In the silence with our eyes locked, and with more assurance than I normally felt, I wiped away the water dripping from his face and caressed his cheek. And then I turned to Bridget and stroked her hair.
Lee met my gaze again with a smile that said a thousand words and pressed his forehead to mine. Then he brought all of our heads together. We stood in the quiet, taking in the warmth, taking a moment to breathe and be thankful.
“Can I have another cookie?”
Lee and I broke apart, laughing and still shivering.
Lee planted a tender kiss on Bridget’s cheek. “You may have as many as you want. Let’s go home and drink some hot cocoa. We’ve had enough swimming for today.”
Chapter Twenty-Five — Never Again
“Kate. I’ve got you.” Lee took me out of the car when we got to his place from the waterfall.
My nonsense reply was muffled against his chest, my eyes closed. Lee had his arms wrapped around me, my front pressed to his side and my arms around his middle.
The bright sun made my nausea worse. My knees buckled with every stumbling step, but Lee’s strong hold on me kept me from collapsing.
“What’s wrong with Kate?” Bridget said, opening the front door.
“Kate’s going to be okay. She needs to sleep it off. Can you be a big girl for me? I need you to grab a bottle of water and a T-shirt from my dresser, for Kate?”
Bridget’s footsteps shuffled on the marble and faded the farther she went.
We were on the move again, my feet dragging up the stairs. My body felt as heavy as the boulders at the waterfall. I had been fine with the first half of the helicopter tour, but on our way home, motion sickness had hit with a vengeance. My breathing had quickened, sweat had dampened my forehead, and I’d wanted to vomit.
I had wanted to keep Bridget from thinking about the almost-drowning experience, so I’d sat in the back and talked with her. It turned out that wasn’t a good idea. Dry heaves racked my body every few minutes.
Lee assisted me to bed. “Kate. I know you feel horrible right now, but you’re going to be okay. I’m going to take care of you.”
Lee laid me over the comforter, and he took off my shoes.
I groaned, unable to open my eyes. Clutching the pillow, I prayed the room would stop spinning.
“I’m sorry.” I squeezed my eyes tighter, clenching my teeth. Even talking made my head throb. The urge to puke rose again, and I would do anything so Lee didn’t watch me throw up.
“Why are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong. I’m the one who should feel horrible, and I do. I wish I could have done something more to prevent you getting airsick.”
“It’s not ... your fault. No ... pill,” I managed to say, unsure if I made sense.
I wore the wristband Lee had given me, but I hadn’t taken the motion sickness pill. I had taken one once when Jayden and I had gone on a boat ride with some friends. The medicine had made me groggy and ruined what should have been a fun date.
I hadn’t wanted the same thing to happen today, so I’d shoved the pill inside my pocket. The wristband might have been enough had I not sat in the back with Bridget.
Light footsteps padded into the room. “Here. I got the water and a T-shirt for Kate. She doesn’t look good.”
“She’s going to be fine. She just looks pale.” His reassuring, soft voice made me feel better for a second, but then the room spun again.
A dresser opened. Something crinkled. Then the dresser shut.
“Kate, I’m going to lift you up a bit so you can take this medicine and sip some water.”
Lee cupped his hand under my head and tilted it up. Then he put a pill inside my mouth and placed the open water bottle to my lips. With my eyes still closed, I gratefully drank.
“Thank—” I lunged off of the bed and slapped my hand on the wall for support. I parted my eyelids just enough to make out the location of the bathroom and stumbled toward it.
Had Lee not held me, I might have fallen into the bathtub.
“Bridget, go to your room. I’ll be right there soon to help you shower.”
“But—”
“No but. Just do it.” His stern voice rang in my ear.
I was glad Lee made Bridget leave the room. Not only did I not want her to see me like this, I didn’t want her to witness what I was about to do.
I hugged the toilet in a hurry, the damp jeans hard and scratchy on my skin. Horrendous sounds escaped my mouth as acid charged up my throat. My lunch spewed into the toilet in a multicolored fountain, and a few drops splashed onto my face.
So gross. I hope I didn’t get any on Lee. But I felt so relieved. The urge to vomit went away and I finally felt like I was on the road to recovery.
Nope. False alarm.
I clutched the toilet again, but this time, Lee held my hair away from my face. Such a sweet gesture, but I was mortified.
Why did I have to get airsick? Lee didn’t need this right now. He shouldn’t be the one taking care of me. This was so unprofessional.
“I’m sorry. Call my sister.” My voice echoed inside the toilet, my body trembling.
I heard running water from the sink and then it shut off.
“Are you done, or do you think—”
I plopped on the cold marble floor and rested my head on my bent arm on the toilet. “I’m done,” I murmured, energy drained from me.
Something warm and soft brushed the side of my cheek. Lee dabbed a warm cloth on my face. Then he hefted me up and guided me to the bed.
“Your sister doesn’t need to be here. You have me. You might want to take off those damp clothes. They’re somewhat dried but you might not want to sleep in them. I would take them off for you, but I don’t think you want that. Here’s a clean T-shirt. I’ll turn around.”
I pulled my shirt over my head, but my jeans peeled reluctantly from my skin. I slipped on the T-shirt he’d left on the mattress and hugged a pillow, nestling my head with a sigh. Something soft and warm covered me. I needed to shower, especially after falling into the water, but it was the least of my concerns. How could I face Lee in the morning?
Abby was right. If Lee, my boss, whom I barely knew, took the time to take care of me better than my ex-boyfriend, someone who had supposedly loved me, I shouldn’t have any problem finding someone better. Right?
During the boat trip, Jayden had been busy drinking with his friends instead of taking care of me when I’d gotten sick. In fact, he’d mostly left me alone.
“Thank you ... Lee,” I said, drifting in and out of sleep. “You’re a good ... and ...”
My words came out incoherent and jumbled. Hopefully he understood.
In my dreams, Lee and I were a couple. After the helicopter ride, the three of us had dinner in his gorgeous backyard. He grilled steak and chicken while Bridget and I made salad and some side dishes in our fabulous kitchen.
We talked and laughed during dinner, and afterward we swam in the giant pool. Then after we put Bridget to bed, Lee and I drank wine and made love in our bedroom.
When I opened my eyes, the white walls and the dark, closed shutters slowly became familiar. I was in the room next to Bridget’s. Everything that happened the previous day came crashing through my mind. The helicopter ride, the waterfall picnic, the conversation with Lee, Bridget almost drowning, my nightmare of being airsick, and then the too-good-to-be-true dream.