Page 85 of Marrying Off My Husband

“Well, hey there, darlin’. I hope you don’t mind me calling out of the blue, but I was with Spencer when you sent the message about being sick, and I wanted to check up on you.”

A cough sounded before a sniffle. “Thank you. Yeah, I feel so terrible about canceling, but I honestly feel…well, just awful.”

“Aww, my poor Eve. Well, I just feel horrible about this. Is there anything I can do?”

“Have fun on your date,” Eve answered before she hacked away again. “There’s no reason both of us should have our nights ruined.”

I shot Spencer a glance at those words. Eve thought the canceled plans were a ruined night. I hoped he took note of that.

“Well, I’ll try, but I’m just going to be checking in on you all night long to make sure you’re all right. You sound just awful.”

“I’m okay,” Eve said. “It’s just a cold. It’s miserable but I’ll live.”

“You’d better. We need to add to that charm bracelet soon. I’ll text you tomorrow so we can gab about the date.”

“Sounds good,” she said with another sniffle. “I hope he’s a real Prince Charming, Lou.”

I smiled down at my phone, that guilt swirling around inside me again. I didn’t care if he was King Charming. I had alreadyfound my happy…but I couldn’t let them know that. “Thanks, sugar.”

I hung up and raised my eyes to Spencer. “She sounds really sick.”

Spencer wrinkled his nose as he nodded. “Yeah. Poor Eve. Sounds like she feels awful. She should be eating chicken soup or something. I wonder if she has any.”

My eyes widened and the corners of my lips curled. “Well, you should take her some, Spence. Remember that time I came down with strep, and you made me the homemade soup? You should do that for Eve.”

Spencer rubbed the back of his neck, his features showing his obvious discomfort over the suggestion. “I don’t know…”

“Why not? It’s perfect. It shows you care. You’ll get the chance to take care of her, and you won’t miss your date.”

Spencer lifted his shoulders toward his ears. “Well, I mean…she probably just wants to be left alone.”

“She doesn’t,” I assured him. “Listen, Spencer, no woman wants to sit alone feeling awful, then have to get herself up and make herself something to eat when she feels bad. More than anything, she’ll want someone to just hand her the warm bowl of soup, wrap her in a blanket, and stroke her hair while she watches television.”

Color rose in Spencer’s cheeks again. “I’m not…that’s…I could make the soup, but maybe I should just drop it at the door.”

“Take it inside, make sure it’s nice and hot, then deliver it to her on the couch. Oh, and remember,” I said with a wag of my finger, “she’s not going to look perfect like she normally does. But don’t say, ‘oh, you look awful,’ because no woman wants to hear that even if she looks bad.”

Spencer’s eyebrows pinched. “Right, okay, umm, yeah, I can make the soup and take it to her. I’ll check to make sure she has cold medicine and stuff. And I will say she looks good.”

“No,” I said with a shake of my head, “no, don’t say that, just don’t say, ‘oh, my word, you look awful,’ because then she’ll just feel bad.”

“Okay, I won’t say anything about her looks at all.” Spencer chewed his lower lip.

“Now, have fun, darlin’, I need to go get ready for my own date.” I grinned at him before I spun on a heel and headed for my room.

After a twirl through my closet, I picked a dress that was hardly my favorite, but would do nicely for Dustin or Justin or whatever his name was. It didn’t really matter. I felt somewhat bad for him, but I wouldn’t waste too much of his time.

The sound of rattling dishes floated from the kitchen. A smile curled my lips as I slicked on my lipstick. I hoped Spencer had a lovely time despite Eve being sick.

It took the pressure off for the kiss as I doubted he’d want to swap spit with her while she was germy. But this could be a turning point for them. Spencer’s attention and kindness could make a huge impression on her and maybe, just maybe Eve’s illness could make Spencer see her as more human.

I could tell that he still didn’t believe she could love him.

I finished my makeup and did a final check of myself in the full-length mirror before I grabbed my bag. I made my way downstairs, peeking into the kitchen where an apron-clad Spencer stirred a steaming pot on the stove.

My heels clicked across the floor as I hurried to him and kissed his cheek. “Good luck, darlin’. But you don’t need it. I bet she’ll be so happy you’re doing this for her.”

He offered me a nervous smile. “I hope she likes it. Hey, good luck on your date, too.”

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