Page 85 of The Catch

He turned in her direction, and his eyes traveled the length of her, quickly as if it were a habit his brain had forgotten to quit with all of the rest. Like loving her, touching her, looking her in the eye.

“I think my fever’s down.”

“That’s good. Hopefully, it will keep going down. Did you take your medication?”

He held out the hand that had been by his side, opening his fist to reveal two oblong tablets. Cat crossed the room to get a glass for him. She tipped her head toward the breakfast bar, and he padded over to it, taking a seat on the stool and leaned his elbows on the counter. She poured him a glass of orange juice and another of water and set them both in front of him. He used the O.J. to take the pills.

“Please let me make you some food,” she tried again. He was in a little bit of a better mood than he was the night before. “You need some energy.”

“I can’t really think of anything that sounds appealing right now.”

“Still…”

“All right. I’ll have some toast.” He started to get up, but she rolled her eyes at him as she moved to the toaster, and he sat back down.

“Is Dylan around to go get your car?” She hadn’t thought of a way around that yet. At the very least, she could feel out how eager he was to get rid of her.

“He’s out of town until tomorrow.”

That news made her happier than it should have. He didn’t seem well enough for her to leave yet, and maybe it wasn’t the smartest decision emotionally, but she wanted to stay. She’d promised him she wouldn’t get the wrong idea about what she was doing there, but not-so-deep down she was hoping for a second chance. A way to prove to him how much she loved him despite her failure. Her father had told her there were different ways to show love, and maybe this was hers.

This had been a learning curve for her from the start, a lesson in taking things as they come and letting her heart tell her how to act and what to do. She’d failed miserably, but now she had a specific action plan for how to show him how much she cared, and she loved a good to-do list.

The toast popped up, and she spread a thick layer of butter on it just like he liked, plating it and sliding it across the breakfast bar.

“You don’t have a lot of food here,” she said. She’d gone through and taken inventory after he’d gone to bed the night before. “I’ll go to the store and get some soup. Maybe some stuff to make dinner if you feel like eating by then.”

Josh kept his eyes on his plate as he took a small bite, and she couldn’t tell if he was pleased with her offer. She could hear him wheezing from across the kitchen, though, so she wasn’t taking no for an answer.

They talked for a short time while he ate—stilted, overly formal conversation that made her feel even more awkward than the silence. Except when she’d made another dig at his coffee maker. “I couldn’t live like this,” she’d said before she’d realized how that sounded, what she would give to live like this.

He’d laughed though, light enough to not cause himself any pain, but it had been a laugh. She scooped up the sound and put it in her pocket for safekeeping, not knowing if it would be the last time she would hear it.

When he’d finished his toast and headed back to his room, she made a grocery list of all of the things she thought he might need, whether she was there or not. An hour later, Josh still behind his bedroom door, she wrote a quick note explaining where she’d gone and headed to the local grocery store. It was a short drive, but it gave her time to call Dani through her Bluetooth and tell her where she was. It was Saturday, and she’d made a loose promise to spend the evening with her and Sonya. She’d never intended to follow through with it, but she still needed to break the news.

“So, you stayed the night?” Dani asked after she’d relayed the story of Josh’s hospital visit.

“I slept in the guest room.”

“Oh.” She was silent for a moment. “But how was it this morning? Did you guys talk?”

“We… chatted. I wouldn’t say we talked.”

“Oh, Cat. Are you sure you’re up for putting yourself through this?”

“He needs me.”

“He needs someone. It doesn’t have to be you.”

“I want it to be me.”

“I know.” Dani’s voice turned soft, tentative. “I’m just worried it’s too much. It might not go the way you want it to.”

“I love him, Dani, and he’s sick. No matter how it works out, I want to be there.”

“You can’t just stay at his house and not talk about things between you two. You’ll drive yourself crazy.”

“I don’t know what else there is to say.” Cat caught the choke that was trying to worm its way into her voice, and cast it aside. She’d already made her decision. She was staying, no matter the price.

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