“I’m taking care of it.”
“Hunter…” I dragged my fingers through my hair and peered over at him. “Why are you doing this?”
“It’s my fault you fell. The least I can do is make sure you’re okay. The last thing I want to do is wake up in the morning and find out something happened to you because of me.”
Why did he do this to me? The emotional whiplash was giving me more of a headache than the bump to the head. But it would make us both feel better to know everything was okay with me, plus the doctor would be able to discount the symptoms that, according to the internet, pointed to typhoid fever.
“I’ll get changed.” Standing, I took stock of how I felt, and it was more of the same. No dots, no lightheadedness or other issues. “Give me five minutes.”
Hunter nodded and watched me with an intensity that flickered against my skin. Concern. That’s all it was. Concern and nothing more. Who wanted to wake up with a dead woman in their apartment? Not Hunter.
I changed and waited by the front door.
He walked out after changing as well, with a small wrapped box under his arm.
“What’s that?”
“It’s for where we’re going.”
“You bring presents to your doctor?”
“Something like that.” He opened the door and motioned for me to head out.
Our trip to his car was uneventful, and the drive took much longer than I’d imagined for his doctor, especially now that I felt fine. My head was a little achy, but there hadn’t been any dizziness since we got to the apartment.
Maybe we should turn around now. No use wasting everyone’s time when I was perfectly fine. I’d embarrassed myself enough already today.
We pulled up to the curb of a residential street, and I peered out the window at the houses on either side of the road.
“There’s a doctor in here?” I laid the skepticism on nice and thick.
“There will be. I called a friend, and he said he’d stop by since today’s his day off.” He reached into the back seat and grabbed the blue-and-green wrapped box with the purple bow.
I leaned over in my seat and eyed the two-story house with painted shutters on the suburban street through Hunter’s window. My stomach knots were loosening after we’d driven through the part of town where my old apartment had been—the one I’d shared with Seth. But fifteen more minutes away from there, I felt like I could breathe again. A quick glance down the empty street smoothed out the last bits of my frayed nerves, and I had room to be curious about what we were doing here.
Cars were parked in driveways and along the curb in both directions, but it was quiet. Maybe my knock to the head had me more paranoid than usual.
It wasn’t like Seth and his wife would be wandering down the street hand in hand. I didn’t even know where he really lived. Who the hell knew, maybe this was his neighborhood. My palms got clammy. Irrationality was taking hold. I flung the car door open, not wanting to be out in the open like this anymore.
I rounded the front of the car. “Where is this?”
“Jameson’s mom’s house.”
“Why are we here? Is your friend Jameson a doctor?” I was pretty sure he worked at the event planning company with Hunter. The cars parked in front of this house were nicer than the rest along the street. A couple looked like one a doctor might drive, and one had a name I couldn’t even pronounce in my head.
The front door flew open. “Hunter! Hunter! Hunter!” A little girl dressed in a Captain America helmet, Black Panther top, and Hulk pants barreled down the front steps and took five strides before flinging herself into Hunter’s arms.
“We’re here because it’s this little munchkin’s birthday.” He turned to me with a sheepish grin.
He didn’t seem the type to have elementary school friends—although on a maturity level, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were on the same level.
“Happy birthday, Teresa.”
“Teresa! Do I have to put the chain on the front door?” Jameson stood on the steps outside the front door in dark-rimmed glasses, a fitted t-shirt and jeans. He was the one who looked like a brown-haired Clark Kent—all he was missing was the curl against his forehead. He was a bit like the tech guy in a movie who still went through the same training regimen as the action hero.
“I didn’t want Hunter to miss all the fun like last time.” There was a hint of chiding in her tone.
I liked this kid already.
“I told Jameson I’d be here. Not even Sabrina giving herself a concussion could’ve stopped me from being here this time.”
Well thanks for dragging me along. “I told him I was fine.” I mumbled under my breath like I needed to justify the situation to the little girl.
Jameson flung a towel over his shoulder. “We’ve already got the first batch of cakes in the oven, but there’s a lot more to do, so you’re here just in time. Nice to see you again, Sabrina.”
I flicked my wrist in a stiff wave and walked over to Hunter, who still had Teresa clinging to him. “We don’t have to do this now. I can take a taxi back. I don’t want to intrude.” Fighting tooth and nail, I kept my bottom lip from between my teeth. Plus, going back across the bridge meant less of a chance of running into Seth. The whole state felt like a no-go zone now.
Hunter stared at me over his shoulder. “You’re not. My doctor friend will be here in a little bit; then if you want, I can drive you to the apartment and come back for ‘Happy Birthday.’”
“No! You have to help. It’s what friends do. And it’s all I wanted for my birthday.” Teresa tightened her grip around Hunter’s neck.
My paranoia and issues with Hunter weren’t a justification for ruining Teresa’s birthday. I could tough it out for a couple hours. A checkup would stop my WebMD self-diagnosis wheels turning over the next week with every twinge or bit of light-headedness. Other than a brief visit not too long after I’d moved in, I didn’t know them at all. Maybe with more people around, those creeping feelings of wanting to strangle or kiss him would be smothered and we could move on from here and go back to ignoring one another.
“If it’s okay with the birthday girl, I’ll stay so you don’t miss any fun.”
Hunter bounced her in her arms. “What do you say, Teresa? Is it okay if she stays?”
She peered over his shoulder and stared at me.
I waved, feeling lamely nervous that this little girl in a Captain America helmet would serve up a thumbs-down and banish me back to the car. Hunter deserved a mind-game slow clap.
“Are you Hunter’s girlfriend?”
Not expecting that line of questioning, I laughed. More of a bark than an actual laugh, but I couldn’t keep a straight face. Laughter was better than letting the feelings I’d tramped down since getting changed in the apartment make all the doubts I had about myself come roaring back. “No, not even a little bit.”
Hunter’s body went rigid, and his gaze darted to mine with a flash of an unrecognizable emotion.
Teresa cocked her head to the side with her lips pressed together. “That’s what Zara said too.” Leaning in, she cupped her hands over Hunter’s ear while keeping her eyes on me.