He laid his palm against her forehead. “You have a fever again,” Lake said, leaning over her. “You say crazy stuff when your fever spikes.”
“No, I don’t,” she argued. “Maybe. I don’t feel good.”
He rubbed her cheek with his thumb and sat next to her. “I know you don’t, Peaches. But you’re pretty cute, too. So even when you're grumpy and whiny and a little bit difficult, you’re also really adorable, so I don’t mind too much.”
She studied him. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He rubbed a cool hand over her forehead and down her neck and arms. “Now, stop being so adorably frustrating and drink this dang medicine so you can get better, and I can… God-willing… at somepoint, Georgia, show you how adorable I really think you are.”
“And kiss me silly?” Fevers really did seem to eliminate her filter.
He sighed and studied the ceiling again.
“That’s right.” He handed her the glass of vitamin C-infused water, the medicine prescribed for her throat infection, and pain killers to stifle her fever. She took them all without complaint then rested her head on his side.
“Do I still get my present?”
Lake chuckled and leaned over the side of the bed, putting a small package wrapped in a ribbon on her lap. A soft, cream-colored, knit blanket made up the base of the gift, with a package of Georgia’s favorite black tea and Leo DiCaprio’s Romeo and Juliet, extended edition, Blu-ray tucked in the center. Georgia thought she might cry again.
“You really get it, ya know,” she whispered in awe of his thoughtfulness.
“Get what?” Lake put his arm around her and pulled her closer.
“The Leo thing.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, snuggling in deeper, completely content. “You’re a total fanboy. You love him.”
He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “Mmmmhm. Circa 1996 Leo, to be exact. He’s the best.”
She peeked up at him with one eye open. “You remembered?”
“Best date of my life.”
“That so?” If Georgia hadn’t been stuck in her sick bed, she likely would have zipped around the room a dozen times to run off the electricity that single comment sent coursing through her body.
“So.”
“Best date of your life… mhm.” She smiled to herself and wiggled down in the sheets.
“Careful, don’t want to seem overeager there, Peanut.”
Georgia nodded in full agreement.
It would be a cryin’ shame, indeed, if Lake knew just how very,veryeager she was to hunt down all the other girls he’d taken on dates and yell, “I win! I WIN! Haha, SUCKERS!”at the top of her lungs while dancing and wearing her cutest outfit. Preferably with the man, himself, cheering her on and shouting handwritten poetry or… insanely profound compliments into a bullhorn.
“She’s the winner,”he’d declare.“You had no chance against her unmatched brains and beauty. And she makes the best cup of steaming hot chocolate of all time… ”
She giggled then buried those delicious fantasies way down deep, though. This fever wouldnotget the better of her.
“And the tea? It’s my favorite, too.” Georgia was proud of how cool and collected her voice sounded.
Lake looked down at her, far too knowingly. “Your mama stopped by yesterday to check in while you were sleeping.” He ran his free hand through his hair and rested his head on the headboard. “I thought for a second she was gonna tan my hide for stayin’ here alone with you… Thank goodness it wasn’t the Colonel.”
He blushed down at Georgia again, and the warmth in that gaze made Georgia want to curl into a ball and rest there. Like a cat sitting in a stream of warm light from an open window. “She did seem eager to help mewooyou, as she put it… after she gave me a good talkin’ to about how the couch was the only place I’d be welcome to sleep… Then very quickly after… now that I think about it… told me which tea you liked best. I went out and got it while she stayed here with you.”
“I slept right through it all.”
He brushed hair out of her face. “You’ve been pretty sick, Peaches. You needed the rest.”
She nodded. “Thank you for the gift… the gifts. For…” she closed her eyes again, unable to look at him as she said, “wooing me.”
