She cracks a little smile, and it’s like the sun’s finally come up from behind the clouds.
I wrap her arm around my shoulder and help her back to her bed. She promises to finish all the Gatorade while I warm her up some soup.
The afternoon passes quickly, with Pippa alternately eating tiny bites of soup and snoozing. She lets me lie in bed next to her, playing online poker whileThe Vampire Diariesplays on her laptop. James’s doctor calls, and he confirms that Pippa probably has the flu that’s been going around. He assures us that rest, liquids, and Tylenol should be enough to avoid a doctor’s visit, unless her fever goes above 104.
After the first missed call from Ingrid, I hide Pippa’s phone under the pillow on my side of the bed. If Pippa were in her right mind, I know she’d pick up and do whatever insane thing her boss is demanding, and she needs a break. Hell, the fever probably only got this bad because of how hard she’s been grinding.
The season one finale has just started when Pippa finally opens her eyes again. “Huh?”
“Good morning, sunshine.” I brush some hair off her face. “You’ve been napping.”
“Mmm. Nap,” she mumbles, burying her head against her pillow. “I love naps. What time is it?”
“Almost dinnertime, if you’re up for some more soup.”
Pippa’s eyes go wide. “No. It’swhen?”
I glance at my watch. “About 6:30.”
“No, no, no! Oh, shit, where’s my phone?”
Reluctantly, I slide it out from under my pillow and hand it to her. She moans.
“Eight missed calls from Ingrid! Fuck, I have to call her.”
“No, you don’t. I’m sure there’s nothing she has to say that can’t wait.”
“Are you insane? I didn’t even tell her I was missing work!” Pippa hits Ingrid’s number, holding the phone tightly to her ear. “Ingrid, hi! I’m so sorry I missed your calls, I was sick, and—” She stops, and I can hear a woman’s voice from the other side. “I’m so sorry, I had a fever and fell asleep. I know, I’m behind a date in the series. I was going to make one tonight, but—no, I know we had a deadline. I’m so sorry.”
Hearing Pippa grovel after she just spent most of the day hurling her guts out is more than I can take. I snatch the phone out of her hands.
“Hi, this is Ryan Archer. Ingrid, right?
“Oh.” She sounds surprised. “The stepbrother, right?”
“Yeah, that’s me.” Pippa gestures wildly at me to hang up. “Pippa’s got the flu. She’s spent the whole day fighting off a fever, so yeah, she won’t be coming in tomorrow.”
“Will she be working from home?”
I laugh, low and cold. “Are you fucking serious?”
“She does have deadlines?—”
“Pippa needs a goddamn break, lady. You’re working her like a fucking dog, so if you care about hertalent, like Pippa always says when someone criticizes you, you’ll stop working her so fucking hard.”
There’s a moment of quiet on the other end, and I get a sinking feeling that I’ve gone too far. Pippa lives for this job—what will she say if I lose it for her?
“I hear you,” Ingrid says, finally. “I suppose she doesn’t need to finish the 12 Dates series, anyway. It looks like she found a much more interesting ending.”
“Sure. Whatever you need to say to make her taking off for a few days okay.”
“Goodbye, Ryan. It was so nice to meet you.”
I hang up and shake my head. “Your boss is a quack, Pips.”
She smacks my arm. “Oh my god! Ryan, you made her mad at me! What if she takes back my promotion?” Pippa’s eyes go wide. “What if she makes me give back mycouch?”
My brow furrows. “You’re not making sense. You’ve got to lie down and rest.”
