Page 47 of Heal Me
“Oh, shit! Why did you do that?” she demanded smacking the showerhead so it faced away from her.
“Sorry! Again: not used to sharing a bathroom.”
The water had just warmed up when it went cold again. “What are you doing?”
“Washing my hands!”
“Oh, okay. How about you just warn me next time so that I can be prepared. I have nothing against cold showers, I just like to be forewarned,” she said, popping her head out of the shower again.
His chagrined expression as he came over and sat down on the straight-backed chair was priceless. “This bathroom stuff is going to take a little getting used to, I think.”
Kate said, “Ric, I’m a vet. I spend most of my life knee deep, or arm deep, in crap and other animal body fluids. To me this is a natural part of living. I know that just because I might not be shy about stuff like that, other people are. No biggie. Do whatever makes you comfortable. There is another bathroom attached to master bedroom. I moved out of that room when Phil died. Too many memories.”
“Okay. To answer your question, we have a 10 a.m. flight.” He taped a bag over his leg and hopped over to the shower.
He’d just shut the shower door when there was a noise at the bathroom door.
“What was that?” he asked.
“Cinders. I usually leave the bathroom door open since it’s just me. They like to keep me company while I’m getting around.”
Actual knocking sounded on the bathroom door then.
“That’s no dog,” Ric said.
“Hey, Special K! You going running or what?”
Her eyes rounded when she recognized Robert’s voice. “Oh, no! I forgot that I was going running with Robert. Damn.” Her face turned scarlet at Ric’s incredulous look. “Um, no, not this morning. I forgot to call you last night to tell you. Sorry!”
“Let me guess. You have company this morning.”
“Yes. Now, get out of here. I’ll see you at work.”
“Hi, Ric! Nice to meet you, so to speak,” Robert said.
Ric glared at the door. “Yeah. You, too.”
His hard tone said that it was anything but nice to be talking to Robert right then.
“Now, now, Ric. You’re going to have to get used to the fact that Kate’s best friend is a man.”
“Robert!” Kate shouted, mortified that Robert was getting cocky at that particular moment. “I’ll see you at work!”
“Okay. Later!”
Ric pointed at the bathroom door, his eyes blazing with anger. “Does he come in your house like that all the time?”
Kate defiantly put her hands on her hips. One slipped off because of her slick skin and she had to put it back. “Yes. He’s my best friend and he has a key to the house. He didn’t know that you were going to be here this morning.”
“No, but he had to have seen my car. He knew damn well that I was here and he came in anyway just to make a point to me,” Ric said. “Are you sure that he doesn’t have feelings for you?”
Kate tried not to laugh, but couldn’t quite manage it. “Trust me, Robert is not interested in me. We met on a blind date and when it was over, he said, ‘Kate, you’re a beautiful, wonderful woman, but there is just no spark here.’ We’ve been best friends ever since.” She put a hand on Ric’s shoulder. “If this is going to work, we’re going to have to trust each other. I trust you. Do you trust me?”
Ric put an arm around her. “Yes, I do.” He chuckled. “I guess I’m the jealous type. It is strange that your best friend is a guy. I’ll adjust. But if he makes a wrong move towards you, I’m going to beat the shit out of him. I’m just giving you fair warning.”
Kate thought his jealousy was sweet, but she didn’t want there to be any problem between the two men. That kind of tension wasn’t good for a relationship of any kind.
“Okay, caveman. You warned me, but I promise you that Robert doesn’t have any romantic feelings for me. Phil and him were very close. Give Robert a chance and you’ll become good friends, too,” she said.
