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“You don’t mind taking me?”
“Not at all. I’d like to make sure that you do have reliable transportation since Dad and I won’t be around to help you.”
“Thanks, Roman. I’m going to take you up on that.”
* * *
The next day,Roman came to pick me up and take me car shopping. As we laughed and joked, I wished that our relationship was always like this. Maybe eventually, he and Lee would get along, and if things worked out with us, Roman could meet Lee’s family. What would my brother think of them? Would they only remind him of the family that we didn’t have? Or would he not even notice?
He helped me pick out a car, and then we stopped for a late lunch. For the rest of our time together, he didn’t mention Lee, and I made sure to steer the conversation away from him too. After lunch, he came back to my small shopfront with me, and we talked about what I would need to bring, what I could store, and other things I could do away with.
By the time we were done, I was exhausted. My leg throbbed, and all I wanted to do was climb in bed and take pain medication, but I’d already promised Lee that I would cook for him. For a whole two seconds, I considered canceling, but I wanted to see him more than I wanted to rest. Now cooking dinner, well, that was a different story. I wondered what he would think if I popped a frozen pizza into the oven.
I chuckled to myself as I unlocked my front door and peered back at my new vehicle. On Roman’s advice, I’d moved up to a small SUV style instead of a sedan. I liked it, but it was bigger than I was used to. The safety ratings were excellent, and I hoped that if I were in another accident, the dashboard wouldn’t crush in on me like the one in my car had.
I headed into my kitchen and dug around in my fridge to see what I had—not much. Frozen pizza was looking better and better. I glanced at my watch. I had time to sit down and rest my leg for a little while. After I did that, I could run down to the store and pick up something to fix.
With that decided, I stretched out on the couch and sighed. The skin around the sutures was throbbing, and I knew I had probably done too much today. At least my nose was finally feeling better, and the bruises on my face were almost completely gone.
I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, the room was dark, and there was a steady knocking coming from the front door. “Oh, crap!” I muttered as I rolled off the couch to the floor.
I got to my feet, my mind filled with cobwebs, and limped down the hall, flipping on lights as I went. Without even thinking, I threw open the front door and came up short.
“Susan? What are you doing here?”
“Hi, Roxanne.” She stepped into the entry and put her arms around me in a rushed hug. “I’m so sorry that I didn’t come over sooner. I meant to, but my schedule is so busy that I just didn’t get a chance. How are you feeling?”
She pulled back, her eagle eye gaze flitting from one side of my face to the other. “Your nose doesn’t look too bad; you should have had them straighten it a little bit more though. You always did have a bit of a crooked nose.”
I frowned. “What are you doing here, Susan?”
“Is that any way to treat a friend? I came to check on you.”
I rubbed my face, still fighting the muck in my brain. “What time is it?” I asked abruptly.
She frowned and slipped her phone out of her pocket. “Seven-twenty.”
“Oh, shit!” I growled. “I really appreciate you coming to check on me, but I have to get ready. I have someone coming to see me in a few minutes.”
She peaked a brow and smiled. “Business or pleasure?”
“Um, just a friend helping me out,” I replied cryptically. The last thing I wanted to do was tell her I was seeing someone. Nope, no way, not going to happen.
“Oh, okay.” She deflated. “Well, we have to get together soon. I heard you were going out of business. I’m so sorry to hear that.” While her voice sounded appropriately sad, her eyes had that sleazy smile that told me it was all a lie. Man, how had we ever been friends?
“Of course, we will have lunch soon.” I stepped around her, totally ignoring her comment about my business, and opened the door. “Thanks for stopping by; sorry we didn’t have more time.”
“Lunch, soon. Give me a call.” She leaned in and hugged me again before slipping out the door. I didn’t waste any time shutting it and dashing up the stairs as quickly as I could.
I peered in the bathroom mirror and winced. I had wanted to freshen up, maybe take a shower, put on something sexy, but yeah, that wasn’t happening. I quickly brushed my hair, wiped the worn mascara from under my eyes, and brushed my teeth. I was just changing my shirt when I heard a knock on the door downstairs.
One last peek in the mirror, and I remembered that the man had already seen me at my worst—and still liked me. This would have to do. I hobbled down the stairs, flinching as the pain ran up my leg when the skin stretched. I really was going to need to take medicine soon.
I yanked open the door and found him looking pensive on the step. “Hey,” he said in the way of a greeting.
“Hey, to you. Come in.” I stood back as he entered and found him watching me after I’d closed the door.
“You alright?” he asked.
