“The Italian-sausage-mushroom-and-black-olive-with-anchovies-on-one-half pizza—the one I am going across the street to order and sneak inside this room,” she explained in one giant breath.
His rueful smile became a soft chuckle.“Of course, I should have known—thatpizza.”
Skye laughed and limped on one shoeless foot to the door to peek down the hallway.
“Now what are you doing?”he demanded in exasperation.
“Checking the entrance to the stairs.I can’t use the elevator since it opens directly in front of the nurses’ station, and the only way I can avoid their eagle eyes is to take the stairs.That wasn’t a sleeping pill she gave you by any chance, was it?”
“No, one of those blasted painkillers.”Anger reverberated in his husky voice.
Zipping up her boot, Skye smiled reassuringly.“I’ll be back before you know it.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Skye returned in far less time than she expected.She opened the door to Jordan’s room and closed it quietly behind her after she hurried inside, hoping to avoid attracting anyone’s attention.She was breathing hard from the exertion of running up three flights of stairs.
“That didn’t take long.”Jordan’s head was drawn back, poised and alert.
“They weren’t very busy.”She set the square cardboard box on the vanity.
“Boy, that smells good,” he said, sighing, as she lifted the lid to the steaming pizza.“I think I’ll be able to manage on my own if you give me the pieces in a napkin.”
“Okay, but if it’s awkward, I don’t mind feeding you,” she offered.
The silence between them was serene as they ate.Skye smiled to herself a couple of times as she watched Jordan’s attempts to eat the pizza with his bandaged hand.Actually he was doing very well, and it surprised her.Perhaps she was makingtoo much of this attraction.What harm would result from a budding friendship?What did she have to fear?
“I hope you won’t find me unduly nosy,” Jordan said, his voice cutting into her thoughts, “but I was wondering if you always carry your money in your shoe.”
“Do you think I have a foot fetish?”she questioned with a laugh, her tone matching the lightness of his.“Actually it’s a precautionary measure against muggers.”
His thick brows arched.
“San Francisco is one of the most beautiful, romantic cities in the world, but that doesn’t make us exempt from crime.I carry several single dollar bills in my wallet, and anything larger in my shoe.Brad, my older brother, worries about my living alone and advised me always to carry money in my purse just in case I do get mugged.Then the robber won’t beat me in frustration over an empty purse.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No, I’m not,” she said, defending herself.“A girl alone in a big city, even a city as beautiful as San Francisco, is forced into a defensive stance.Crime is a fact of life, and after some of the stories my brother has told me, I’m ready to play it safe.”
“Why do you do it then?”he mocked openly.
“Do what?”She glanced up from her pizza.
“Live alone.You’re an attractive, enticing blonde.Surely there’s some man standing on the sidelines just waiting for you to say the word.”
His inquisitiveness quickly resurrected the barrier of humor she hid behind, and she responded with a hearty laugh.“You make my life sound like a football game.I hate to disappoint your curious nature, but there is no one waiting for my punt return.”
Jordan raised a dubious brow, but smiled into her laughing eyes.“You think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?”
“Without a doubt.”She wrinkled her nose and fluttered her eyelashes wickedly.She was having a good time, and smiled, unable to remember when she’d enjoyed an evening more.Perhaps she was enjoying it too much.
“It’s after ten.I think I’d better go.I’m a working girl, you know, and there would be Hades to pay if I was found out now.”She was referring to the nurses.
“I don’t want you to leave.”He studied her with a disturbing light in his eyes.“I don’t think there are many women in the world who would spend an evening visiting a demanding, ill-tempered invalid.”
“There’s no need to thank me.I enjoyed it; it’s been fun.”
“I owe you for the pizza.”His expression became strangely brooding, as if it were a great insult to his pride to have her pay for their meal.
