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“You still need to get your funnel cake,” I remind her.
“Oh, no. I can’t. I feel like I’m going to explode.” She gathers our trash and puts it all into one bag. “It was that last deep-fried pickle that pushed me over the edge.”
“You hang tight. I’m going to go throw this away, and I’ll grab you a funnel cake to take home.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.” I tuck her hair back behind her ear. “You can warm it up in the oven when you’re ready to eat it.”
“Brooks, you don’t” Her words are cut off when I press my lips to hers.
“I’ll be right back, baby.” I kiss her one more time before grabbing our bag of trash. I toss it in a nearby can and get in line to order one of her beloved funnel cakes.
“Here you go,” I say five minutes later.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t feel well.”
“What can I do?”
“I think I just need to go home and lie down.”
“Let me take you to my place so I can take care of you.”
Her eyes soften, and she reaches over and places her hand on my cheek. “That’s sweet of you, but really, I think something I ate didn’t sit well. I just need to lie down for a while.”
“I’ll stay with you.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be fine. I’m just going to be sleeping.”
“This is the first time I’ve laid eyes on you in two weeks. I’m not ready to let you go just yet,” I confess. I’m trying really hard not to let my disappointment show. Tonight was supposed to be the night. I get that she’s not feeling well, but I want to take care of her. Doesn’t she see that? I don’t care if I hold her the entire time she sleeps or I just sit and stare at her. I’ll be with her. That’s all that matters.
“I really do think it’s best if I just go home. Alone,” she adds.
I sigh, defeated. “Okay. If that’s what you want.” I wait for her to buckle up before pulling out of the lot and heading back to Willow River. My hand is on her thigh the entire drive, and her eyes are closed. I can see she’s not feeling well, and I hate that I’m irritated that my plans are shot to hell. That’s selfish, and I know it.
When I pull into her apartment complex, I put the truck in Park and gently rub her arm to wake her up. “Hey, sleepyhead. We’re here.”
She sits up and looks around. “Thank you for tonight. I’m sorry I’m bailing on you.”
“It’s not too late to change your mind. I can come up for a little while, or we can go back to my place.”
“Thank you, Brooks, but I’m just going to go upstairs and go to sleep.”
I nod, accepting that my night is not turning out as I had hoped. “Call me if you need anything. I don’t care what time it is. If you need me, or anything at all, you call me. Understand?”
That gets me a soft smile. “Thank you.” She reaches for her handle and starts to get out.
“Wait, don’t forget this.” I hand her the to-go container that holds her funnel cake.
“You’re too good to me, Brooks Kincaid. Goodnight.”
“I’ll walk you to your door,” I tell her, but she raises her hand to stop me from getting out of the truck.
“That’s risky. Thank you for the offer, but I’m okay. Night, big guy.”
