AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Then again, we hadn’t had Miguel’s or Papá’s medical bills when he’d been the breadwinner and he’d probably made three times what I did, so maybe that was it.
Kicking off my shoes, I curled up on the couch, intending to only rest a minute because I needed to get up and finish going through the bills. I had two utilities left to pay but no money to afford either. I needed to figure out how long we could go before they turned off our water or electricity. I got paid next Friday. Surely six days wouldn’t cause them to flip the switch quite yet.
But as soon as I closed my eyes, I was sucked into a vision of a brown-eyed devil in a devastatingly attractive tux and a smug, sarcastic smile. It was exactly the distraction I needed to help my stress levels, so I continued to focus on the memory of him.
He lifted a hand as if to stroke my face, only to tap me on the nose and make me blink my eyes in confusion. Frowning, I focused on him only to find my little brother grinning down at me instead.
“Let’s go to the park.”
I blinked a few more times, realizing it was already Sunday morning, I had slept like the dead all night long, and I actually had the day off work.
Crap.
“Miguel,” I mumbled on a groan. “Oh my God, you have the flu. We are not going to the—”
“But I feel so much better,” he argued, bordering on a whine. “Please. I just want to sit on the bench and watch the pigeons.”
When I opened my mouth to argue, he added, “I think some fresh air will be good for me. And look.” He held up my phone, flashing me the weather app. “See how warm it is out today. I’ll be fine.”
He’d thought of every argument. With a whimper, I stretched my arms over my head before holding out a hand toward him. “Let me feel your head.”
Leaning forward eagerly, he let me test his temperature with my palm. When I found him feeling so much cooler than he had in days with no clammy or pasty pale skin, I blew out a relieved breath. Thank God. The things I’d stolen last night had actually helped. A lot.
Everything I’d done really had been worth it.
With a promising grin, he nodded. “So? Park?”
The poor kid hated to be cooped up. My sympathies spiked, so I relented on a sigh. “Okay, fine. Just give me a minute to wake up.”
The brat gave me, like, five seconds before he began pushing on my arm again. “Can we stop by the bakery for some scones on the way?”
I groaned. “We don’t have money for scones, Miguel.”
“But you got all that stuff last night for me.”
I glanced at him, not about to reveal how I’d obtained all the goodies from last night, and instead I said, “Which is why we don’t have any money for scones today.”
He wrinkled his nose in protest but stopped verbally begging. “So are you ready to leave yet?”
With a sigh, I sat upright. “Sure. Let’s go.”
I pushed my feet into my shoes and stood up. Miguel was already halfway to the door. “No running,” I warned, trying to smooth my hair down as I hurried after him. “You never stay in sight when you run, and besides, you’re sick.”
“Sure thing, Gabby. I got it.” When he waited at the open door for me to reach him, I started to believe he might actually follow my instructions this time around.
But as soon as we exited the main entrance of the building and were outside, the little stinker went streaking down the street ahead of me.
“Miguel,” I shouted, kicking into a jog to catch up. “You’re supposed to be sick, dammit! Slow down!”
He didn’t slow down. And even though I cursed him every second of the way, I also sent up a little prayer of thanks, grateful for everything I’d stolen last night that had helped him feel so much better today. I was even thankful for the brown-eyed devil who’d assisted me in my B & E.
Chapter 9
Gabby
Monday started like any typical Monday.
Sucky.
