Page 19 of Mountain Bean Dream
“Ah, well, that’s a sweet perk. Never have to go far for work.”
“Just down the stairs.” He handed me a pillow. “An extra for you to help cushion your shoulder and arm.”
Aww, that was so sweet. “Thank you.”
“And the extra is for me. Those chairs,” he pointed to the single-person sofa chairs, “are not the most comfortable. But the pillow will help.”
“You’re spending the night?”
“Someone needs to keep an eye on you. Concussions are no joke. If you wake up ill in the middle of the night, I’ll be able to dash you right back to the hospital to get you treated.”
I still stared incredulously.
“I swear, I’ll stay in this chair all night.” He dropped down into one of the sofa chairs. “See? My place for the night. After you get tucked into bed.” From a hidden pocket, he pulled out his phone. “And we can do some crossword puzzles until you get sleepy.” A small smile tugged on the corners of his eyes which I adored seeing, although his irises were rather captivating too. “And I brought snacks. It’s no pizza, of course, but it’ll take the edge off.”
“What did you bring?” I sat on the edge of the bed.
His eyes darted from me to the bag and back again. “Can I get up? I know I just promised you I’d stay put, but I also don’t want you walking around. You need your rest.”
A shy smile played on my lips and I looked over at the bag. “Of course.”
From deep inside the bag he pulled out a few peppermint tea bags, a Tupperware container of soup, and a bag of bagels. “Was kind of a grab-and-go situation.”
“You covered all the basics. Well done.”
With a nod, he crossed the room and tossed the soup into the microwave. Digging around, he found a kettle and started boiling some water.
“Would you like your bagel toasted?”
“What kind is it?” It made a huge difference; some could be toasted, others were best left alone.
He flipped the package around. “Three cheese and jalapeno.”
“Oh, yes. Toasted, please. There’s butter in the fridge.” Nothing like a good heat from the spicy pepper.
He rooted through the tiny fridge until he found it andwaved it around. “Thank you. It seems I did forget to bring it with me.” Into the toaster went a bagel. “Into bed. Get comfortable.” He turned his back to me. “I’m a whiz in the kitchen.”
Not sure if he was serious or joking about the whiz part, under a watchful eye, I climbed under the covers, a little surprised to be taken care of like this. This was a definite first. I pulled Grandma’s blanket across my lap.
“Thank you. For being with me tonight, I appreciate it.”
“No worries.”
I sat up, sitting cross-legged. “Do you want to hear something funny?”
“Does it come with a coffee pun?”
I put my finger to my chin and tried to think if there was a way I could incorporate one into my little story. “Not off the top of my head.”
He shook his head, but I didn’t miss the gentle laugh. “Dang. What’s the funny part then?”
“You know how earlier I asked you to be my fake boyfriend for the fundraiser—”
“And you agreed to be my date to the trivia night.”
The toaster popped at the same time as the microwave beeped.
“Right.” I shifted, trying to get comfortable with a sling on. “Well, remember how I’d mentioned that I’d just broken up with my boyfriend. You’re going to love this.” Twisting slightly, I repositioned. “Dr. Derek wasthatboyfriend.”