Page 19 of Dreaming of You

"I'm bored. I'm tired. I want to get out of here. Would you mind telling Elaine that I had to leave? Make sure she has a ride to wherever she wants to go."

"I suppose I could do that, but you'll owe me."

"I'll happily pay, as long as it's not another blind date."

"So, you're just going home?" Matt asked, a speculative glint in his eyes.

"Where else would I be going?" he said lightly, as he headed to the door.

* * *

Kate took her hand out of the second bucket of ice. She'd given herself a ten-minute break between icings while she'd changed into leggings and a long sweater and popped a frozen pizza into the oven.

Her fingers were red and slightly less puffy, but they were still painful. She looked at the pile of ribbons, lace, potpourri and other items on the kitchen table in front of her. She'd talked herself into the idea that she could at least get something done, if she just went slowly, but it was looking like a very formidable task. She'd wanted to show the samples to Jessica and Maggie tomorrow, but that might have to wait. She was just about to plunge her hand back into the ice, when her doorbell buzzer went off.

She wrapped a dishtowel around her wet hand and moved toward the intercom. "Hello?"

"It's Barrett. Can I come in?"

Her heart skipped a beat. "Uh, I guess. I'm on the second floor." She buzzed him in, then moved to open her door. She couldn't imagine why Barrett had come to see her. He was supposed to be at the Winter Ball.

Barrett came down the hall a moment later, still wearing his tuxedo, which only reminded her that her casual wear was a little on the ragged side. "What do you want?" she snapped, annoyed that he'd caught her at her worst once again.

"I came to see if you were all right," he said, glancing at her towel-wrapped hand. "And you're not."

"It's not that bad."

"Let me see."

She unwrapped the towel and revealed her puffy fingers.

"You might have broken one or both of those fingers."

"They're not crooked just swollen. I'm hoping for the best."

"Instead of hoping, you should have someone take a look at it."

"I'm soaking it in ice. Everything will be fine in the morning."

"Why don't you want to see a doctor?" he asked curiously.

"Because I don't need to. Why are you here?"

"I wanted to check on you—see if you were all right."

She gave him a disbelieving look. "You were concerned about me?" Her gaze narrowed. "Oh, I get it. You think I'm going to sue you, don't you?"

"Never crossed my mind. If you're going to sue anyone, it would have to be the owner of that hoop thing you were wearing." He paused. "Can I come in?"

"Why?" As the word left her mouth, her oven timer went off.

"Whatever you're cooking smells good," Barrett commented.

"It's just a frozen pizza."

"Big enough for two?"

"You want to share a frozen pizza with me while you're wearing a tuxedo? Why aren't you at the ball? Shari told me you were going. It can't be over. It's barely eight."

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