Page 23 of Ice Daddy
She rolled her eyes. That night was completely different … and her lifenow was completely different … and the only way to begin to explain that was to just come out and tell him about Irie.
But she rushed to the bathroom instead.
“Hey, where are you going?” he called out.
“Looking for a first aid kit. I can't take you seriously while you've got blood trickling down your face.”
“I'm fine.”
“You're not fine. I know you want me to think you're a tough guy, but you're actually cut pretty badly. You might even need stitches.” She found a kit in the closet. “Here. Sit on the bed.”
Lance threw off his jacket, loosened his tie, and sat at the edge of the bed with a sigh. Paige approached with a wet, warm washcloth in one hand and a first aid kit in the other.
“Aren't you going to take your coat off first?” Lance asked. “Feels like you're about to run out the door.” He lowered his voice. “You know. Like you did the first time?”
Paige groaned. “Fine.”
Lance watched with interest as she unzipped her parka. She'd forgotten what she'd worn beneath it, and when her bustyBurger Standt-shirt was revealed, her insides were crushed with embarrassment. She wished she'd refused and kept her coat on instead. But the cat was out of the bag now … the athlete now knew she was a waitress.
Or maybe hedidn'tknow. Because Lance was too busy trying not to stare at her cleavage—and totally failing. He looked like something had gotten lodged in his throat.
“They make us wear these,” she said, self-consciously folding her arms over her chest.
The spell was magically broken, and Lance woke from his boob-induced trance. “Who?”
“The Burger Stand. You know, the shirt I'm wearing?” She pointed directly at the words so he couldn't possibly miss them. “See these words, right here? Right next to my tits?”
“Oh.Oh.Right, yeah. I didn't even see that text.”
“They never do.” She rolled her eyes. She stood over him and began to dab at the gash on his brow. “Anyway, that's the restaurant I work at.”
“So you work at a restaurant, huh? Are you a server?”
“Yep.”
“How do you like that?”
She laughed as she gently began to dab at his wound with the warm cloth. “It's not exactly what I imagined I'd be doing with my life. But it's where I'm at right now, and it's what I have to do.”
“Well, what would you rather be doing?”
An ironic laugh escaped her. “This.”
Lance didn't quite follow; his other brow arched. “Hm?”
“Nursing. I was a nursing student at Vanderbilt when we met.”
“Oh. I didn't know that.”
“We didn't knowanythingabout each other when we met, Lance. Not before or after.”
“But wait, you can't find a nursing job? I thought nursing jobs were in high demand.”
“I had to take a break from school, because—” She gritted her teeth.I can't yet. I'm too nervous.“Because some family stuff came up. I've still got one more year to finish.”
“Oh. Damn. Well hey, you'll get there.”
He watched quietly while Paige held the warm cloth to his gash. Paige was used to Irie's screams of bloody murder anytime the child had a wound that needed treatment. The silence was nice, the moment nearly sweet.
