Page 41 of Hollywood Undercover
“ButDad—”
“Yes, honey. I get it. You were worried. I’m betternow.”
He held up his hands, inhaling deeply. Alexandra pulled the mask over his face again, and anxiously gave him a minute to catch his breath. He had used up too much energy trying to have this conversation with her. This was the most he had spoken since he came home, and he was wasting his time and energy. There was nothing Dad could tell her—she wasn’t leaving the house while he was stillsick.
She had to be a peacemaker right now. The stubborn man wasn’t going to stop. He pulled off the mask again. This time she didn’t say a word, trying to appear patient. She listened so he wouldn’t have to talk over her, or for toolong.
“You were never this clingy, kiddo,” he continued. “And I don’t want you to start thatnow.”
She nodded, conceding fornow.
“I’m fine, Alex. I’m well. There’s got to be something you can do other than dote onme.”
“Don’t worry, Dad. I haven’t been a complete hermit. Your neighbor Bash has been goodcompany.”
“Has he now?” There was a twinkle in his eye, and a quizzical twitch to his lips that she didn’t want toacknowledge.
“In fact…” she said slowly, making up her mind as she spoke, “he invited me to hang out with him this weekend. I might actually go, if it will make you feel better. I can’t say I like the idea, but the nurse will be here. Just know that if I go, it’s because you’re forcing meto.”
She gave him her best indignantsmirk.
“And how does the country singer feel aboutit?”
Shegrimaced.
Wilkes.
The cheatingbastard.
Her father wouldn’t have known a thing about their breakup. Not in the mood to rehash the sordid details, she simply told him, “It’s nothing romantic. Bash and I are just friends…and Wilkes is out of thepicture.”
Accepting her ambiguous response, her father’s eyes fluttered shut. He was all talked out. She took that as her cue to end the conversation. She put the oxygen mask on his face again, kissed his cheek and slipped out without saying another word. He needed to get some rest. Before she even made it to the threshold, she heard him snoring gently. She looked back at him with a satisfied smile, happy to finally have her father back. Soon he would be healthier and back to his old self. She couldn’t wait for Rosa to get back and see forherself.
Of course, now that she had Dad’s go ahead—insistence actually—she would tell Bash yes. She was still hesitant about a night of speed dating, though. She was agreeing to introduce herself to women, for starters, going as ‘Alex’, which was worse, and would probably end up eyeing Bash the whole time. She convinced herself that at least she wasn’t telling him no at the lastminute.
She stopped in the middle of the hallway past the diningroom.
Looks like I have adate.
Kindof.
* * *
What woulda guy wear if he didn’t want to be noticed, but didn’t want to look like he didn’t want to benoticed?
Alexandra tapped her chin with her forefinger, arms crossed. She was figuring out what to wear on speed date night. What she really wanted to do was speed date Bash one-on-one.
Too bad that couldn’thappen.
She began to anticipate all types of new hurdlesahead.
Shit. I’ll be watching other women throw themselves at Bash…and possibly at metoo.
Felicia’s not-so-subtle advances came to mind, and sheshivered.
She had no clue about how speed dating actually worked. She had only seen it in the movies, and they always made it look like the worst, most desperate thing a person could do with their love life. It was strange that such a sizzling hot firefighter like Bash Sullivan had to take such lengths to pick up women. He had said his coworkers set him up. She couldn’t picture Evangeline doing something like that to her. Then again, maybe she could…but just forlaughs.
