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“Why would you think that?” I asked.
He didn’t take his eyes off Meri and I knew he was watching her responses closely. “Meri, I know you have gone to see her twice. Each time you were carrying your medical bag. Now, tell me. Is she ill?”
I hadn’t picked up on the second time, but now that I think about it, he was right. “Meri, is Reesa sick?” I asked, hoping she would answer me if not Bennett.
“Please, don’t make me tell you.”
Whatever the secret was, Reesa had chosen the right person to keep it. Meri, even under the pressure of Bennett and me pushing, still refused to share the information. Meri wasn’t just a fantastic nurse, but she earned my respect as an individual. But I knew it was taking a toll on her. And no matter how strong she was, eventually, she’d break. I didn’t want to be any part of that. I committed to protect her.Allof her.
I stroked her cheek with the back of my hand. “Sweetheart, I wouldn’t ever make you do anything. Just know that you can trust us. If you want to tell us, we won’t tell anyone.”
“It’s so...complicated. If anyone finds out, they might not vote for her.”
I shot Bennett a look. We had some acknowledgment that something was going on. Now we needed the rest.
“Meri, you know I’m here to help her win. If there is something that could interfere with that, I need to know,” I told her.
“But you don’t understand. She made me promise not to tell anyone. Even her husband doesn’t know,” she stated.
Bennett got up from the couch. “Meri, you’re a good friend to her. We will not push you to tell us. But I do ask, that if something changes, and you’re concerned about her wellbeing, you can always come to either of us. We are here to help in any way we can.”
She smiled. “Thank you for understanding. And I won’t forget all you are doing for us.”
Bennett left my suite leaving Meri and me alone. It was nice having this time together, and yet I found myself not knowing what to say. Being lost for words wasn’t something I’d ever experienced. Hell, being in marketing, talking was one of my strengths.
The silence was getting awkward, and I was about to break it when I heard a change in her breathing. It was slow and shallow.
She’d fallen asleep against me. Not wanting to wake her, I gently scooped her into my arms and carried her to my bed. Laying her down, I pulled the covers up and walked out of the room.
I was exhausted too, but the couch would have to do.
There was too much running through my mind to sleep. But I at least was close by if she needed me.
At least I’m for the next several days. After that, I have no idea what I’m going to do.
CHAPTER13
Meri
I thought that waking up in Ryker’s bed had felt strange, but this was far beyond that. This really felt like a date. The way he was looking at me made me feel...desired. Either he was an exceptional actor, or he liked me more than I had originally thought.
Over dinner I caught myself forgetting where we were and more importantly, why. Here in Tabiq, we didn’t openly have such displays of affection. It wasn’t as though I was sitting on his lap and we were making out in public, but him reaching across the table and holding my hand, or how we had walked to the restaurant and him having his hand on the curve of my back were more than what normally took place. There was no way we weren’t drawing attention to ourselves.
That might be fine for Ryker because he was an American and no one expected any different from him. But I was head of nursing at the hospital. My behavior was going to stir up so many rumors that I was sure they would have me married off to Ryker before the end of the week. That was never going to happen. He was leaving and I wasn’t.
But even with all that knowledge, I couldn’t help myself. It was just that good being with him. Everything seemed easy and comfortable. I had no idea how he could crack jokes and get me laughing so hard that my ribs hurt when we both knew every move that we made was being closely monitored.
“Not that I didn’t enjoy meeting your aunt, but I must say, I am enjoying this dinner a lot more,” he said.
“You mean because you can actually eat it?” I teased.
“And live? Yes. Do you like to cook?” he asked.
“I love to cook. The cleanup, not so much. But I don’t have time to do much cooking though. Seems it’s like I’m spending more and more time at the hospital.”
There was no issue with that. I had no one waiting for me at home. It was just a place where I did my laundry and slept. Lately, not even that.
“You’ll never believe this, but when I was little, I used to dream about being a chef,” he admitted.
