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Duke and Hadley went back to his SUV and he drove her home.
When he got there, she said, “Do you want to come in and see my tiny place? I think your kitchen might be bigger than everything in here together.”
He could tell by the size of the building she might be right, or it’d be close to it. “I’d like to see it.”
They moved to the door, she unlocked it and they went in together. “Not much to see,” she said.
He looked around at the tiny kitchen—if it could be called that—on one wall. A small couch and chair and TV at the opposite end of the room. “Is that the bedroom through there?” he asked.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him the few steps. “Yes. A tiny double bed I’m not sure you’d even fit on.”
He laughed. He didn’t think so either. “It is small.”
“Bathroom right there,” she said.
He turned where he was standing in the doorway and saw the teeny bathroom that he wasn’t sure he could even fit in to take a piss let alone a shower.
“Wow,” he said. “You weren’t kidding that it’s small.”
“It’s free,” she said. “So that is the best part of it. Thankfully I’m chipping away at my debt pretty well. In a few months, with any luck, I can have my cards all paid off. Maybe.”
He felt bad for the situation she was in but it’s not like he’d offer to help her out. She wouldn’t accept it from her parents, she wasn’t going to from him either.
“With as stubborn as you are, I’m sure it will be sooner,” he said.
“I hope so. But honestly, it’s important for me to have some money put aside too so I’m trying to do both.”
“What were you doing today when you got in the accident? Do you want to bring me to Duke’s and then take my SUV and bring it back?”
“That’s nice and all, but then I’d have to get back home. It’s not a big deal. I was going to the store to get some ingredients. I just wanted to try out a few new recipes. Things I’d like to put on the menu at Southside, but I want to perfect them first.”
“What do you need?” he asked. “Anything that is at Southside? You can just go get it there.”
“It’s fine,” she said. “I like to tinker on my time off. I’ve got something to do for the advertising that I was going to take care of today.”
He looked at his watch. He wanted to stay and spend time with her but knew he had to get to Duke’s. He was already behind in what he had planned, but he wouldn’t have left her alone to figure out how to get home.
“I want to tell you to take the day off and relax, but I know you won’t listen to me,” he said.
She put her arms around him and hugged him. “I appreciate you coming to get me today,” she said. “I’m sorry I bothered you.”
He hugged her back. “No bother,” he said. “Don’t apologize for things all the time. I’m glad you called. Something tells me you wouldn’t have if you thought I was already at Duke’s.”
“No,” she said. “I would have figured out a way home. I would have asked the police where to bring my car. I guess I should have done that anyway rather than bug you.”
“It’s never a bother,” he said. “Don’t ever think that. Are you sure you feel okay? I know you’re working tomorrow, but we can find someone to take your shift.”
She laughed and moved out of his arms and he was missing the heat already. Her brown hair was down and straight; it’d been blowing around her face when they were outside. Her mocha eyes had been wide and confused, trepidation in them too. He was glad that wasn’t the case now.
“No,” she said. “I’m fine. I really am. I’m sure I can use my mother’s car until I find out more about mine. My parents are almost always together and if they aren’t, one of them is home.”
“Let me know,” he said.
“I will,” she said, reaching up and putting her arms around his neck again. “Give me a kiss to get me through the day.”
He laughed. “I can do that.”
He left a minute later, went home to change and then went right to Duke’s to get to work for the night knowing that his mind was going to be on Hadley when he’d never had that problem before. He’d always focused on work and work only.
