“Bath?”
“I think I’d feel better standing in a hot shower.” Slowly, she pushed out of bed, feeling more relaxed than she had in… forever.
After helping her into her robe, they went into his bathroom. He turned on the shower faucet, offered her one of his hair ties.
“Thank you for taking such good care of me.”
He kissed her forehead. “I’m gonna make us dinner.”
“I feel guilty,” she said as she tied up her hair. “We should be working the case.”
“We will, right after we eat.” He flashed her a smile before he left the room.
As she stood under the hot spray, breathing in the warm air, she made a decision. She would stop being afraid. She would put her previous relationships in the past… and leave them there.
“Lean in,” she whispered, quietly encouraging herself.
Thirty minutes later, they were sitting at the kitchen table. Rebel had made her a healthy yogurt smoothie, scrambled eggs, and plenty of creamy mashed potatoes. He’d made himself a steak.
The easy-to-swallow foods were a godsend. “Thank you for doing all of this for me.”
When they finished, he retrieved a box of popsicles from the freezer. “I bought these for my nieces and nephews, but decided that I’d lose my mind if any of them went on the balcony.”
“There’s a barrier.”
“My brother’s youngest thinks he’s a monkey. The little guy will climb anything.” He removed the paper wrap, handed her the icy treat.
She licked the popsicle several times before slipping the sugary treat slowly into her mouth. Melted cold liquid soothing her fiery throat.
His gaze darkened, a gritty moan ripped from his throat. “Damn, you’re sexy.”
“Expect abigthank you for taking such good care of me.”
His smile made her heart beat faster. “I’m always gonna take care of you, Brit.”
Ohmygod, he’s so romantic.
“Then, expect to be thanked… a lot.” She would have jumped in his lap and mauled him if she felt even a tiny bit better.
As if he could read her dirty thoughts, he said, “Focus on getting healthy.”
Brit’s phone rang. She answered. “Hello?”
“Ms. Marshall, this is Shawna from Acorn Boarding School. We spoke earlier today.”
“Hi Shawna. Thanks for calling me.”
“Can we talk off-the-record? I don’t want to lose my job.”
“Of course. Anything you tell me will be kept confidential.”
“I’m sure the faculty told you that everything at our school is fine, but we’ve had problems in the past.”
“What kind of problems?” Brit asked.
“Bullying,” Shawna replied. “Lots and lots of bullying.”
23
