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He studied me with concern. “Are you okay?” He gently placed the back of his hand against my forehead. “Come sit.” Ty wrapped an arm around my waist and brought me to the patio set near the grill. He set the chicken down, then pulled out the chair for me and helped me into it. Then he squatted in front of me. “Could be blood sugar.” He frowned. “You went completely pale and broke out into a cold sweat on me.” Standing, he glanced around the patio area.
“What are you doing?” If I was pink before, I had to be bright red now. This was absolutely humiliating.
“Looking for a drink. I want to make sure you’re hydrated.” He took my hand and turned it over in his to study my palms. “Seems like you might have been in the hot tub earlier.”
My brow rose. “What makes you think so?”
His eyes sparkled. “Your hair is wet. Your fingers are wrinkly. And you’re before, you were quite pink.” Ty stood and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’m going in the house to get you a drink. Wait here.”
By now Doug had joined us on the patio and taken the seat across from me. “Why don’t you bring me one too?” He settled in and folded his hands on his belly.
Ty smirked. “Of course.” Then he walked behind Doug and rolled his eyes.
I wanted to laugh, but I covered my mouth with my hand instead. My mind was reeling with all the ways this could go horribly wrong. So much for a relaxing Sunday.
Within minutes, Ty had returned. He passed me a drink first. “It’s ginger ale. I wasn’t sure how your tummy was feeling.”
My brows arched. “Did you just say ‘tummy?’”
“Yes. And I was wondering over yours in particular.” He grinned and winked. Then he passed Doug a glass.
Doug took one swig and spit it out. “What the hell is this?”
Licking his lips, I could tell Ty was struggling to keep a straight face. “I believe it’s called water.” Then he bit his cheek and I knew he was barely holding it together.
“Who drinks water?” Doug huffed. Then he glanced at his watch. “I need to be home in an hour. You ready to finish the last hole?”
Not long ago, I would’ve been eager for him to leave, but now I wanted him to stay. I wanted to know more about this unusual man who had burst into my life. After all, it seemed like we were constantly getting thrown together.
Ty searched my face for a moment before responding, then he shook his head. “I’m going to stick around here and help Kate for a little bit. I want to make sure she’s feeling okay before I leave her alone. I hope you understand.” He shrugged apologetically.
Doug studied him a minute. “You’re a good boy. I’ll be sure to tell her father.” He started to heft himself out of the chair when Ty held out a hand to assist. “Thank you, son.” Once he made it to his feet, he clapped Ty on the shoulder. Then he came over and gave me a kiss on the temple before wandering off.
My shoulders sank in relief. “Thank you,” I murmured before grabbing another sip of my drink.
“You’re more than welcome.” He smiled then picked up the chicken.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I started to stand, but he frowned.
“You should kick back and relax. I told Doug I was going to help you. I mean to keep my word.” He looked down at the raw food. “Obviously, you were about to cook these. And I’m lousy at sitting around and doing nothing. How do you think I ended up on the golf course today? Let me help. It’s what I do. I’m good at fixing things.” Then he turned away and strode confidently to the grill.
Great. A fixer. Just what I needed…to be fixed. This would imply I was broken. I swallowed the hard truth of it before concentrating on the present. “Do you even know how to work one of those things?” I frowned as he lifted the lid on the grill. Somehow, I had a hard time imagining him doing anything for himself. Ty George struck me as being a spoiled little rich boy. I knew the type. I’d been chased by them for years until I’d learned to fend them off completely.
Instead of acting insulted, Ty laughed. “Yeah. I know how to do all kinds of unexpected things.”
7
Ty
After I placed allthe chicken on the grill, I wandered into the kitchen with the pan. In a matter of seconds, I had rinsed it and loaded it in the dishwasher. All the while, I could feel Kate watching me with what I had come to recognize as a mixture of shock and disapproval. Still, I persisted. She needed help, even if she refused to admit it. Not only that, but I seemed to be the only one offering any. I saw how long she worked the other day. For all I knew, she was on her way to an early grave.
Instead of sitting down with her, I looked around for some other way to keep my idle hands busy. While I was slicing the vegetables I’d found on the counter, she peeked into the kitchen. “What are you doing?” She bit her lower lip and I suddenly had to fight the urge to kiss her.
“I’m prepping the vegetables. I saw the aluminum foil sections and figured you were grilling them.” I shrugged. “I thought I’d do the asparagus all together. I added some olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Then I sprinkled it with parmesan cheese. It’ll be healthy and delicious.”
She frowned. “Did you just call me fat?”
I rolled my eyes. “I saw you in that skirt yesterday, Kate. It took me all night to forget how you looked walking away.” I shook my head. “I think you’re pretty fucking perfect just the way you are.” Then I realized I’d said too much too soon and I didn’t want to scare her away, so I changed the subject. “Is there anything special you want done with the rest of these, or can I get creative?”
