Page 46 of Wedding Season
He heard shuffling from inside and somehow sensed her standing on the other side of the doorway. It was a tingle along the back of his neck, the way his heart always beat a little faster when she was close. “I know you’re in there. I can feel your nervous energy.”
The door opened, and she glared at him. “My energy isn’t nervous. It’s annoying because you’re here and bothering me so now you can leave.”
“You look like hell,” he said and her eyes widened slightly. It wasn’t true. He wanted to get a rise out of her. Mariella could spend two weeks camping in the wild with no shower, and she’d still walk out of the woods beautiful.
But the past forty-eight hours had taken a toll on her. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her hair fell in tangled waves over her shoulders. There was a crumb stuck to the edge of her mouth that his fingers itched to flick away.
“Have you been crying?” he asked gently.
“Of course not. Crying is for wimps.”
“Have you left the house since dropping off Heather?”
“I’m taking a mental health day or two.”
“How’s that working for your mental health?”
“Did you come here for the sole purpose of giving me grief because if so you can—”
He held up the brown paper bag he was carrying. “I brought dinner.”
“I have food,” she said with a sniff.
“Not Angi’s chicken pesto ravioli. She included an order of cheesy garlic knots and an extra-large slice of tiramisu.”
Mariella perked up. “I guess since you’re here, you might as well come in.”
Alex resisted the urge to smile. That would just put her on edge again. But he wanted to grin like a fool. Mariella was funny when she turned prickly. He almost liked her better this way. Now he’d seen her soft side, the vulnerability she didn’t let show very often. It made him feel too tender and exposed. Snarky banter he could handle.
As if to confirm his opinion, she closed the door behind him and asked, “How’s Heather?”
“She’s doing better. She seems to be adjusting to the cast and the pain isn’t as bad as it was. She’s all the talk around the office. That accident has made her famous at the Fit Collective.”
“What are you talking about?” Mariella demanded as she followed him into the kitchen. “Is somebody being mean to her or hazing her for what happened? Because people fall and get hurt rock climbing all the time. That could have happened to anyone and if they—”
He placed a finger against her mouth to silence her. He enjoyed the touch far too much and quickly pulled away his hand. “No need to bring out the mama bear,” he told her. “She’s dealing with the accident like a trooper, which is making her a bit of a water-cooler legend. She’s gone from falling a few feet to nearly toppling down the side of the mountain and getting up without complaint despite the severity of her injuries. Our summer intern is half in love with her at this point.”
Mariella frowned. “She’s too young to date. You should have a policy against fraternizing among your staff. Dating can wait until she gets to campus.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, although the dating part isn’t any of my business.”
He placed the bag of food on the counter and Mariella stepped closer to him. The kitchen, decorated in a charming farmhouse style with stone countertops, painted cabinets and stainless-steel appliances, was littered with dirty dishes and half-eaten bags of chips and cookies.
“You’re really taking this laying low seriously,” he told her.
“I promised Heather. Have you met her parents?”
He nodded. “They’re nice people who clearly adore her. She has a great family, Mariella. Her dad went back this morning, but her mom is staying through the weekend. I think she’s happy for an excuse to fuss over her daughter. The way they make it sound, she’s always been fiercely independent and self-sufficient.”
“Which probably comes from being abandoned as a baby. My fault.”
Mariella’s voice sounded hollow, and he wanted to pull her close. Instead, he took the containers out of the carryout bag to keep busy. “Self-sufficient isn’t a bad thing. And you didn’t abandon her. You put her up for adoption and she was chosen by a great family.”
“It’s what I wanted for her.”
“Are you going to hide out in your house until the weekend?”
“The plan was to lay low for a couple of days. If her mom is now staying until the weekend, then I’m keeping the curtains drawn.”
