman that isn’t at work on a Tuesday morning?”

“Maybe she’s a doctor,” I said.

“Or homeless,” he countered.

“You’ll never let me live that down,” I told him. “I hit on a cute girl who turned out to be unhoused one time.”

He chuckled. “You thought she was a model.”

“Yeah, it turned out she was just really hungry,” I said. “But hey, I set her up with a job and an apartment. Last I heard, she got promoted and engaged. She sends me a Christmas card every year.”

“You’re a real saint,” he said sarcastically.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve got to go,” I said. “I’ll check in later.”

I hung up before he could pry any further.

I inhaled the scent of the coffee, appreciating the fact she liked the good stuff. Then again, coffee was like a religion in Seattle. I finally located the mugs, and before I filled one up, I added a touch of cream just the way I liked it. As I took my first sip, tasting the robust flavor of the beans she had selected, my mind raced back to the woman lying sick in her bedroom.

I might not be a saint but I liked helping people when I had occasion to do so. The entire AI project came about because I wanted to make people’s lives easier. The modern world had gotten so complicated. Everyone could use a little help to get through the day.

Running a hand through my disheveled hair, I took another drink, letting the caffeine hit my veins. Natalia’s door creaked open. I popped my head around the corner and watched her wobble out. She was wrapped in her oversized robe like a sickly little burrito. Her face was still pale, eyes half-closed, but there was a spark of life back in them that hadn’t been there the day before. She didn’t look quite as polished as she normally did, but she looked better than yesterday when she answered the door.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” I said. “How did you sleep?”

She grunted. “I slept.”

“Do you want some coffee?”

“Yes.”

I moved to pour her a cup and handed it to her.

She took it warily, eyeing me over the rim as if I might have spiked it with poison. “You’re still here?”

“Of course I’m still here,” I said, feigning offense. “I’m nursing you back to health.”

She didn’t look impressed. “I wasn’t dying.”

“I told you the soup would work, didn’t I?”

Her lips twitched. “That wasn’t soup, Fox. It was Theraflu.”

“Same difference.” I shrugged.

She took a careful sip of the coffee and sighed. “Okay, fine. This is good.”

“High praise.” I grinned. “I aim to please.”

Her gaze drifted to the window. “It’s sunny.”