Page 55 of Heal Me
Ric looked over at her from where he stood by the sink. She held his phone out to him. “Chase would like to speak with you, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.”
He frowned as he took the phone. “Thanks. You just had to tell her, didn’t you?”
“You even put bath salts in it for me. Chase, he’s a keeper,” she said loudly.
Ric grinned as she slipped into the tub and sank into the hot water with a sigh of contentment. Closing her eyes, Kate relaxed, only half-listening to Ric. Her muscles loosened even further as the bath salts seeped into her pores.
“Kate, lift your head.”
She opened her eyes and did as he asked, smiling when he placed a folded towel behind her head for her to rest it on. “You’re so sweet.”
“None of your business,” Ric said into his phone even as he winked at Kate. “Hold on, Chase. Elaine is on the other line. I’ll call you back later on. Yeah. Okay.”
Kate enjoyed watching Ric no matter what he was doing. She thought that he was a beautiful man with all those muscles, sandy blond hair and chiseled jaw. Just looking at him gave her pleasure.
“Elaine? You’re calling me on a Sunday. You never call me on a Sunday.”
Kate felt a stab of concern at the way heat crept up Ric’s neck into his face.
“Those rotten bastards! Does Tyler know? Don’t worry about it. I’ll call him and Chase. You start calling the board members,” Ric said. “I’ll book a flight right away.”
He hung up and paced back and forth.
“What’s wrong?” Kate asked.
“It’s those Lisbon pricks. They’re starting up their bullshit again, going after our stockholders. We’re they’re biggest competition in New York and they want to buy us out,” Ric said. “If they rattle enough investors, they could end up owning 49% which would make our lives hell.”
“You three would still have control at 51% though?”
“Yes, but with partners who we might not want to work with. It would change everything.” He came over and knelt by the tub. “I’m so sorry, honey. You know that I wasn’t planning on going back until Monday night, but I don’t have a choice.”
The dismay and anger in his gaze made Kate’s heart flood with sympathy. “I know that you wouldn’t go if it wasn’t so important. I’m disappointed, but I understand.”
“I wish you could go with me,” he said.
“Me, too. But even if I did, you’d still be working and I’d be all alone,” she said.
“Yeah.” He let out a growl of frustration and rose. “I have to call Ty and Chase.”
Kate rose and got out of the tub. She dried off quickly and followed Ric into her bedroom to dress. Once she’d pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt, she went downstairs and started making omelets after she let the dogs in.
Ric came striding into the kitchen in jeans and a white dress shirt. He looked sexy as hell as he sat down at the table and put on his sneakers. His ankle was coming along and he’d stopped wearing the walking boot. There was still a slight hitch in his gait, that physiotherapy was helping, but otherwise, he was fine.
She set a plate and a cup of coffee down in front of him. “Eat. Doctor’s orders.”
He smiled at her. “Yes, ma’am.”
She rubbed his shoulder briefly and went back to the stove.
“My flight leaves at eleven,” he said between bites. “So I gotta get on the road.”
Kate filled a travel mug with coffee, added cream to it, and set it on the table. “For the drive. To keep you awake.”
He finished his omelet in three more bites. “You’re too good to me. You should’ve enjoyed your bath longer.”
“It was a very nice bath. Between that and the massage you gave me, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, I feel much better,” she said.
Although she knew how serious the situation with Horizon’s stockholders was, she hated that Ric was leaving again. She missed him already.
