Page 110 of His White Moonlight
“Yeah.Is that why you went shopping?”
“This is for you.Heard you’re having dinner with your grandma and thought you might not want to go smelling like anger, frustration, and…” She leaned in and sniffed.“Grief?Did you drop your ice cream cone while at the park?”
I grinned at her, finding her question more funny than antagonistic.She surprised me by almost smiling back.
“How much do I owe you?”I asked.
“You don’t.”
She held up Bennett’s credit card and arched a brow at me.
I shrugged.“Mom said he owes me for being an ass and to think of him as a wallet with legs.”
“Well, that’s a picture I won’t forget,” she said, glancing at Bennett, who was now standing in the doorway to his office.
“Mom didn’t say I was being an ass.”
“It was inferred.”
He let out a long breath that screamed barely checked patience, then said, “You can use my bathroom to shower and change.I can drop you off at the restaurant after.”
“Restaurant?”I asked even as I picked up my phone to check for a message.
Grandma: You know I hate texting.I’ll meet you at Rexbies Pub at 6.
“What’s Rexbies?”I asked, looking up at Bennett.
“A bar that serves burgers and sandwiches.”
“It’s better than the hot dog you ate for lunch, but only barely,” Miranda said.
I took the bag of clothes and peeked at what she’d bought.Jean shorts and a T-shirt.Even underwear and a bra.I didn’t see a single tag on anything, though.I wasn’t above borrowed clothes, but I did find it odd that Miranda would be willing to lend something to me, especially jean shorts.Those didn’t seem to be her style.
Confused, I looked up at her.
“Don’t worry, it’s all clean.I dropped it at an express wash after buying it.”
“Ah.Got it.Thanks.”
“I’m getting paid to shop.It’s not a hardship.”She passed Bennett’s card to him without a hint of flirting, nodded to me, and walked away.
I glanced at Bennett and found him watching me.The look in his eyes wasn’t frustrated or desperate.It looked almost tender.My stomach did a weird dip that made my heart skip a beat.It felt like panic…but not.
He inhaled slowly, and that odd feeling grew.
“I’ll hurry,” I said, darting past him.
I locked the bathroom door and breathed a little easier as I turned to the glass-paneled shower.The first time I’d noted it, while searching for cleaning supplies, I’d rolled my eyes.Now, I appreciated being able to wash away the smell of my lunch run and change into something soft and clean.
Tying up my hair, I took a quick shower then changed into the new clothes.The waterlogged bandages on my hands were falling off by the time I finished.I removed them and frowned at the scrapes, knowing I couldn’t leave them uncovered.
A quick search through the cabinets for replacement bandages yielded nothing.
Bennett knocked on the door.
“I have the first aid kit out here.”
Making a face, I debated what to do.I did not want Bennett playing doctor again.That was too much touching.
