Page 56 of The Pretenders of Copper County
“I did.” He leaned a shoulder against the doorframe and scowled. “Four hours ago. Four fucking hours for a trip to the hardware store and the pharmacy.”
“Did something happen?”
“Yeah.Youhappened.”
“M-me?” I glanced around the room, searching for a clue about what I’d done this time. “I’ve been here. Sleeping.”
“I know.” Reed kicked off his shoes, flopped sideways across the foot of the bed, and blew out a breath. Then he turned, propping himself up on one elbow, and pressed a hand to my forehead. “How are you feeling? Seems like your fever broke, and you sound better.”
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “Totally cured.” My voice cracked on the last word. “Or nearly cured, anyway.”
“Good.” He flopped back down. “I’m sure your fan club will be glad to hear it.”
“Fan club?” I leaned forward to peer down at him. “I don’t get it.”
“When I got to town, I started out at the hardware store.” His green eyes fixed on the ceiling. “That was my first mistake.”
I frowned. “But Hen’s so friendly.”
“He is,” Reed agreed. “He asked me where my better half was, and I told him you’d caught a cold. He and allthe old guys who hang out there already knew what happened at the lake yesterday. I guess Mary-Kate Jefferson is Hen’s niece.”
“Is she? I didn’t know that.”
“IwishI didn’t know that.” Reed sounded aggrieved. “Once Hen heard you were sick, he was so concerned he was ready to drive out here and give you last rites until I convinced him you were okay.”
“Aww.” I’d only met Hen twice, but I’d gotten the impression that he was a very kind man.
“No, Chris. Notaww.” Reed shifted his eyes to look at me. “Because once I’d finally finished there—after spending forty minutes on a five-minute errand—I went to Hardison’s Drug Store and got accosted by Doug Hardison and a couple of other people. Someone from the hardware store must’ve fucking run down the street to share the news because everyonetherebelieved my husband had pneumonia after his heroic plunge into deep water?—”
“Heroic plunge?” I wrinkled my nose. “Me?”
“Exactly what I said. But I guess Vega got a splinter on the dock, so her uncle came by the pharmacy for ointment and told Doug Hardison about the incident at the lake, and then he told all his customers.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah,oh. One lady complained that Abe Wrigley should never have dug out the bottom of the lake because it was a drowning hazard. Another said she could tell from looking at you that you were delicate, and was Isureyou shouldn’t be in the hospital? Like I don’t know how to take care of my own husband, for fuck’s sake.” He pursed his lips and shook his head. “Doug Hardison sent you a box of chocolates, and his wife sent along some magazines for you. She wanted me to tell you there’s a whole article on charcuterieboards in one of them, which she thought you’d enjoy since she heard you’re a charcuterie specialist, and the other has ideas for turning your garden shed into a rustic retreat, which she thought would help with your renovation plans for the cabins.” He raised an eyebrow. “Which was news to me since I thought we had no renovation budget and were just making them habitable.”
“Well, yessss,” I allowed. “But Watt said they can’t rent them as they are, right? And they won’t have money to renovate until they’re rented? So I was thinking… what if we made a little effort to get a couple of them really pretty and maybe also get a couple of the RV parking sites cleaned up? We could attract peoplenow, and then everyone would be…” I coughed. “Better off.”
“Sure. Because what we need is more people around. Because it wasn’t enough that when I finally managed to get away from the drugstore and headed back to the car, that huge guy you met the other day stuck his head out of the bakery, all ‘Mr. Sunday? We heard Chris got asevere lung infectionfrom hiscatastrophic plummetinto the lake. Is he gonna be okay? Should we send flowers? Should we start ameal trainfor him?’” Reed shot me another dark look. “If only you’d been there to assure everyone you never, ever get sick.”
I pressed my lips together but couldn’t help the snicker that escaped.
“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. While I was talking to him and assuring him that my husband’s titanium immune system was handling the infection,hishusband brought out a big box of cupcakes for you?—”
“Maple bacon?” I breathed.
Reed’s eyes softened. “Yeah, baby.Maple bacon.”
I manfully restrained a squeal that was half about the cupcake and half about the endearment. “Yay.”
He snorted. “Andthenwhile I was standing there trying to juggle the cupcakes and the shit from the drugstore, the guy at the flower store came out and gave me a giant-ass purple plant for you—which, let me tell you right now, is staying on the porch, because there isn’t room in this cabin for all three of us.”
My breath caught. “Oh my gosh! Micah is so sweet. I am making him thebestunicorn charcuterie board.”
“Andthenwhile I was trying to wrestle the plant into the car, the lady at the grocery store brought out some soup for you?—”
“No way! Oh.” I pressed both hands to my chest. “Reed, this sickness is the loveliest thing that’s ever happened to me.Ever.”
