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My heart thunders in my chest, and my breathing is too fast. My cheeks are hot and for a moment I feel dizzy. Then I hear Stef in my head, telling me to stop, close my eyes, and breathe. So I do. I stand in the middle of my office and take a long minute to focus on calming everything, then open my eyes and sit back down. My heart is still beating quickly, but my breathing is normal, and I’m not plotting ways to find Gilbert and throttle him. “We do want him.” I think. “He’ll bring a good reader following. He’ll be another high revenue author for Hibernian Press, giving us the cash flow to start the new imprint. What we don’t want is to bankrupt the company by committing all our assets to one author.” I sigh and look at my watch, almost relieved that Stef had to cancel our plans. I might have had to, anyway. “Okay, let’s start at the top and decide on our counteroffer.”
It’s close to eight thirty by the time I’m sitting in the back of the sedan, exhausted and starving. My stomach growls at the delicious scent coming from the bags of food tucked neatly into a bin on the floor, and I’m sorely tempted to snack on whatever’s in the first container, but I don’t. It’s only a seven-minute drive to Stef’s from here. I can wait that long.
I have my driver pull up to the rear entrance and I text Stef.
Me:I’m here. Can I come up?
Stef:OMG Blake! No!
I grin at my phone. God, they’re so cute.
Me:I have food.
Stef:I’m not hungry
Me:Did you eat?
Stef:No. I’ve given up eating because I’m dying. It’s just a waste of food
Me:And you’re not hungry?
Stef:OK I’m hungry. But I’m ugly and u can’t see me like this
Me:Dinner is fromLaurent.
Stef:Open_mouth emoji sob emoji drooling_face emoji angry emoji flag_white emoji
Me:Does that mean I can come up?
Stef:You’ll get sick
Me:I don’t care. If you let me up, I can take care of you.
Stef:Middle_finger emojiFine. I’m coming down to get u. I hate u btw
Me:No you don’tlaughing emoji
Stef:No. I really don’t
I grab the bags of food from the crate and get out of the car, letting my driver close the door behind me. “Will I be returning for you later, sir?”
“No, that’s fine, Frank. You’ve waited for me enough today. Go home and relax. If I need a ride, I’ll call a ride share.” Though, if I have my way, and Stef doesn’t shove me back out the door, I may be calling Mike to reschedule tomorrow’s appointments. “Have a good night.”
“You too, sir.”
The door to Stef’s building slowly opens, and my heart melts. “Oh, sweetheart.” Stef looks miserableandadorable, with their hair sticking up every which way, the huge duvet from their bed draped around them like a cape, and bright pink fuzzy unicorn slippers. Their nose is red and their lips are chapped and their pout is cuter than anything I’ve ever seen. People aren’t supposed to be this adorable when sick, but Stef pulls it off.
The pout gets more pronounced the closer I get. They’re obviously resigned to the fact that I’m here and taking full advantage. “I’m sick. I feel like poo, and my nose is stuffy and won’t stop running, and you’d think that’s not possible, but I’m here to tell you it is.” I hold my arms wide, food bags dangling from my fingers, and Stef walks into my embrace, tucking their face into my neck and sniffing. “I can’t even smell you, and that’s so sad. I love the way you smell.”
I kiss the top of their head and carefully close my arms around them so I don’t dislodge the duvet or whack them with the takeout. “Well, I brought food and some over-the-counter medicine for your cold. Hopefully, those will do the trick and you’ll be smelling me in no time.”
If they hear the smile in my voice, they ignore it. “I’m miserable. And hungry. I don’t have the energy to be hangry.”
“Well, let’s go upstairs and I’ll take care of you.”
Stef looks up at me, wide-eyed, and my heart squeezes in my chest. “You really meant that?”
“Absolutely. I can’t have you at death’s door.”
