“I’m sorry I ruined your… whatever you were doing… probably work.”
“You know me so well. Yes, that was the case.”
She shakes her once. “Tsk-tsk, Oliver. Work-life balance is key.” The way her tsks roll off her tongue could be my undoing right here, but I’ve grown restraint over the years.
“You’re just lucky you have a lighter work week for the summer, Miss Teacher Extraordinaire.”
She throws a pillow at me with her good hand. “That’s because we teachers need to recover from the rest of the year.”
“Fair point.”
It’s way too easy to shoot the breeze with Hailey. Maybe that’s why Liam has never noticed. He just assumes Hailey and I are good friends.
“Speaking of recovery, I’ll go clean what’s left from the crucifixion of the bagel, and I can go pick you up something from the store so you can eat to keep up your strength,” I offer.
She stretches her bare foot, nails painted with dark purple nail polish, out across the couch to jab my leg with her toe. I’m not sure what’s better? Her touch or how even her toes are hot as fuck. “Stop it. You don’t need to take care of me. I’ll manage.”
I attempt to keep a straight face. “But I think the grocery store is having a sale on pre-sliced bagels.” She digs her toedeeper into my calf, and I yelp even though it didn’t hurt. “You fainted who knows how many times at the emergency room due to blood. I’m not sure walking into the kitchen is the best of ideas. I’ll do it.”
The only thing I see in her gleaming eyes is pure appreciation with a hint of affection. I love it. I wonder if she realizes how much she deserves to have someone treat her like a queen. She has a heart of gold, is kind to all, and lightens every social gathering. I mean, for fuck’s sake, she had us all dressed up for a 20s-themed murder mystery last year. And there was the real crime that happened—her legs in a flapper dress while she dragged me along to solve clues.
A twinge twists in my stomach because I can never be her king, and I hate the idea of her with anyone else.
She’s dated guys in the past, and whenever she was single, I wasn’t. Then there were the months that she was settling into her new job and I was deep into the hockey draft. Basically, the timing was never in our favor.
Plus, her brother would kill me.
And I get it.
Abruptly, I stand up. “Okay, you just chill here while I take care of the kitchen.”
“Really, thank you. Maybe Liam will be here soon.”
I grab the throw blanket and spread it across her body, tucking her in because I love touching her when it’s allowed, and she appears cozy and peaceful.
She touches the back of my hand that’s fixing the blanket on her body, causing me to still. “You’re my hero.”
One squeeze of her hand and it takes all my strength not to swoop down and kiss her on impulse. She realizes her error, and her hand leaves mine in a flash.
I leave her be and clean the kitchen, every once in a while chuckling to myself about the situation. It was a whole-grainbagel. Kind of boring but fine. A few thrown-away towels, a hell of a lot of cleaning spray, rubber gloves well used, and I’m done.
“Okay, I’ll head to the store,” I say as I meander back into the living room, and I smile as I soak in the view of a sleeping angel.
Hailey is asleep, with her face delicate and her lips tipped faintly in a smile. She must be dreaming. Stepping forward, I selfishly take the opportunity to lean down and tuck a tendril of her hair behind her ear. She doesn’t stir, and I just admire her for a few seconds.
Some people might label this as bordering on obsession territory, but I consider it as just grabbing an opportunity.
Sighing, I step away and head to the door. One more glance over my shoulder, and the corner of my mouth tugs at the picture of her. But I can’t stand here forever.
Opening the door, I nearly run into Liam who has concern imprinted on his face.
“I owe you.” He is quick to step through the door, brushing me aside.
“She’s asleep.”
He pauses on his quest to find Hailey and eases. “I mean, it’s not a major injury, so that’s a relief. We’ve all had stitches at some point, right?”
I nod in agreement. “I’m sure she will laugh about it in the future.”
