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“You always said that I’m pretty good at negotiating, so like I said before, I’d be happy to help speed things up.”
Facing, Brandon, he said, “Not all things can be done that way, Brandon. Just be patient and enjoy your afternoon off.”
Sighing inwardly, Brandon nodded. “See you on Monday.” Patience had never been his strong suit and, at thirty-three, he didn’t think he’d ever develop the virtue. He stopped at home first to change into shorts and T-shirt, still bothered by his father’s words. His father had assured him that nothing would change pertaining to Brandon assuming the role of CEO. But Brandon couldn’t rid himself of the nagging feeling that whatever was going on would impact him. And in a big way. However, by the time he made it to the hospital, his thoughts had shifted to Faith. He had enjoyed talking with her last night and was uncharacteristically excited to see her. Shaking it off, he tried to tell himself he was just being friendly. Yet, there wasn’t anything friendly about the sensations that spread through him when she greeted him with her amazing smile. Brandon did his best to ignore them.
“Hi, Brandon.”
“Hello, yourself. I see you’re all ready.” She had on the same pants she wore the day of the accident and one of the short hospital gowns. He assumed her top had been ruined in the accident.
Faith frowned. “More than ready to get out of these clothes, take a real shower and do something with this hair.”
He smiled inwardly at Faith’s attempt to smooth down the straight, shoulder-length strands as best she could.
“I’ve already signed the discharge papers, but I need to stop at a pharmacy to fill the prescription.”
“I’m sure we can find one on the way to the hotel. Is there anywhere else you need to stop?”
She sighed. “Yes. I didn’t get a chance to go grocery shopping, so if we can find a store, too, I’d appreciate it.”
“Sure.”
A nurse came in with a wheelchair and asked Brandon to meet them at the entrance.
He took her bag and the flowers, retrieved his car and pulled into the circle driveway in front of the door. He had the door open and waiting when Faith appeared. Seeing the difficulty she had getting in, Brandon was glad he’d decided to drive his car rather than his truck. She would not have been able to climb into the cab with her injured shoulder.
Brandon reached in and carefully fastened her seat belt. “Is that too tight?” She lifted her head and their faces were mere inches apart. The air between them shifted.
“No. It’s…it’s fine.”
His gaze dropped to her gorgeous mouth. Would her lips be as soft as they looked? Her eyes widened and he heard her sharp intake of breath. What am I doing? He straightened, closed the door and went around to the driver’s side.
“Um, so where are we going first?” Faith asked as he exited the lot.
“I thought we’d drop off your prescription. It may take a while to fill. We can go to the store to pick up whatever you need while we wait.” Since her hotel was near the airport, he figured he’d find a pharmacy and grocery store somewhere along Century Boulevard.
“Can we stop at the hotel before going shopping? I really need a shower.” She gave him the name and street of the hotel.
“No problem.” As he drove, Brandon stole glances at Faith. He could tell she was still in pain so he didn’t offer any conversation. She sat with her head against the seat, eyes closed, and he noticed that she grimaced every now and again. When they reached the drugstore, the pharmacist told them the prescription would be ready in an hour, which gave them plenty of time to finish the other errands. He drove to the hotel and parked as close as he could to her unit.
Faith groaned when they arrived. “I forgot about the stairs.” Her room was on the second floor and the elevator in this particular section of the complex was out of order.
“Just take your time and I’ll carry everything up.” Once inside, Brandon debated whether to wait in the car or the room. He didn’t want either of them to be uncomfortable. But his protective side won out. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll wait here in the living room in case you need help.”
