Page 88 of The Woman in the Hollow
“Is everything okay? Is everyone okay?”
That new certainty in my gut intensified.
“Yeah. Yeah, everyone is fine. We’re still doing some… figuring shit out, is all.”
“Is there anything I can help with?”
“You could grab me a cup of coffee while I get to work on breakfast.”
She rolled her eyes at me.
“I meant about the whole… situation. But I will get you coffee,” she said, already moving toward the coffee machine.
“I was just telling Dom we might head over to the garden center tonight. If you’re comfortable with that. If not, that’s not a problem. I can drop you off with my mom and brother’s family.”
“Why would it be a problem? I was planning to, you know, go to work.”
“You’re not going to work,” I scoffed.
“Why not?”
“Babe, you were attacked.”
“Yeah, but there is still work to do.”
“There are other people there to do the shit that needs to get done.”
“Half-ass it, maybe,” she said, shaking her head.
My lips curved up at that. “Half-assed is just going to have to do.”
“Absolutely not.”
I liked how much she saw the garden center as hers. That she cared about it as much as I did. Maybe more.
“Okay. You can do some bossing around when we go, but it won’t be until later. I trust the staff you’ve trained. They can manage without you for this afternoon.”
“Fiiiine,” she agreed, sipping her coffee. “So what are you making?”
“Omelets, if that sounds good to you.”
“Sounds perfect. Let me do something.”
“Absolutely,” I agreed, taking her cup from her hands, putting it down, then reaching for her hips and hopping her up onto the counter. I handed her back her mug. “Keep me company,” I said, loving how she flushed pink.
“I can do that,” she agreed.
“How’re you feeling? We forgot to dress your hands last night.”
“I think they needed to breathe.” She tucked her mug between her legs to flash her palms at me. “See? Getting better.”
They were. They were red and angry but looked to have sealed over, at least.
“Good accident then,” I agreed.
“I should be the one cooking. You cooked and cleaned yesterday.”
“And yet, I will be doing the cooking.”
