Page 41 of Breathless
He was back in under ten minutes, his hair damp from being towel dried. But he was clean, and his clothes were fresh. And she was taking the bread out of the oven as he came back down the stairs.
Their plates were waiting for them on the table, and he waited for her to join him there before they sat together.
“What brought all of this about?” he asked.
“Boredom and the Food Network. I knew about it but had never watched it. I actually made tonight’s dinner from items you purchased after watching several episodes. Not from those skillet meals.”
“Should I be afraid?” he teased, with a grin on his face.
“I’ve taste tested it and I think it tastes pretty darn good,” she said. “Bon appétit.”
He took a tentative bite and chewed slowly before reaching for another one. “It does taste good. You did great,” he said.
“Thank you,” she said. “I brought my laptop into the kitchen, set it on the island and watched the video as I prepared the meal, watching the parts over I needed as I went.”
“That’s how you learn,” he agreed.
He told her about his day as they finished the meal and how the Montana guys wished they’d had the opportunity to have met her. She told him about her visit from Broderick and how she talked to her advisor about classes.
“It sounds like you’ve had a productive day. Are you okay with how things turned out with Broderick?” He inquired.
“Not sure. I guess I’ll wait and see where it leads.
“Since you cooked, I’ll clean up. Go rest,” he said.
“But you worked,” she protested.
“And you are recovering from minor surgery. I think you’ve been on your feet more than enough today,” he said. “Besides, we have your appointment with Dr. Saunders tomorrow don’t forget.”
“I haven’t. You are still going with me, right? If not, I need to call Broderick and let him know he needs to take me,” she said.
“I’m off to take you.” He pushed away from the table and started clearing the dishes.
Chaney stood and went to the sofa, sitting with her back leaning against one armrest so she could stretch her legs out and watch him work. It didn’t take him long to have the kitchen cleaned up and then he came to sit with her. She switched positions, putting her feet back on the floor.
“Okay,” Rawlins said. “It’s time to have a talk about this morning, when I left. I didn’t like leaving you angry at me because I wouldn’t let you go to the shelter. Are we good now?”
“We are. I was angry then, but you were right, I didn’t need to go,” she said. “If I’d gone, I wouldn’t have been here when Broderick came. I wouldn’t have contacted my advisor. I couldn’t have spent time learning to make dinner.” She looked at him sheepishly for a moment. “Or taking a nap.”
He chuckled. “I think you’ve enjoyed sleeping lately.”
“It has been the only good thing to come out of being stabbed.” She covered her mouth and yawned. “See I am still tired. It must be from taking those pain pills when I didn’t need them.”
“Or your body needs the rest still. Come on, we’ll turn in even though it is early. I’m sure we can both use the sleep.”
CHAPTER 10
Chaney feltgiddy as she got ready to go see Dr. Saunders. There was so much she had to talk about today because so much had happened in the last week. She didn’t know if she could fit it all into an hour session. After getting ready, she sat down and tried to jot down the most important things she should talk about with Dr. Saunders. But she also knew that her therapist would guide the discussion and they may not even get to most of it this week.
Finally, she tucked the piece of paper in her jeans pocket and finished brushing her hair, before going downstairs. Rawlins was waiting for her, and they left.
“You’re quiet this morning,” he said as he drove.
“Lots on my mind,” she replied.
He turned on the radio. “Maybe a little music will help distract you.”
She laid her hand on his and squeezed. “Thanks for the thought.”
