Page 70 of Need Me
Chapter 17
Robert’s headpounded when he woke the next morning. He didn’t have a hangover, but his emotions had been put through the blender. Squinting at the bright sunlight, he looked to his left, right into the face of a purringcat.
“Hi,Buster.”
He scratched the cat’s ears and then sat up. Brooke’s already blurry room started spinning so he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply a couple of times. Clearing his throat, he winced at the scratchy pain it caused.Crying yourself hoarse will dothat.
He jumped when his cellphone rang and felt like his head was being cleaved in two at the loud sound. Picking up the phone, he was shocked to see that it was after ten. His thumb hovered over the answer button as he considered whether to answer Kate’scall.
She was probably pissed and worried about him and he wasn’t sure he had the strength to deal with her questions. With a resigned sigh, he pickedup.
“Hi, boss.” He attempted a jovial air, but it sounded hollow to his own ear. “So, turns out that I’m going to be latetoday.”
“I’ve been calling you for hours,” Kate said. “Brooke says that she left you at her place. Are you stillthere?”
“Yeah. I just woke up. I was kind of out of it. I never heard my phone,” hesaid.
“You sound like shit. Did you guys get drunk lastnight?”
Robert stood up and then looked around for his glasses. “No. We were just very, um, active, and Ioverslept.”
“You could haverung?”
Her attitude made his temper flare; especially knowing she was right. “You know what? I’m a grown-ass man, Kate, and I don’t need you keeping tabs on me. I’m always at work, even when I’m sick. So, I don’t show up one morning? Big deal! I’ll grab a shower and be right the fuck there. Won’t happen again,boss.”
He hit the end button and located his glasses on the nightstand by the side of bed where he’d been sleeping. He stuck them on and made his way to the bathroom. Looking over the choice of soaps in Brooke’s shower, Robert decided that the cucumber melon would be the least girlyscent.
His phone rang several times while he was in the shower, turning his mood darker. He finished in record time and got out. As he dried off with a fluffy towel, he realized that he’d slept in the nude. Where were hisclothes?
Going in the bedroom, he located his underwear, but not his other clothes. What had Brooke done with them? He had clothes in the car. Grabbing his cellphone, he descended the stairs. His mind was clearer and the pounding behind his eyes had abatedsomewhat.
He found his sneakers by the front door and picked them up. Then, acting braver than he felt, he opened the door and walked out onto the porch in only his briefs. Feigning nonchalance, he walked to the back of his SUV, ignoring the neighbor lady gawking at him from herporch.
Grabbing his duffel bag, he got out the old jeans and faded black T-shirt in it and pulled them on. As he thrust his bare feet into his sneakers, he swore because he didn’t know where his keys were. He checked his ignition, but they weren’tthere.
“Shit. Now what?” he asked noone.
Looking at his cellphone, he saw that one of the callers had been Brooke. He pressed the callback button, but he got her voicemail. Hanging up, he called his own and listened to an angry message from Kate. There was also one from Brooke, telling him that she had his keys, they’d been in her bag bymistake.
He needed his keys to get in his house and to lock up the office that night. He also needed a ride to the hospital, but who to call? Tyler and Ric would be at work, Chase and Anna would be at the hospital with their babies, and he didn’t want to make Emily drag TJ to town just to take him to thehospital.
Casting a speculative look at the neighbor lady, who was still watching him with hawkish intensity, Robert gave her his friendliest smile and started for her house. “Ma’am, I don’t suppose I could trouble you for a ride to thehospital?”
* * *
With a few lastkeystrokes and a mouse click, Brooke sent off a supply request and flopped back in her office chair. Trying to keep her mind on work instead of Robert was stressing herout.
“Hey,Brooke.”
She swore under her breath as Dr. Mitchell Scoggins jogged into her office. Fixing him with an annoyed stare, Brooke said, “Yes, Dr.Mitchell?”
He flashed her an adorable grin. “C’mon. It’s Mitch, remember? I need an opinion aboutsomething.”
Brooke straightened in her chair. “Okay. What isit?”
Mitch turned around and presented her with his jeans-clad behind. “Are these too tight or toobaggy?”
Brooke laughed. Mitch was a scary-brilliant doctor, who could fill in for several different specialists when needed, but emotionally he was still a college frat boy. “Are you asking me if you’re having a good buttday?”
