Page 3 of Erik's Redemption
His voice was quiet and gentle. And a little part of her almost wanted to say no. To tell him exactly how not okay she was. But then she gave herself an internal shake. She barely knew the man. He didnotneed to know about the mess that was her relationship.
“Of course.”
He continued to hold her gaze for another beat, almost like he was assessing whether he believed her. She wanted to squirm under the scrutiny.
Finally, he nodded, releasing her arm. “Good. Well, I’m off to a client meeting. I’m ready to put my charming, you-need-me-to-sell-your-house smile on.”
She scoffed. “With those dimples, how would anyone turn you down?”
If possible, his smile widened. “I’m counting on it.” He brushed past her, grazing her side as he stepped outside.
On her way down the hall, Hannah passed Taylor, who sighed. “Isn’t he gorgeous?”
“I hear he’s single.”
Taylor scoffed as she walked toward the kitchen. “Yeah right.”
Hannah laughed as she entered her office, then sat behind the desk.
Work was her escape lately. And fortunately, it had been busy. She’d had so many houses to sell, it was sucking up all her time. Weekdays. Weekends. Even evenings.
Usually, she took her work home with her—with the hope that she wouldn’t have time to actually do it. That thingsbetween her and Erik would shift back to what they were, and they’d spend the evening together.
But that never happened. She’d usually return home to a note on the kitchen counter telling her that he was working a job. Or helping someone in the family. Or, the most common one, boxing.
Her Omnipod beeped at her, signaling it was almost out of insulin. Not only that, but her Dexcom sensor had almost expired. They rarely needed changing at the same time. The pump lasted three days, whereas the Dexcom lasted ten.
She opened her second drawer and pulled out a new sensor and sticker. She’d found this great company called Lukas’ Part Time Pancreas, which sold a bunch of colorful Dexcom stickers to place over transmitters. Today’s sticker was an insulin vial with flowers. It brightened her day just a little every time she looked at the stickers.
Carefully, she peeled her old Dexcom off her arm, cleaned her transmitter, and pulled off the old sticker to replace it.
Using an alcohol wipe, she swabbed her other arm before taking the new Dexcom out of the packet and pulling off the stickers on the back. She pressed it to her arm and took off the safety piece. With a quick breath, she pressed the orange circle to click it into place.
The jolt of pain came and went quickly as she clicked in her transmitter. Her final step was putting a patch over the Dexcom to keep it more secure.
When she looked at her pump, she groaned. While she loved her new Dexcom, she’d found a lot of aspects of the pump harder to adjust to. First of all, it beeped at her…a lot. It was also bulky, and she always had to remember to take her PDM with her, which of course she often forgot, which in turn meant she had to inject. Then there were also the rashes she’d started getting from the adhesive.
The pump was good but also a lot to deal with.
She should change her pump now, but honestly, she was tired. So instead, she peeled it off. She’d just inject until she put on a new one.
With a sigh, she finally gave up and lifted her phone to text Erik.
Hannah: I’m going to stay and work late tonight. Don’t wait up.
The second she hit send, she scrunched her nose. Usually, she added some fun emoji. Maybe a love heart or a smiley face. The text she’d just sent kind of felt…cold. But then, she didn’t have it in her to send anything else.
She was setting the phone onto the desk when the response came through. Her heart beat faster, a nervous trickle skittering over her skin. Because even though he’d been distant, she still loved him. She still got excited at the mere sight of his name on the phone screen.
Erik: I’d prefer you didn’t leave the office after dark. It’s not safe.
Her belly dropped, a sadness she couldn’t quell sweeping through her. He didn’t want her home early because he wanted to see her. Maybe have dinner with her for the first time in forever. He just wanted to make sure that, physically, she was okay.
What about the other parts of her, like her heart? Was that safe?
Hannah: I’ll be okay.
She hit send, then turned off her phone and dropped it into her bag. She set her elbows on the desk and her head in her hands.
