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“Ah…you’re that bad off, huh?” Madeline not being able to read was a red flag. She was hurting more than I could figure, and sadly, I had no way of getting her out of this funk.
My solution was to drag her to her favorite restaurant or bookstore and spoil her to some extent, something I knew Kent never did. I was half tempted to text Ophelia. She had to have known about the breakup, but now that I really thought of it, I was pretty sure I didn’t have her phone number. Just looking at Madeline, I knew I wasn’t going to get her out of the house…but I could at least get her out of the bed.
“When did he tell you?” I ask softly.
“Saturday night. He missed dinner—told me his flight was delayed.”
“Did you go to work today?” I asked, looking at her over my shoulder. She was a burrito—she had become one with her bed. All I could see was the bridge of her nose, her green eyes, and the top of her hair.
Madeline shook her head, the tip of her nose coming out of the blanket. “The office was closed today anyway. Dr. Brenner is out until Wednesday.”
I sighed. “So, no work tomorrow?”
She shook her head again. I swear if she kept doing that it, would get stuck in that motion.
“Okay.” I stood from the bed, hitting my thighs to grab her attention. She looked at me, her eyebrows raised and her eyes wide. “Here’s what we are going to do.” I pointed at her, beginning to move my arms around, hoping to cause some form of excitement in her. “You are going to get out of bed, take a shower. I am going to order tacos and find the perfect thing to watch on Netflix—”
“Please, nothing Marvel.” She mumbled, a small chuckle behind her irritation.
“Marvel is on Disney Plus. Anyway…” He lowered my finger. “I will find the perfect show, and then we are going to watch Netflix and eat tacos and have a good night because you don't work tomorrow.”
“You do,” she grumbled.
“Not until noon. I can stay up a bit. If it gets late, I’ll crash on your couch.” I shrugged.
Madeline’s posture slumped even more. I could see her body moving underneath the blanket, the look on her face trying to decide if getting out of bed was worth it. Finally, she let out a heavy moan. “Fine.”
“Alright!” I cheered, raising my hands in the air. “Do you have any movie preferences?”
She nodded. “The Office, season one. The Christmas Episode.”
I chuckled. “You got it. Now, go get in the shower.”
After a few episodes and several tacos later, a clean Madeline lay asleep on my shoulder. She had cried more than I had ever seen before, telling me that Kent basically told her she would never get married, that she was too consumed in her work and books to make any relationship work. If I didn’t like him before, I definitely didn't like him now.
“He said it was my fault,” she mumbled as she laid her head down on my shoulder before falling asleep.
I knew those words all too well. I knew what she was going through, how badly her heart was hurting.
Madeline was worth it.
Any guy who didn’t see that was an idiot.
Chapter Nine
-Madeline-
Work. I needed to work. I needed to get my mind off of things and just try,tryto return to normal. Dr. Brenner returned to the office on Wednesday, thankfully giving me enough time to wash my face thousands of times before dawning my mask and loupes. With all the PPE, no one would be able to tell how much I had been crying anyway.
I scanned my schedule for the day in my small office, preparing myself for some gnarly cleaning patients. Jamie, my assistant, showed up with a Starbucks mug and a huge smile on her face. Jamie has been my assistant for four years now, and there was nothing we didn't talk about. She knew almost as much as Ophelia. Did she know about Kent?
Oh, hell no.
Only Milo knew about Kent.
I still hadn’t told Ophelia, and in all honesty, I was nervous to. She hadn’t met Kent yet, but for the past two years, I had done nothing but talk him up and now he ended up being a cheater and complete jerk. Ophelia would not go for that. I’d have to tell her eventually.
“Refreshed after a long weekend, I hope!” Jamie’s smile grew wider.
