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“I’ll take my chances,” he muttered. “You going to let me take you on my bike?”
Oh, yes.
“Are you a safe driver?”
He grinned and touched the tip of his forefinger to my cheek. “The safest. I even have an extra helmet for you.”
An irrational surge of jealousy shot through me, and my eyebrow quirked in irritation.
The finger touch turned into a feather light stroke that ended with a firm finger underneath my chin, tipping my face up to his.
“It’s my sister’s helmet. She won’t mind you borrowing it. If she hadn’t left it at my place, I wouldn’t be able to offer you a ride.”
I swallowed and nodded, suddenly exhausted from the day and the hours of continuous mental warfare. My reserves were dangerously low.
I smiled to soften my rejection of his offer. “I’m not ready to trust you with my life on that bike, but I’ll meet you for coffee.”
We exchanged phone numbers and I watched him ride off from the safety of my vehicle before slowly pulling away from the curb and heading home.
Once home, I shed my clothes, tossing them on top of the heap I started a few days ago. Clothes. My second indulgence. And this room, my bedroom, was where they congregated and multiplied. The one room in my home that was never pristine.
In the ensuite bath, I dug through my basket of cosmetics, found my makeup remover and cotton pads and wiped my face clean.
I dumped a scoop of lavender scented Epsom salts into the tub and filled it to the brim with hot water. Next, I connected my portable speaker, lit my scented candles, and grabbed my Kindle.
I allowed the scented water to welcome me into its warm embrace.
Tomorrow I’d tidy my bedroom.
Tomorrow I’d sort through my thoughts and fears about Lucky.
Oh, frig.
Tomorrow I’d have to face Willa and Junie. I laughed to myself. If anybody could get me out of my head, it was those two.
Hopefully, Willa would stay at home and get some rest.
I shook my head. There was no way. She’d be in if only to grill me.
At three a.m. my cell phone rang.
Junie’s name on the display set my heart to racing.
I snapped it up.
“Hell-”
“It’s a girl,” a half-sobbing Junie laughed into the phone. “Barrett just called. They have a little girl.”
“A little girl,” I breathed, my breath stuck in my throat. “How is Willa? Did she come through okay?”
“She’s fine. Barrett said she was a rock star,” Junie hiccoughed.
My smile spread clear across my face. “Of course, he did. Are we allowed to visit her tomorrow?”
“Just try to keep me away. I dare you!” Junie threatened.
After a few more minutes in which Junie relayed the time of birth, 2:04, the baby’s weight, 8 lbs, 11 oz, the baby’s length, 20 inches, then lamented the fact that she forgot to ask the baby’s name, Lenny coaxed her back to bed.
