Page 47 of Say the Words
“Depends on who you ask.”
He went to the front door. I stayed frozen on the spot, dreading the idea of meeting Ty’s date-slash-caretaker, but unwilling to simply disappear out the back. I hadn’t done anything wrong, and besides, I sure hadn’t seen any blonde hottie helping him around his ranch the last week.
He paused, glancing over his shoulder at me again. I looked away, suddenly interested in the bottle opener magnet stuck on his fridge.
Sam Adams. Good brand.
“Hey,” Ty said as casual as anything when he pulled open the door.
“Hey, I’ve got a large meat lovers pizza with extra cheese.”
I spun to face the door. A young man in a bright uniform stood in the doorway holding an insulated bag. A pizza guy?Thank you, baby Jesus.Relief washed through me, followed by a surge of embarrassment for all the crazy assumptions I’d let fly through my head. Not that it was crazy at all to think Ty could have a girlfriend out there somewhere that he had never mentioned. The crazy part was how quickly the idea had gotten under my skin. Jealousy still circled around in my stomach, churning anxiety in its wake like a demented little motor boat.
Ty pulled a few bills out of his wallet, and the delivery driver was soon gone again. He set the pizza on the kitchen table, watching me with a strange light in his eyes. Curiosity. Maybe amusement. Well, I had acted like an idiot tonight. Somebody should get a laugh out of it.
“I didn’t know I’d be getting a delivery from you, so I ordered my own.”
“You can have the lasagna tomorrow.” I grabbed it off the counter and tucked it into the fridge so he wouldn’t have to. “I’ll just get going.”
I needed to get out of here and go cringe myself into a coma.
“Wait,” he said before I could sidestep him. “Are you hungry?”
FIFTEEN
ty
My impulsive dinnerinvitation hung in the air between us. June looked up at me with a sort of startled curiosity.
“If you don’t like pizza, I’ve got a lasagna in the fridge.”
She laughed, and the tension that had radiated from her these last few minutes disappeared. Her shoulders relaxed, and when she spoke, she sounded like herself again. “Pizza sounds great.”
We worked together to put out plates and glasses on the table, June doing most of the work due to mycondition, before we sat down to share the pizza. Even if she didn't seem as wound up anymore, she was careful to avoid my eyes as we started in on our simple meal. I would have sworn her momentary panic had been borne out of a misguided jealousy, but that didn’t quite add up. She thought I had someotherwoman doing anything at all to care for me? And that agitated her?
After a few bites, I said, “It’s not lasagna.”
“It was my mom’s recipe, so you’re right. This stuff isn’t even close.” She ducked her head, looking sheepish. “Not that I’m complaining, I appreciate the offer. It’s nice.”
“Well, I am a nice man.”
“So I’m learning.”
Regret needled me for how hard I had pushed her away, both during her relationship with Bret, and these last few days. She’d never done anything to deserve my rough manners and short comments, but I couldn’t very well explain I was just trying to protect my own fool heart.
“So,” she said, dabbing at her mouth with the edge of a paper napkin. “Areyou doing your breathing exercises?”
My harsh exhale seared through my chest. “You can’t let a thing go, can you?”
“Pneumonia is serious, Ty, and if you were hospitalized, what would happen then?”
“I’d imagine you’d turn up at the hospital and hound the doctors, asking them if they’d really given me enough antibiotics to do the job.”
She tried to look stern, but too much playfulness filled her eyes to pull it off. Nothing like her fierce show of willfulness when she’d tidied up my house. I’d been steamed, but damn if I hadn’t been more attracted to her than ever. Meeting me toe-to-toe, taking charge—she had a way about her that left me wanting her at the most inconvenient moments.
Like all of them.
“Iamdoing my breathing exercises, June. I might be stubborn, but I’m no fool. I don’t want to deal with pneumonia any more than you want me to catch it.” I felt ridiculous every time I blew into that stupid tube and watched the little ball inside it float to the top, but I still did it. Maybe not as often as I should, but I could only take so much.
