My eyebrows shot up my forehead. “What are you doing? There’s a huge fine for stopping in the bus lane.”
He winked. “Better hurry and get in then.”
An older woman called, “If she doesn’t take you up on the offer, I will!”
I stalled, feeling everyone’s eyes on us.
“Please?” he asked.
And damn, why did that one word have such a strong pull on me? Was that really all it took to get me to bend to his wishes?Please?I was weak. But also tired. So I walked to the car and got in, letting him shut the door behind me.
As he went to the other side, I smiled at his driver in the mirror. “Hey, Genevieve.”
She winked at me. “Good to see you again, Jada.”
My cheeks felt hot, realizing she was seeing all of this unfold. Did Bryce ever feel shy about her bearing such close witness to his life? I wondered.
Bryce climbed in on the other side, deftly buckling up with his large hands. I wondered how they would compare to my own before quickly shutting down the thought. He could very well be the one who left Rei that note, and I didn’t share.
“So, you’re not giving up your concerns about the bus?” I asked him, hands folded in my lap.
He quirked his lips to the side, light-blue eyes gleaming in the shaded car. “Can you blame me?”
“Who else is to blame?” I countered.
Genevieve chuckled from the front, and Bryce leaned forward. “Whose side are you on, Gen?”
“I believe I’m obligated to say yours. Although…” She chuckled again. And I was starting to really like the woman. But before I got too attached, I had to ask... “Bryce, I got a new phone and lost your number. Do you mind writing it down for me?” I dug through my purse for my pocket-size notebook that had a small pen attached with an elastic loop.
“Oh, sure.” He bit his bottom lip as he took the notebook and wrote it down, putting his name above the digits.
When he passed the notebook back to me, I studied it briefly, but it was hard to tell if his writing matched that on the original sticky note. “Thanks,” I murmured and turned my gaze out the window.
My stomach started to turn, and I wondered if there had been something wrong with my Pop-Tart. Those things were never supposed to expire though.
“Jada, you okay?” Bryce asked. “You’re looking a little pale.”
I might have laughed at being called pale… if I wasn’t about to gag. “Do you have a bag?” I hissed through my teeth.
He began fumbling around, and I tried to take shallow sips of air to keep from hurling. My mouth was sweating. This wasnotgood.
He pushed a white paper bag into my hand, just in time for me to empty my stomach. Bryce reached out, his large hand running soothingly over my back. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”
Despite my embarrassment and the nausea, his words helped.
When I was done emptying my guts, I realized the vehicle had stopped. Bryce handed me a bottle of water and a napkinand said, “Rinse your mouth with this.” He also took the half-full bag from me, trading it for a new one.
I did as he asked, aware of him opening the door. Presumably to dump the bag somewhere so it wouldn’t stink up the car.
As my stomach settled, I felt more and more embarrassed. “I’m so sorry,” I said to him as he got back in. “I must have gotten carsick or something. I’m not used to riding in the back seat.”
But he didn’t seem so convinced. “I’m going to have my doctor come into the office and check you out, just in case.”
“That’s really not necessary,” I said. “People throw up all the time.” Never mind the fact that I’d been sick on and off for months. But what was his doctor going to do? Tell me the same thing urgent care had?Everything looks good on our end. See your regular physician for more lab work.
He covered his chest with his hand. “For my peace of mind, please?”
There was that word again. But, “I really can’t afford it,” I confessed. “I don’t have insurance.”
