“That’s right, I’m here and everything is fine. Aurora is sleeping peacefully,” I informed him.
“You don’t know how grateful I am for what you’re doing. How are you going to arrange things at your work?” he asked, concerned.
“Tomorrow is my day off, but in the morning I’ll call to let them know I need a few days of leave. When will you be returning?”
“In three days, as long as it doesn’t complicate things for you. Otherwise, I’ll let Xavier handle all the meetings and I’ll come back whenever you tell me to.”
“Don’t worry, come back the day you had planned to. I’ll call you if anything comes up.”
“Devon,” he said, and then paused as if waiting for me to say something.
“Yes?”
“Could you stop addressing me formally? Please,” he asked, and I was surprised by the big change in the way he requested things because he generally did it by ordering.
“Alright.”
“Thank you, Devon, for everything.”
“You have nothing to thank me for.”
“I hope you feel comfortable in my house,” he said, and it seemed to me that in his words there was a deep longing, which confused me.
“Actually, I don’t know which bedroom to use. I forgot to ask Alba. Can you tell me?”
“Use whichever one you want, you can even sleep in my bed if you like,” he remarked, and those simple words made my heart race at a frantic rhythm.
“Absolutely not. In fact, it’s so late that I can just stay on the living room sofa.”
“Of course not. Sleep in a bed so you can rest properly. My bedroom is at the end of the hallway, the other two are for guests. The staff bedrooms are in another part of the house. Use whichever one you want.”
“Alright, thank you,” I said, still flustered by his suggestion.
“I’m the one who should be thanking you. Really, thank you very much, Devon. I’m in your debt.”
“Not at all. For me, it’s a real pleasure to be able to spend time with Aurora,” I remarked, without a hint of falsehood in my words.
“I know, and I’m very sorry for having separated you from her. I was wrong, I’m sorry. Aurora has missed you a lot, when she wakes up and sees you she’ll be very happy,” he stated, and the warmth in his tone of voice surprised me again.
“I’m sure we’ll have fun,” I said, smiling as I imagined her little face when she saw me.
“I have no doubt. I wish I could be there with you both,” he maintained, which left me perplexed and I didn’t know what to say, so I remained silent and he added, “I’ll let you rest, good night, Devon, and thank you again for your help.”
“Good night.”
I ended the call and realized my hands were shaking. He always managed to alter my pulse in a way no one ever had before. For a few minutes I sat thinking about our conversation and the crazy idea crossed my mind that he had been flirting with me, but that was impossible because after our last conversation I had made it clear to him that I didn’t trust himfor a relationship and he had been offended. I shook my head. That man was going to drive me crazy. I got up and headed toward the bedroom area. I opened the door to the one across from Aurora’s. It was a very nice bedroom, decorated in subdued colors but with modern furniture, and it was evident that no one used it, so I decided I would stay there. I left Aurora’s bedroom door open and mine as well so I could hear her. I didn’t undress because I hadn’t brought any sleepwear, so I lay down on top of the comforter. It was an extremely comfortable bed and, within minutes, I fell asleep.
I was awakened by some light knocking on the door. When I turned and opened my eyes, I found Delia, the lady in charge of the kitchen. I had met her during previous visits and she had seemed like a very nice lady. Delia was a little over 60 years old and cooked wonderfully well.
“Good morning, doctor.”
“Good morning, Delia,” I greeted her, sitting up in bed.
“Excuse me for bothering you. I wanted to let you know that breakfast is ready. Alba told me you would be staying with us,” she said, with a big smile.
“Just for today. When Aurora is ready we’re going to go to my apartment.”
“I’m sorry, doctor, I had understood that you would be staying here,” she commented, surprised, and I assumed it was because of the fact that Cavaller was allowing Aurora to stay somewhere else.