Page 66 of An Engagement for Erica

“Erica,” he said, getting up and moving next to her on the couch where she’d sat after their hug. “Why would you think that? I didn’t expect you to be someone who put their head in the sand.”

She snorted. “I never used to be. But I was scared. Fear does all sorts of things to your psyche.”

“Yeah, it does,” he said.

“I was stupid and know it now,” she said. “I’ve never told anyone I had those fears. Or that I was so sick to my stomach waiting for them to come back and tell me they found something on one of those tests.”

He shook his head. “I wish I could have been there for you.”

“You would have been the last person I would have told,” she said, laughing. “Harmony saw some of it, but not enough.”

“Because you hid it well.”

“I mostly thought it was a headache and stress. Which it was. Just really bad headaches.”

His hand came up and cupped her chin, then he leaned in to kiss her lightly. “No problems since? I’d like to know.”

“No,” she said. “Nothing more than a normal headache. I’m not as stressed. I’ve changed my diet.”

“Not the twenty coffees a day?” he asked.

“Not as many as that, but not good either,” she said. “I’m on medication. A few kinds. They are going to wean me off of one and I’m a little nervous.”

“I’m glad you told me this. Why are you nervous?”

“You don’t need to hear this,” she said. “We are working and you’ve got enough on your plate.”

“Erica, don’t push me off. We are dating, right?”

She laughed. “I guess we are.”

“Guess?” he asked.

“We are. I’m just not someone used to opening up all that much.”

“But you’re getting better so that you don’t get stressed and get sick again,” he said firmly.

She squinted one eye at him. “I don’t know if the migraine meds are stopping them or it’s my hormones were so out of whack. Which they aren’t now.”

“And when they take one medicine away, you are fearing migraines again?”

“Yes,” she said. “I know the signs of them. I’ve got what is considered quick-acting meds to help, but I’d prefer not to go through that. Or worry that I might pass out again.”

“I’m sure it’s scary,” he said.

“Something like that. But I’ll do what my doctor wants because, as my father said, why take something I don’t need?”

“I want you to let me know when you start going off it. I want you to call me if you need me. You know, being your fiancé and all.”

She laughed. “I’ll think about it,” she said.

It was hard to believe it’d only been a month since she’d seen him again and now they were dating and putting up this ruse.

“Do more than think about it,” he said. “Do you want to talk about work now?”

“I do,” she said. She looked at her watch. It was five and Alice had been leaving when she was coming in. “Do you mind if we do this over dinner? I’m hungry.”

And one thing she learned was to not hold off eating.

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