At the hair place while they waited their turn, Harrison and Makay talked about his work and her school, chatting as easily as if they’d known each other forever. Harrison felt a keen disappointment when she arose shortly after Nate was called to the chair. “Keep an eye on Nate, okay?” she said. “I’m going to check on Snoop. Make sure he’s not scaring people.”
“I’d come with you, but he scares me.”
She laughed. “You’ll get over it.”
This might just be it,
he thought as he watched her go.
Minutes passed and she didn’t return. Harrison occupied himself by flipping through a magazine.
What was taking her so long? Did she need help with the dog?
He stood up and walked casually toward the entrance. Looking through the huge windows, he saw her talking to a short, thin man with pointed features. She seemed angry, leaning toward him as she talked, her hands clenched at her sides. Nearby, Snoop was barking like crazy. The man said something to Makay in return, his lips twisting in a sneer. Harrison knew the type—the kind of man who preyed on the less fortunate. Strangely, his face was almost familiar, as though Harrison had seen him somewhere before. What did he have to do with Makay?
Whatever the connection, she definitely didn’t look like she was having a good time. He opened the door to ask if she needed help.
“So why are the dates the same? And the hospital? Did you put that in just to torture me? You’re sick, you know that?”
“You just need to do your job. That’s what I pay you for.”
The man’s response held Harrison in place in the doorway. Makay worked for the creep?
“No way! I’m not working for you ever again. Not unless you tell me the truth.”
Go girl!
Harrison thought. Maybe she didn’t need him after all.
“Well, you know the consequences of that.” The man gave a laugh. “Your choice.” With a final glare, he turned and strode down the walk.
“That’s right!” Makay called after him. “It’s my choice, and I’m making it!”
Harrison was about to move outside to talk to her, but Nate appeared behind him, his hair considerably shorter. “All done,” he said. “Where’s Makay? She needs to pay.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Harrison looked down the sidewalk at Makay as he pulled out his wallet. She was squatting next to Snoop, her dark hair falling forward to cover her face. Maybe she hadn’t been as in control of the situation as he’d first thought. Harrison could tell by the slump of her shoulders and the frantic way she ran her hands over the dog’s fur that the exchange with the man had impacted her greatly.
Letting the door close, he hurried to the counter and held out a bill to the woman there. “Keep the change.” In seconds, he was back outside, with Nate trailing close behind.
Makay looked up at them as they reached her side, her brown eyes luminous. “You okay?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. I feel a little dizzy.”
Not exactly the response he’d expected. But it wasn’t as if she would ask him to swoop in and resolve all her problems. Lily had indicated that there were things Makay didn’t share easily, and this situation with the creep—whatever it was—was obviously one of those things. He’d have to gain her trust before he could do anything to help her.
Chapter Ten
H
arrison’s face seemed to wobble as he reached down and took her hand, but Makay suspected it was her vision. In the past hour, she’d started feeling increasingly ill. Seeing Lenny so unexpectedly had only made things worse. What had she thought? That he would tell her he’d finally found her birth mother?
Yes.
She shut her eyes. Even after so long, did she really think that finding either of her birth parents would solve her problems? The idea, once she thought it out, was ludicrous.
“You’re burning up.” Harrison rubbed a thumb across the back of her hand.
That was odd because she was shivering. Part of her wanted to lie down on the warm sidewalk and take a nap. “I’ll be okay,” she murmured. “I just need to rest a moment. Where do you want to go for lunch?”
“You’ll see.”
Makay sighed with relief. It scared her how much she liked this man. He was funny, intelligent, and she couldn’t remember ever being so attracted to anyone. He almost made her forget the many reasons she avoided getting physical.
“Can you get Snoop?” he asked Nate.
Makay tried to look around at her brother to make sure the haircut was short enough, but her neck felt too stiff. “I need to pay.”
“It’s taken care of.” Harrison led her to the car they’d left in front of the shop, the top down. After making sure Nate and Snoop were inside, he drove from the parking lot.
Makay felt her eyes droop. Why was it so cold? As if from far away she heard Nate say, “Aren’t we going to eat?”
“First we’re going to get your sister inside. She’s got a fever. Can you manage Snoop?”
“Where are we?” Makay asked.
“Home. You need to get into bed.”
Bed. It sounded so nice. Maybe she would even be warm. Yet fear sliced through her as she remembered a time as a teen when she’d had a fever and had awakened in the night to find her friend’s brother groping her. She reminded herself that she didn’t know Harrison well. As he guided her inside, she started to unzip the pocket of her sweatshirt where she kept her gun.
After two steps, Harrison picked her up and carried her the rest of the way to the apartment. Nate and Snoop followed, the dog growling impressively. He really seemed to hate Harrison. Was that a clue for her after all? They fumbled for keys and practically fell inside the apartment as the door opened.
Harrison laughed, a warm sound that penetrated her fear. “That’s one way to do it.”
“I can walk,” she said.
“I like carrying you.”
Maybe he’d put something in her food that morning. But no. She’d been feeling cold for days, and she hadn’t gotten enough rest for months. Staying up all night dancing and stewing about Lenny had been pure stupidity, if she was honest with herself. And while she was being truthful, having Harrison’s arms around her made her feel safe.
Harrison carried her to the bedroom and settled her on the mattress. Snoop was barking and growling. “I’ll put him on the balcony,” Nate said. He didn’t sound worried, and for that Makay was glad. Last year when she’d been sick, she’d been in bed with a fever for four days, and Nate had survived by opening canned food and watching TV. They’d both been afraid.
“I’m just tired,” she said to no one in particular.
“No, you’re sick.” Harrison sounded sympathetic and not annoyed. He looked so sexy and caring and she felt bad that she just wanted him to leave her alone so she could die in peace.
He pulled a blanket over her. “You still cold?”
“Yeah.”
He left the room and returned to pile more blankets on her. Makay felt herself drift into blessed warmth and oblivion. Not even dreams dared to disturb her sleep, though she was vaguely aware of someone making her drink water and of Nate’s excited voice.
At some point her fever broke, and she pushed off blankets that felt suddenly hot. The room was completely dark as she drifted back to sleep. Then the fever returned and she awoke again, feeling cold. She looked around for Nate and, not seeing him, sat up too quickly. Her head spun.
“Nate?” she called.
No answer.
Pulling herself from the bed, she made her way to the bedroom door. “Nate?” she called again. It was obviously some time during the night, so where was he?
I left him with a stranger.
Her stomach heaved as she staggered down the hall, her hands on the walls for support. “Nate?” A note of panic in her voice now. Where had Harrison taken him? How could she have been so stupid? She should never have let the man inside her apartment no matter how he made her feel. Nate had to come first. He always came first. If she didn’t protect him, there was no one else to do the job. Her heart pounded erratically.
She came into the living room and saw them, man and boy, asleep on the couch, the television frozen on a DVD screen showing
Play
and
Extras
options. Harrison slumped over one padded arm of the couch—the side without the broken springs—while Nate lay with his feet sticking off, his torso and head resting against Harrison’s side. They looked as if they’d been watching a video and had dozed off. Snoop was nowhere to be seen, and she suspected he was still out on the balcony.
Biting back tears made of both relief and nostalgia, Makay walked unsteadily to the couch and collapsed on Nate’s other side, pulling him toward her in a fierce hug. He stirred and settled himself against her as they sank deep into the broken side of the couch. She lay her head on the arm, arranging Nate beside her and pulling up her legs onto the middle cushion where Nate had previously been. That left poor Harrison still crowded by her feet at the far end, but she was too dizzy to worry about that now. Feeling the weight of Nate on her arm made everything right again.
When she next awoke, the room was light and her head clear. She felt weak and fragile, yet so much better than she had before that the difference was pure relief. Nate was still curled up next to her, sleeping soundly. The slant of light through her living room blinds told her it was late morning, and her growling stomach confirmed the guess. A delicious aroma wafted through the air, and for a moment she didn’t move, breathing it in. Maybe one of her neighbors was having a breakfast barbecue. She’d make Nate something nice today, too. Kissing his head, she smiled and pushed her feet to the end of the couch.
Wait. Something was missing. A reason why stretching out her legs spread alarm.
Harrison!
He’d been there when she’d fallen asleep. Where was he now? She looked around and found Nate’s twin mattress on the floor, topped by a blanket. She had two blankets on her and someone had obviously put that pillow under her neck. A good thing or she might be in more pain than she was last night—or at least her neck would be.
Something clattered in her kitchen.
He’s still here.
She twisted her head to see, and sure enough, Harrison stood with a black spatula in his hand, frowning at the stove that was out of her sight. Sliding her arm out from under Nate, she sat up, moving her legs under Nate’s so his were curled on her lap. The motion alerted Harrison and he set down the spatula and came over.
“How do you feel?”
“Good, actually. Sorry for zonking out on you last night.”
He laughed. “Oh, Nate and I had a great time. Well, once we kicked Snoop out onto the balcony. He’s been whining to get back in for hours, but I haven’t dared to let him. I’m sorry to say that he still hates me. I hope that’s not a deal breaker.”
“He’ll come around.”
Harrison bent over, and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her. Not a good idea with how dirty her teeth felt right then. Her mouth probably reeked. Instead, his hand went to her forehead. “Looks like the fever’s all gone. We were a little worried last night.”
“Must have been a twenty-four hour thing. I hope you don’t get it.” She colored when she realized exactly how much personal space they’d been sharing while she was coming down with whatever it was.
Harrison shook his head. “I never get sick. Or rarely anyway.” He grinned and added, “But if I do, it was worth every second.” This time he did kiss her, a quick thing that sped up her heartbeat but was over before she knew it. He started back for the kitchen, while she headed for the bathroom to scrub a quick toothbrush over her teeth.
“I hope you don’t mind that I made myself at home,” he said when she emerged. “Do you like omelets? What about apple crisp? I’ve got a pan in the oven. You know, you have more cans of the oddest foods on hand than I have ever seen together in one place.”
Ah, that meant he’d seen her stash. “I shop for a few people in the building,” she said, deciding not to mention couponing, and hoping he hadn’t stumbled onto her coupon files. “Helps pay the bills.”
As she returned to the living room to check on Nate, her eyes fell on Lenny’s manila folder still on the coffee table. Great. She hadn’t meant to leave that out where any visitor might find it, but she hadn’t exactly been herself yesterday. Had Harrison opened it? And what if he had? All it had was a background, description, and adoption records. They could very well be her own, for all he knew. That’s exactly what she’d tell him if he asked—that she was researching her adoption.
The same dates and the same hospital.
Her conversation with Lenny yesterday came back with a vengeance. He had denied any connection of the folder to her placement, but there had been something off about him. And how had he come to be outside the hairdresser’s anyway? It was almost as if he was following her.
Maybe to make sure I do what he wants.
Well, she had that recording of him in the gym parking lot, and she was going to uncover more information. Once she did, she’d make him tell her about the matching dates. Maybe she wouldn’t even have to finish this last job.
“So do you like it?” Harrison asked, coming toward her with two plates.
Like what? Her mind had gone so far ahead, that she had to concentrate to remember what they’d been discussing. “Yeah, I love apple crisp. In fact, I pretty much eat anything.”
“Except syrup.”
“Right.”
“Well, eating food and enjoying it are two different things.” He sat down on Nate’s mattress and extended a plate to her. “I made a decision years ago not to waste time eating anything I didn’t love.”
The statement seemed so far out of her realm that for a moment Makay couldn’t digest it. How could she respond to a statement like that? To her, eating meant sustenance and she’d survived many years on food she didn’t really like. His comment hurt far more deeply than she would have thought possible.
“Here,” he said, extending the plate of omelet a little farther.
She sat across from him on the other side of the mattress, but she didn’t take the plate.
“Did I say something wrong?” He put down both plates on the floor next to the mattress.
Part of her wanted to hurt him back, but the other part wanted to weep in his arms.
It’s just because I’ve been sick,
she thought. But it wasn’t the weakness that made her feel like lashing out. Despite the comment, she still liked this man—a whole lot, and it wasn’t his fault that he had no clue where she’d come from. She stared at the plate, her appetite suddenly vanished.