“Warming up?” I ask, running my hands along her upper arms when she lifts her head from my chest.
She nods, and I brush her unruly hair out of her face again as she wipes her nose. Her mouth opens like she’s going to say something but can’t seem to get it out.
“You okay?”
She turns rapidly, only barely catching her sneeze in her elbow.
“Bless you.”
She groans in response as her head hits my chest.
A few seconds later, it happens again.
And I let out a long breath, closing my eyes and holding her tight against me as the realization dawns on me.
Evie is sick.
24
EVE
“Alright, Evie girl,” he says, his voice low in my ear. “Let’s get you showered and into bed.”
I shake my head, pressing my face further into his skin.Thisis all I need. No shower. No bed. Just him, holding me on my kitchen floor when I can’t even make it fully into my house.
“You’ll feel better once you’re clean and in bed.”
“No, I won’t.”Because you’ll leave and I’ll be left to deal with this mess alone in silence.
His thumb runs along my hairline, and as much as I want to live in that tiny touch for the rest of my existence, I feel another sneeze coming and quickly redirect it into my elbow.
Ican’tbe sick. Not when I have petals to dry and seeds to roast. If I don’t start the process now—or tomorrow morning at the latest—all the sunflowers in the truck and the buckets outside will go bad.
“Come on,” he says, grabbing onto the counter and using it to hoist both of us up. He drapes the blankets around my shoulders, holding them tight underneath mychin. With one hand on my back, he guides me into the living room up the stairs. “Do you have cold medicine?”
I shake my head as I shuffle into my bedroom. “I don’t need medicine.”
“Not what I asked,” he says, following me into the bathroom and opening up the medicine cabinet. When he doesn’t find what he’s looking for, he looks underneath the sink. He shakes his head, coming to his full height in front of me with his hands on his hips, that strong chest on full display. “You have three singular pills of ibuprofen that have been expired for four years.”
I shrug, my eyes drawn to his bare skin rather than the slightly scold-y expression he’s giving me that I really don’t hate. “I don’t get sick.” I sniffle again.
He raises his eyebrows. “Alright.” He takes a step past me, starts the shower, and gently unwraps the blankets from around my shoulders. “Are you okay to shower on your own?”
I roll my eyes. “Been doing it for about three decades. I think I can manage it.”
He grins, resting his hands on either side of my face. “I’m glad feisty Evie is back, even if she’s sick.”
“I’m not sick!”
“I’m going to run out for medicine while I still can. Do you need anything else?”
“I don’t need medicine. I’ll be fine.”
“Christ, Eve, can you just tell me if you need something? I’m going out whether you like it or not so you might as well place your requests now.”
I press my lips together. “Take my car. Yours will be roadside decoration.”
His smiles. “Any medicine requests? Food requests?”
