Relief loosens something in my shoulders. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Sure. I don’t have too much more planning to do, so if you could just give me thirty minutes, I’ll have my putzing wrapped up.”
I look around at all I can accomplish in half an hour to make this place not look like a disaster zone. “All right. Perfect. I can come to you and pick you up, or I can give you my address. Unless you want to hang out at your place?”
“Absolutely not,” she says a bit too quickly.
Man, she really hates that apartment they’ve got her in. “Okay, then my place. Would you feel more comfortable driving yourself? Or do you want me to come get you?”
There’s another pause before she speaks. “Could you pick me up today? Just this once, I don’t usually require it, but?—”
“Say no more. I’ll head out in half an hour and come your way.”
I can hear her smile through the phone. “Perfect. I’ll be ready.”
She’s waiting on the curb just outside her apartment building when I pull up. The wind kicks up, fluttering her blonde locks across her shoulders. The sunlight catches her smile, making it glisten as it slams right into my chest.
She’s got on a long skirt and another one of her short-sleeved cardigans, and somehow, she’s even more beautiful than the first time I laid eyes on her in Dr. Quinn’s office.
Maybe it’s just me, but she seems a little less guarded, too.
She doesn’t give me time to be a gentleman, but when she starts heading for my passenger-side door, I lean over and open it for her over the center console. I don’t have the nicest car. It’s a dated SUV. Plenty of room for hauling Amber and her friends from school around. Or moving things, in general.
Lia doesn’t seem to mind as she eases down into the seat. “Hey there.”
I right myself in my seat and smile. “Hey. You look amazing.”
She blushes a bit. “Just threw something on.”
“Well, it looks good on you.”
She closes the door and buckles herself in. “Thanks for coming to get me. Just feeling a little tired today.”
Concern floods me. My nostrils flare and, sure enough, she’s got a twinge of exhaustion streamlining its way through her scent.
That won’t do.
“Too many hours at the kitchen?” I ask. “Or is your pre-heat giving you troubles today?”
“A little bit of both, maybe? I don’t know, just can’t quite shake it today.”
I ease us out of her apartment complex. “Well, when we get back to my place, I’ll make you some breakfast for lunch. How’s that sound?”
“Oh, I love a good stack of pancakes. Are there pancakes in this mix?”
“What’s breakfast without pancakes?”
The drive to my place is easy. It’s a bit quiet. She looks out the window a lot. I struggle with topics of conversation to keep her engaged. But she doesn’t seem to mind.
We pull up to my place, and she’s just zoned out enough that I can get out and grab her door before she reaches for it.
I hold out my hand for her to take. “Here. In case you feel unsteady.”
She snickers and takes my hand. “Sorry about that. Think I zoned out there for a second.”
I help her out of my vehicle. “Nothing wrong with that. Let’s go get you comfortable.”
I link her arm with mine and she cuddles against it. The awareness of her beside me, of her touching me, sparks a fire in my gut as I unlock my front door. I push it open, thankful that I at least had time to vacuum and straighten up the living room a bit.
