Page 35 of Tangled Up In You

Chelsea's gaze sharpened suspiciously. "That's nice of you."

"What are you doing here?" he countered.

"I'm picking something up. Phoebe pulled some things together she thought might help my morning sickness, and Molly found the package this morning. Don't judge, Adam," she warned.

"I'm not judging, but I'm concerned. Some herbs are dangerous, and nothing is regulated."

"These are very mild," Molly interjected.

"Do you know that for sure?" he challenged. "Do you know exactly what's in the formulas that Phoebe put together? Let's not forget that she liked to push the envelope, and her ideas could be way out there."

"Adam, stop," Chelsea said. "This is between me and Molly. You're not involved."

She could see the frustration and concern in his eyes. "You don't need to worry, Adam."

"I'm not sure you can tell me that."

She wished he could trust her, but, clearly, he did not. "Why don’t we go in the back room?" she suggested to Chelsea. "I'll show you what Phoebe left for you, and you can decide if anything is of interest."

Chelsea followed her into the back room, an annoyed look on her face. "I hate when Adam gets all big-brotherly. He always thinks he knows better than me."

"He's just trying to protect you."

"It's irritating."

"It's sweet. I always wanted a big brother or sister, someone to look out for me. You're lucky."

At her words, Chelsea's eyes filled with tears. "You're right. The hormones are making me bitchy."

"It's okay. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"The hormones do that, too." Chelsea sniffed and gave her a watery smile. "Just ignore me."

She handed Chelsea the bag. "This is the care package. I checked the herbal preparations. They're very mild, but please feel free to show them to your doctor."

"I'm not worried. Phoebe and I talked about my reluctance to try anything too strong. She said she'd take care of me." Chelsea looked through the bag, giving her a questioning look as she pulled out the book. "Poetry?"

"That was Phoebe. She had her own ideas about mind and body connections."

"Well, Adam and Brodie can't worry about me reading poetry," she said dryly. "I'll try anything."

"I hope you feel better soon."

"Thanks. Now, about the Harvest Festival. I know you're super busy here, so I won't pressure you to volunteer at the park, but I wanted to let you know that a lot of the local businesses are doing a sidewalk sale on Saturday. Many of the vendors on this street will be participating, so if you're up and ready to go by then, you might want to give people a chance to see what you're all about now that you've taken over."

"That would be great. That gives me five days to get my act together. It will be close, but I'll make it happen. It would be a great opportunity for me to show off the store." She just hoped she could pull everything together by then. "I better get to work."

"I won't keep you," Chelsea said.

When they returned to the showroom, she saw Adam looking through the photo album on the counter. She was a little surprised he'd stayed.

Chelsea held up the book of poetry as Adam gave her a questioning look. "Phoebe wants me to read some poems."

Adam raised a brow. "You're joking."

"It's part of the care package, along with tea, an aromatherapy candle and herbs, which I will check with my doctor," Chelsea added. "I appreciate your concern, Adam. Molly reminded me I'm lucky to have a protective big brother, so I'm sorry I snapped at you."

Adam looked surprised by Chelsea's apology. "No problem."

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