I settled back into the chair, my face feeling hot. “Then I’m not really sure. I’d like to get him set up in an apartment or something, at least for the year. He risked his life to keep me safe. It’s important to me that he feels safe too. I don’t think anyone has done that for him in a long time.”
“Do you think he’ll want your help? Lots of people don’t want others in their business.” Madeline shifted now, eyeing me closely.
I shrugged, stealing her move, “Honestly, I don’t know. But we both know that if those guys had gotten their hands on the files I was carrying, Madeleine Media’s future would’ve been at risk of catastrophic failure.”
“Not to mention their CEO being attacked,” Madeline said, her voice wavering again.
I reached for her, and this time she took my hand. “The time will go fast. Is it bad at Adrian and Nicole’s place?”
“No, they’re great. I did have to have a brief discussion about how much PDA is too much PDA though.”
I laughed. “I’m sure they loved that.”
Madeline grinned. “Oh, you know it.”
My mouth, which had pulled into a smile, softened again. “I’m sorry this is uprooting you, Maddie. But it’s the least we can do for him.”
“I know that, Mom. I get it… I just don’t get it.” Madeline threw her hands up, obviously a little frustrated by how to explain herself. “You do what you need to do. But I’m staying for dinner tonight.”
I pulled up my phone. “Was I supposed to be cooking something amazing, or do you really miss me that much?”
Madeline let out a soft cough, and I burst out in laughter. “What’s going on in that head, missy?”
“Mr. Crowe’s nurse is so cute,” she whispered, her voice a hushed noise against the soft music that Church had going on in the front seat.
I bit down on my lip, attempting to stop the laugh that burned in my throat. “He is really lovely, such a kind man.” I paused, turning back to her. “Wait. Cute? Hmm…Max Hill, huh?”
Madeline’s eyes bugged. “Shhh, you’re so loud! And yes.”
I giggled, pressing my hand over my lips as I stared over at her. I guess Max was cute. And he’d passed the background check with flying colors, so I wasn’t worried about her having a little crush on him. The fact that he was at least ten years older would keep them plenty separate.
“He’s very attractive,” I deduced finally.
“Ugh,” she said. “Attractive is the worst way to describe someone.”
“Oh,” I said, watching Church’s shoulders rise and fall with soft laughter as I straightened in my seat. “So sorry to ruin your fun. Crush all you want, but leave the man alone. He’s keeping my knight in shining armor happy and healthy.”
“Noted.”
We were delivered safely upstairs before Church disappeared to his home a few floors below for the remainder of the night,promising that he’d bring his husband by later this week for cocktail hour. My brother was coming later to pick up Madeline for her to stay at his house, so I didn’t need a driver for the rest of the night.
I pulled out our prepared dinners and warmed them quickly on the stovetop while Madeline pestered Max about his favorite foods, his favorite color, what college he’d gone to, and what his first concert had been. I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the smile on my lips as the young man kindly answered each one before telling me that he would be back later tonight to take the midnight shift. Neal hadn’t woken up much this evening, and Max had decided he wanted to do one more overnight before he moved to something less intensive for the remainder of Neal’s recovery.
I nodded, comfortable with our routine already.
After both Madeline and Max were gone, I scooped up a bowl of our dinner tonight, a turkey chili concoction and made my way into the guest room. It’d been completely changed into a medical suite for Neal, complete with a small second bed, which Max had been making his own. Not interested in infringing upon the caretaker’s space, I chose the chair closest to Neal and pulled it over. Folding myself into the chair around my bowl, I turned a movie on my phone and propped it up against the man’s leg.
“I hope you like musicals,” I told the sleeping Neal, watching for a moment as his chest rose and fell under the soft blue sheets. “This one is my favorite, and I honestly could use it right now. Today was brutal. My brother thinks I’m insane for keeping you here. Even more so than usual. But I know a good person when I see one. And you—no matter what you look like now—you came for me when no one else did.”
I smiled then scooped a hefty spoonful into my mouth. Talking with my mouth full, I jabbed my spoon at the small screen. “Oh I love this part.”
I spent the rest of the movie sitting like that, and before I knew it, Max was gently shaking me away. It was midnight, and he was here to take the next shift with Neal. My eyes ghosted over the quiet form of the man on the bed before I stretched and headed back to my room.
“Good night, Max,” I called back, and then after a bit of hesitation, I added, “Good night, Mr. Crowe.”
Chapter Three
Penelope
