Page 22 of Two Risks I'd Never Take Again

Instead of texting her back, I called. The shower was still going, so I figured I’d have a few minutes of privacy.

Delaney answered right away. “Hey there. Talk to me.”

“I need to get back to making the dough in a few minutes, but I thought I’d call. I’m good.”

“Dough? Are you making doughnuts?”

“Garrett likes the praline pecan kind.” And now I was making his favorite things. Every time I talked to Delaney, it started to sound more like Garrett and I were dating.

“And you aren’t good. I can tell that from your voice. What’s wrong?”

“He’s sweet and kind and... warm.” I closed my eyes, falling right back into the dream. “He’s so many things I wish I’d waited for the first time I gave my heart away. But I can’t do it again. I was a complete mess. It wasn’t pretty.” I’d said way more to her than I’d intended.

“You graciously pointed out my flaws when I needed to hear the truth, so take this advice in that same vein. You aren’t the same person who was engaged to Skeeter. And giving Garrett atinychance doesn’t mean you are headed down the same path as before.”

“I’m not sure I’m capable of giving him atinychance. I either need to toss my heart in the deep freeze to keep it protected or lay it out to be butchered. Those are the choices.” I also hadn’t told Delaney everything, and I wasn’t about to change that now.

“That is the worst imagery for love I’ve ever heard.”

“No one saidanythingabout love.” The door opened at the end of the hall. “Gotta go.” I smiled at the bubbles in the mixing bowl, hoping Garrett wouldn’t notice how flustered I was. “That was a quick shower.”

Water droplets clung to Garrett’s brown hair. A few fell onto his chest and cut a path downward across his bruised abs. After watching two drops race toward his waistband, I went back to mixing ingredients.

“I didn’t want you to worry about me and forget the deal. Especially after I dropped the shampoo bottle.” He rested his folded arms on the counter. “I feel almost human.”

“I didn’t even hear it fall. I’m so sorry. Next time I’ll stay closer.”

“We’ll figure it out. What are you making?”

I turned on the mixer and let it go for a minute before adding the rest of the flour. “Your favorite. They won’t be ready for a while. The dough has to rise for more than an hour.”

“I can’t wait.”

“Remind me when we get out of the hot tub to rub that cream on your bruises. It will help them heal faster.” I pulled the bag of frozen peas out, wrapped it in a kitchen towel, and slid it across the counter. “Hold that against your face while I finish the dough.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He held it against his face. “Seeing myself in the mirror was a bit of a shock. I look pretty bad.”

“Just a few cuts and bruises. You’ll heal.” I liked his face even when it turned funny colors and looked like he’d been pumped full of air. “I can see your eyes now. That’s nice. The swelling went down pretty quick.”

“The guy never hit me directly in the eye, so they thought the swelling was from an allergy of some sort. Or insect bites. I laid in the grass for hours, so who knows?” He was talking more about the incident, but he still hadn’t told me everything.

“Well, it’s nice to see your eyes again.”

“If I tell you that I think you’re beautiful, will you quit talking to me?” He still had the frozen bag covering his face.

“Probably.”

“Then I won’t say it.” He set the bag down.

I motioned for him to pick up the bag. “It hasn’t been twenty minutes. Put it back on your face. It helps with the swelling.”

“You said the swelling had gone down.”

“On your eyes. But that spot on your cheek still looks bad.”

He complied with my wishes. “Did you study to be a nurse?”

“No. I just know how to search on Google. Speaking of which, the next time we order groceries, get pineapple or pineapple juice.” I transferred the dough to an oiled bowl and covered it with a towel. “I’m going to turn the heat up a little in the house. It will help the dough, and we won’t be so cold when we come back in from the hot tub.”

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