Page 57 of The Voices are Back

“Oh.” I felt my stomach start to stir, my senses leveling out now that I wasn’t upright for my body to overreact. “Nice.”

He opened the door, turned the shower on, then touched the tip of my nose before he explained what he was about to do.

“I have to go pick Bowie up and take him to school,” he said, his eyes trained on the floor. “I’m going to set the alarm, and pick up breakfast, then bring it back. Is that okay?”

I could tell him leaving me behind was hurting him.

He didn’t want me being here after having just been attacked yesterday.

But hey, the attacker was still in jail, I found that I could talk way easier, and Aodhan had a life. He couldn’t just stop living it because of me.

At least, that was what I told my selfish self that was slightly hurt that he kept leaving me, even if it was for his child.

God, I was such an asshole sometimes.

“Sure,” I said, acting nonchalant when in reality, I wanted to say, “don’t go.”

He studied my face, and that was when I was reminded that I was still in my towel.

“Uh, my bag.” I winced. “Can you grab that and bring it up here?”

He nodded once. “Anything specific for breakfast?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Do you need anything done at the coffee shop?” I asked.

Also, no.

“No milk?” he pushed.

I felt myself melting. “I don’t know what’s going on with my milk deliveries. But when I didn’t show up yesterday, my employees took care of it by putting a sign on the door that we were temporarily closed. The new milk supplier is supposed to be there tonight, and Theresa is taking the shipment.”

“Good,” he said. “They’re going to be okay without you?”

I didn’t technically run the store at all. I couldn’t.

I’d tried to go that route in the beginning, and was shown very quickly why that was a bad idea.

That’s when I hired not only Theresa, but Barry and Martine.

Barry worked the opposite shift from Theresa, and Martine worked where the two others couldn’t fill in, or on weekends when one of them needed a day off.

“Yes,” I answered. “I’ve made it that way.”

He looked at me oddly, as if he didn’t quite like that answer, but I cleared my throat and said, “I didn’t turn the shower off downstairs, and I’m not sure how much hot water you have…”

He got the hint and nodded. “I’ll be back.”

Then he was gone.

I locked the door for good measure, then stepped into the shower.

I groaned at the feel of the hot water spraying all around me.

By the time I was through, I felt refreshed, jealous, and pruney.

I found my bag outside the bathroom door, and a note that saidhere’s your phonestuck to my phone.

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