Page 77 of The Woman in the Hollow
“Yes, no. I don’t know. It feels weird not being there.”
“It’s not forever. And you’re getting paid.”
“That doesn’t seem right.”
“No? After what happened to you?”
“You make a good point,” I decided.
“Think I actually owe you hazard pay.”
“Are the guests going to be safe?”
“The place is teeming with soldiers now,” he said, shrugging. “Nothing is going down there that isn’t supposed to. You don’t have to worry about that place right now. You need to focus on recovering.”
“I’m notthathurt.”
“You’re barely staying on your feet right now.”
That was annoyingly astute.
“That’s my own fault.”
“How the fuck is any of this your fault?”
“For not exercising as regularly as I was raised to.”
“As someone who is a bit of an exercise junkie, think the way your family approaches fitness is fucked.”
“Because it’s not about fitness,” I said. “It’s about aesthetics.”
“Exactly.”
“You’re not into your aesthetics?” I asked, gaze tracking down him.
“Not gonna say I don’t like being bulky. It’s good to be strong. Especially in my life. Besides, the more muscle you have, the more fat it burns. So I can stuff my face and not have to worry about gaining weight like I did as a teen.”
“That’s a good point. And with that much pasta, I’m starting to regret not hitting the weight bench for the past few years.”
“Your job is active,” he said, shrugging off my worries. “Working out doesn’t have to be in a gym, strapped to a treadmill for an hour.”
“True,” I agreed. “So, uh, how long do you think everyone is going to be on lockdown?”
“Hard to say until someone figures out who the bastard was who attacked you. But we’re pretty good at figuring things out fast. If for no other reason than our moms and sisters are on our asses day and night about their lives being upturned.”
“Are you worried about them?”
“I’m more worried about you.”
They were simple words, understandable ones, considering I’d just been attacked, but they still managed to make my belly swoop.
“Well, I seem to be pretty safe here.”
“I’ll make sure of it.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Hazel
