Page 42 of Captivating Anika

“I should probably check in with Monique,” Anika announces when my crewmates leave. “I kinda left in a hurry and that was quite a few hours ago.”

“Yeah, of course.”

The woman has a business to run, so I’ll suck up my disappointment. I don’t think I’d be good company anyway; I have a feeling I’ll be crashing soon.

“Bodhi mentioned you’ll be released in the morning?”

“That’s the plan.”

“You’re going to need a pickup,” she points out.

“I haven’t had a chance to think that far ahead,” I admit. “But yes, I guess I do. Which reminds me, I was supposed to pick up the Suburban in Farmington tomorrow afternoon.” I rub a hand over my face when my head starts throbbing. “I’ll give Franco a call.”

“Or…I pick you up and you come home with me. He has the farm to deal with, and someone’s gotta look after you.”

Her offer is delivered with a bit of uneasy bluster, as if she isn’t sure how I’ll respond. It’s a no-brainer for me. There’s little for me at the farm in comparison.

“Not gonna say no to that, Sweetheart, but I should be fine to look after myself. And for the record; you’ve got a salon to run.”

“Pfft. The salon is covered, but we’ll see how you feel in the morning. Let me know what time they’ll be releasing you.”

“I will, but I am gonna need something to tide me over ’til then,” I tell her.

It takes a moment for the penny to drop, but then a smile slowly spreads on those pretty lips as she approaches the bed.

Anika

“I’m on my way back.”

I have to stop to wait for the city bus to pass before I can pull out of the parking lot.

“Don’t bother, Kim and I are just locking up,” Monique shares with me. “Is everyone okay?”

I check to make sure it’s clear and turn onto the road.

“They were lucky. My brother is already on his way home, and Hog will be released in the morning. How did you manage this afternoon?”

“Fine. It was a bit of a juggle, but between all of us we were able to take care of your clients. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen tomorrow, so I took the liberty to do a little shuffling with the schedule so it’s a bit more manageable if we’re short a pair of hands. Only a day and a half left in the week, so it wasn’t that bad.”

I’m so lucky with my staff. Monique especially. As much as I like to be in control, it’s nice to know I can walk away in an emergency, leave things in her care, and know the salon will be looked after.

“You know I love you, right?” I tell her.

“Of course, what’s not to love?”

“Exactly,” I confirm with a snicker. “Anyway, it’s perfect, because I’ll have to leave to pick up Hog at some point in the morning.”

“You are?”

“I offered. He’s gonna need someone to look after him for a while.”

I can hear her chuckle.

“And you volunteered,” she mocks me.

“Somebody had to.”

“Hey, I would’ve in a heartbeat, given the chance. Some people have all the luck, that’s one good-looking man.”

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