Page 61 of A Surefire Love
Annoyance begged to fire off a sharp reply, but she forced a deep breath. “It’s also normal to have to wait weeks to see whether it’s working.”
She might not have curbed her frustration as well as she thought because he fell silent. They passed through the event hall and the dining room. At the exit, he opened the door and they started down the stairs.
“The thing is,” he said, “I missed you.”
Her fatigue dropped away, and her feet froze on the bottom riser.
Anson didn’t stop until two steps later. He circled back. His soft smile was hard to read. Apologetic? Inviting? Friendly?
“At Rooted?” she asked.
“Yeah. And I think Hadley missed both you and Mercy.”
That must mean he meant “missed” in a casual, friendly way. Not the kind of pining that might happen if his recent openness with her meant he wanted more than friendship. She resumed her course for her car. “I’ll do my best to keep it a one-time thing.”
“Good. I don’t like you feeling unwell.”
Neither did she, but she chose silence so he wouldn’t start challenging the doctor again.
“You deserve to be healthy. You know that, right?”
She let out a tired laugh. “There are so many people suffering much worse illnesses, and I’d never tell them our health is about what we deserve. It’s not.”
“True. How about this? You deserve an advocate who’ll fight for the best care you can get.”
She managed to suppress her scoff. “Who’s going to advocate for me? You?”
“You. Are you asking Mercy to go through the same things you’re experiencing?”
“For about a week, I did. Then her side effects started going away. We had to adjust her dosage, but she’s doing well.” Between medication and lifestyle changes, Mercy had managed to remember everything she needed for school each day for a week now. Their system wasn’t foolproof, but the chaos—where Mercy was concerned—had lessened. And thank God for that, because Blaze could hardly keep dragging herself forward one day after the next, let alone find the motivation for someone else too.
They reached her car. She unlocked it and turned toward Anson to end the conversation and get herself home to bed. His scent reminded her again of their embrace and tempted her to step forward into his arms. He tilted his head, gaze roving her face.
Touched by his concern, cracks spread in a fragile web across her composure. One wrong move, and she’d shatter into a teary mess.
“It’s okay if you can’t do the corn maze this weekend,” he said.
Was this Saturday November already? She slung her purse into her car with a sigh.
“You forgot?”
She couldn’t hold back the tears and answer, so she hung her head.
“I have it covered. There will be enough other leaders there.”
“But I agreed—” Her voice faltered.
Her hair shifted. Anson brushed a few strands back from her face, somehow without touching her skin. His hand rested on her shoulder. “Your health is more important. How can I help? There must be a way I can make this easier.”
He could actually touch her face. That would distract her from an awful lot of problems. Or he could confess undying love and loyalty. Hey, she was sleepwalking through life. Who could fault her for dreaming a little?
She swallowed. “Not that I can think of.”
“Then I’ll think of something.”
24
The gourds, scarecrows, and signs throughout the corn maze helped Anson keep his bearings. Based on the number of times Hadley and Mercy had led their party of four down the same dead end, landmarks weren’t their thing. Anson brought up the rear, letting them have their fun because, as long as they wandered these dusty aisles, he had time to think about Blaze.
