Page 49 of The Affair
“Well, thank you,” I said. “I can take it from here.”
He waited for me to unlock the door, and I assumed he’d leave after I stepped inside. Instead, he followed me.
“What are you doing?” I barked.
“I told you, I closed the store.”
“Okay, so go back and open it up!” I demanded. “I’m home, and I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I am a grown woman after all.”
As if my body and he were on the same team, my legs chose that moment to wobble, sending me careening into his arms.
“Perfectly capable, huh?” His mouth twitched with amusement.
I tried to roll my eyes, but I was just too damn tired. So instead, I just let him help me over to the sofa. And when he offered me a blanket, I took it.
He was obviously going to stay, so why bother trying to fight it?
Besides, it was nice to be near him again.
Even if for a little while.
* * *
“Get that spoon away from me,”I snapped. “I am not an invalid.”
Sawyer grinned, a silver spoon in one hand, a bowl of soup in the other. He appeared indecisive. My stone-cold gaze must have set him straight because seconds later, he finally set both down on the tray in front of me.
“Fine,” he agreed. “But I’d make an excellent nurse; you can’t deny me that simple fact.”
My eyebrow rose as I dug into the soup. It was the first thing I’d eaten in what felt like a million years. I’d never salivated over canned chicken noodle soup so hard in my life. “Okay, fine. I will concur that you’d make a pretty damn fine nurse. Happy?”
“Quite.” He settled back in the chair next to me, making sure to keep his distance.
He’d no doubt been an excellent caregiver throughout the day, but a lot of that hinged on him actually keeping himself healthy. So, while he’d been here, he’d been keeping a safe distance from me and my germs.
I’d tried not to take it personally.
“How do you feel after your nap?” he asked.
I shrugged. “About the same.”
He didn’t look impressed.
“What? You expected me to get better after a few hours?” I asked.
“Well, you can’t blame me for hoping.”
“Do you even know how the flu works?” I laughed. Or tried to. It was a little hard when everything inside of you felt like it’d been run over by a truck.
“Yeah, but it’s been a while since I had it.”
“Why don’t you come over here, and I’ll remind you?” I waggled my eyebrows, making him laugh.
He shook his head, holding his hands out in front of him. “Nope. All good over here. Plus, I prefer my women without snot dripping out of their noses.”
“What?” My hands ran up to my face. I was completely mortified—until I saw him chuckling.
“I’m kidding.”
