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Brenna’s question, asked with a nervous quiver, made Kelsie jump. She swallowed around a lump in her throat. “What do I think?” She chuckled. “Well, I’m a little embarrassed about how far off I was when I imagined this place. Brenna, this is incredible. It’s been a long time since I’ve stayed anywhere this nice.”
She’d meant it as a compliment, but the words made Brenna frown.
Thankfully, she didn’t press the issue and ask why the hell that was.
“Thank you.” Brenna pressed a hand to her chest. “I have put my heart and soul into the design of this place, and I can’t wait until it’s finished. Will it bother you if I’m working in the common areas most days?”
Snorting, Kelsie shook her head. “Not at all.” Even if it did, she’d suck it up and deal. This woman was offering her free lodging and gorgeous accommodations at that. She could have marching band practice right outside Kelsie’s door every day, and she wouldn’t utter a complaint. “Maybe I could even help you if you ever need it.”
Brenna’s face lit up, causing an internal twist of guilt in Kelsie’s gut. She hadn’t tried hard to be friendly since being reunited with Brenna, and seeing how much joy her offer of assistance had brought made her feel like an ungrateful heel.
At least she could recognize the mistake and reconcile it going forward.
“I would love that so much.”
She didn’t detect an ounce of ingenuity in Brenna’s words.
“As long as you’re not pushing yourself too hard while you’re recovering.”
Heat rushed to Kelsie’s face. “I’m okay. Uh, the wound isn’t too bad,” she said, lifting her arm. The bulky bandage had been replaced with a smaller one she could remove in two days. “I only needed a few stitches. They mostly kept me to make sure I wasn’t a risk to myself.” She stared at the floor, cheeks burning. “I don’t want to die,” she whispered.
“I know.” Brenna took her hand. “I hold no judgment, Kelsie. I was with you in that damn cell. Our brains do a lot to protect us, but there’s only so much we can take.”
Kelsie gave her a tight smile. For now, she’d let Brenna go on thinking the kidnapping was what sent her over the edge.
“Well, I can leave you to get settled.”
“That’s okay,” Kelsie rushed to say. “I don’t mind if you stay.” Lying in a hospital bed for three days gave her way too much time to think and stew in her own company. At least with Brenna in the room, her mind stood a chance of being distracted.
“You sure?”
“Definitely.”
“Great.” Brenna plopped down on the edge of the bed as Kelsie carried her duffle bag to the dresser.
She started to unload the few items she had. Neither of them spoke, and before long, the silence was so thick and charged it weighed her down. Did Brenna feel it too? Was she as uncomfortable, or was Kelsie the only one suffering from social ineptitude?
“So, did you, uh, end up going back to work after…” Brenna winced as she trailed off.
So, she wasn’t the only one. God, she should have let Brenna leave. This was so damn awkward. Her entire sentence should have been, “So, did you go back to work after we were rescued from human traffickers, and you fled the hospital without saying goodbye?”
But she had no doubt Brenna already knew that answer. During the time they’d spent together terrified in captivity, she’d shared about her job shampooing hair at a luxury salon in Tampa. She’d loved everything about working in the upscale establishment. Kelsie might not have let herself dream too big, but what she had was her own, and the fact that she’d managed to hold onto it for years without her family snatching it away was a major win.
“Um, no, I didn’t.” Sadness washed over her. She missed her job and missed being useful and functional more than words could say. “I wasn’t really in the healthiest headspace to go back to work.”
Understatement of the century.
Her coworkers would have been shocked to the moon to witness her having a panic attack the first time a man came into the salon.
“And I had some other personal things going on…”
Don’t go there.
She snapped her jaw closed and forced a smile. Never had she slipped up and revealed too much about herself to anyone, and now she’d almost done it with one question from Brenna. Maybe those drugs they’d given her hadn’t worn off.
“Anyway, the short answer is no. I haven’t worked in a while. That’s one of the things I’m hoping to focus on in the immediate future.” Even if the idea of putting herself back out in the world made her break out in hives.
Brenna stood and walked over to the dresser. She placed her hands on Kelsie’s shoulders and forced her to stop stuffing clothes in drawers. With no choice but to meet Brenna’s gaze, Kelsie did just that.
