Page 28 of Wildflower Hearts
Nodding, she flashed him another small smile. “You mentioned food. If you and Mark are hungry, I’m sure I can make you some sandwiches with chips.”He followed her into the kitchen. “Yeah, that sounds good. You forgot the rock star upstairs.”
“Oh, right, I didn’t mean to forget him,” Lyla muttered. She concentrated on gathering food from the pantry. “I’ll get started.”
Elias stretched again. “I’m going to go jump in the shower. I’ll see if he’s up. Maybe I can get his ass downstairs in one non-cranky piece.”
“Okay.”
He slipped out of the kitchen, and the room went silent while she retrieved plates from the cabinet. Debra appeared and retrieved ingredients she requested from the fridge. The sound of the hockey game floated into the kitchen, and she smiled at hearing Mark cuss as the other team scored. The sound of something hitting the television echoed into the room. Debra moved to stand beside her, opening the bread bag, but Lyla wasaware that the woman was concentrating on more than just the bag.
“You’ve done a lot for Noah.”
Accepting the slice of bread Debra handed her, she gripped the knife and dipped it into the jar of mustard on the counter. “Like I keep saying, it was my job.”
“He thinks highly of you, you know.”
“Who? Elias?”
Debra didn’t extend the next piece of bread right away. “No.” She thrust the slice of bread toward her. “This conversation is about you and Noah.”
She slathered the both pieces with mustard. “There is no me and Noah.”
“I see the way he looks at you. Last night, it was plain as day. You should have seen his face, the way he looked at you when you helped him from the couch. Wait,” she tapped at her chin, “you did see that.”
Lyla laid down the knife and turned to gaze at her. She exhaled at the look the woman was giving her, not one of hostility but one of sympathy. “Debra, please don’t tell Elias. Noah’s -”
“He’s in love with you.”
She leaned against the counter with a sigh. “I don’t know how this happened. I haven’t done anything to my knowledge that would make him feel that way.”
“Feel what way?” Mark leaned against the kitchen doorframe. He glanced between them. “What are you talking about?”
“The King of crankiness, Baby. Lyla’s upset because Noah has been rude to her lately.”
“He’s reacting to the medication,” Lyla fidgeted, “and I’m sure having your nurse follow you home and constantly hover is enough to make anyone irritated.”
“I reckon.” He sniffed at the air. “I don’t smell no ham cooking. I’m hungry.”
“You’re always hungry.”
“Only for you, Sweetie.”
With a laugh, Debra charged at him, jumping with a squeal, and he caught her, her legs going around his waist. Lyla kept her head down, busying herself with the sandwiches as the two disappeared. She heard them running up the stairs.
“Hey! Watch it, injured man coming through!”
She stiffened at hearing Elias’s voice, followed by the occasional grunts, heavy footsteps, and a shower of sarcastic insults. She lowered the knife and focused on replacing the cap on the mustard.
“You done with those sandwiches?”
She turned slowly, her eyes catching sight of Elias smiling in the doorway. Noah’s tall form lingered behind him. She weakly shot a smile back, her eyes catching Noah’s. He said nothing. After a moment, she cleared her throat and gestured at the counter. “I wasn’t sure what else besides mustard you might want on the bread.”
Noah shoved harmlessly past Elias with a limp, and she watched under her eyelashes. He dug through his coat hanging on the back of the chair and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Her mouth dropped open as she watched him stick one in his mouth. “What do you think you’re doing?” She shot her eyes at Elias. “You’re going to stand there and just let him start smoking again?”
“He’s a grown man, Tinkerbell. I can’t tell him what to do.”
Sighing, she slapped her hands on her hips and glared at Noah, her nervous anxiety replaced by disappointment. “You’ve gone two months without one!”
“You’re not my mother.”
