Page 24 of Gideon's Gratitude

She’ll never know.

Chapter Five

Gideon

Awareness was slow in coming. As it always was. The cold pack was warm, so I eased it away from my brow.

Silence.

Had the construction ended for the day, or was this merely a reprieve? Lunch time?

My stomach roiled. Empty, but still uncertain. This migraine had been a doozie. Between my heightened anger because of the cash and Archer’s highhandedness, as well as the chainsaw, the headache had been an inevitability.

“How are you feeling?”

I dropped the ice pack and shot up.

Not a good idea.

My vision swam for a moment before I focused on the man in the recliner.The interloper.

Not fair. You invited him.

True. A decision I now regretted. I hated people seeing me in such a weakened state. Leo’s disdain had been thinly masked. Not cruel, per se, just questioning. The injuries were soft tissue. The brain bleed had healed, and the CT scan was normal. If everything read clear, why was I still in pain? I must be malingering.

This accusation—rarely spoken, but always present—hurt more than anything. Was it any wonder I turned to pills for relief?

“What…?” My voice failed me. Ugh, dry mouth. I eyed the glass of water. I had vague recollections of being forced to drink, and receiving another cold pack. It’d helped. Reaching out for the glass took effort, but I managed. The water was lukewarm but refreshing. I tried again. “What time is it?” The windows faced north, so the room was never bathed in light. With the drapes pulled, I couldn’t tell if night had fallen.

“Three-thirty.”

“When’s dinner?”

Archer’s surprise made me smile.

“You promised me food.” And a night of companionship. I wasn’t willing to give up either.

“Riley is expecting us shortly. You have time for a shower, if you wish.”

Probably a good idea. I hadn’t had one this morning, and I needed to wash away the gross feeling of the sickness. Brushing my teeth would help as well. With great care, I sat up fully, pushing off the blankets.

Lucky, awakened by the motion, leapt up and padded over, placing his chin on my knee.

“You need to go out?” Soft, gentle eyes met mine. Empathy? The dog was often attuned to my distress.

“Why don’t I run him out? We can go for a short walk while you do your ablutions.”

Ablutions?

Oh yeah. Shower, shave, and dressing. Would I need something fancy?

“Where are we going for dinner?”

“I’m open to suggestions. We can go as fancy as you like, or fast food. Whatever tickles your fancy.”

You do.

Uh…what?This pompous jackass was nothing like the men I was normally attracted to. Well, in fairness, there’d only been Leo. I’d never looked. My gaze had never strayed. And I’d sworn it never would. Now, though, in this moment, something shifted within me. Yeah, the guy was a divorce lawyer. Yeah, he earned more in a day than I earned in a month—or more. Yeah, he was full of himself.

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