“Sure, Matt.” Her phone beeped with the incoming text. “I’ll see you soon.”
They hung up and Rosie bolted for the parking lot. She debated calling Olivia. Matt seemed really out of it. Her nurse training wanted to kick into gear, but she held it back. He’d already been seen by medical professionals. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t keep an eye on him. Some things she couldn’t turn off. Even if he was a grouch, he was still Olivia’s little brother. Or was she jumping at the chance to do something for an attractive man to make him like her?
Nope. She wouldn’t analyze this any further.
Rosie pulled her little silver sedan around the back of the Orange Blossom, where Matt indicated he would be waiting. Waving at him, she leaned over and pushed the seat back so he could get in.
Tossing some trash in the backseat, she blushed when he opened the door. “I’m so sorry, I need to clean this out.”
“It’s fine. Thanks for coming.” He folded himself into her front seat.
“Do you have enough leg room?”
He kinda grunted then shrugged and said, “It’s not far.”
“So, what happened in there?” Rosie asked as she pulled back into traffic.
“I broke a glass. Lost some blood.”
That would explain his symptoms. “I’m sorry. At least it’s not serious, right?”
Matt yawned when he answered. “Yeah.”
She patted his shoulder. “Rest up. We’ll be home soon.”
Except we don’t live together,Rosie reminded herself. She still wondered whether she should call Olivia. But Matt clearly needed rest, and she didn’t want to disturb him.
The drive home was uneventful. When she put the car in park, Matt jerked awake.
“We’re here,” she said gently. He turned to face her, and Rosie’s breath hitched. Those aquamarine eyes were gazing into her soul with such an intensity, she felt like she’d been stripped bare. She couldn’t look away. Not until his gaze dropped to her lips, and then she found herself licking them unconsciously. Time stood still as they leaned forward, their faces a breath apart in her tiny car.
And then he broke the spell with a shake of his head and raised his bandaged hand to cover his eyes. “Sorry,” he grunted. “Don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Hiding her disappointment, Rosie asked, “Did you eat dinner?”
“Damn it,” he swore, then slapped his thigh with his bad hand. She didn’t miss the wince that followed. “I left my lunchbox at the restaurant. At least it has food in it for tomorrow.”
“Come on, let’s get you inside. I’ll see what you have in the kitchen.”
Matt was back to his normal grunting self as he exited into the cold winter night. She stuck close to him, concerned he might lose his balance before they got into the building. As big as he was, the most she could do was break his fall, but it would be something. They climbed up the old, black, metal stairs slowly, all the way to the fourth floor. Once she got him inside, she shucked her coat, tossed it on the couch, and went into nurse mode.
“Go get comfy, I’ll find you something to eat.”
“Not really hungry.”
“You should at least drink something to combat the anemia.”
“Okay.” The tall, blond giant shuffled into his bedroom and shut the door. Rosie opened the fridge and sighed. It didn’t look like he’d been eating at home all week. Opening the cupboards, she found toaster pastries and granola bars. That would have to do.
She picked the toaster pastries because the blood bank had everyone eat a cookie after donating blood and found a bottle of Gatorade in the back of the fridge. It was an odd combination, but the electrolytes were important. She set the snack out on the table, and she didn’t have to wait long before Matt came out of his room.
“Thanks,” he mumbled. Then, groaning, “I need to go to the store.”
“Yeah, you might want to do that soon.”
He sighed and opened the sports drink and started to chug. Halfway through, he put the bottle down and gave her a sideways glance. “I’m okay, you can go home.”
Rosie knew he didn’t want her here, but she felt compelled to stay. “I’m a nurse, this is what I do.”
