Message Received (16 page)

“No.  I mean yes.  But that’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

She rolled over and Brady could see she was
close to tears.  “My boss called.  If I’m not back at work within a week,
they’re going to fire me.”

He appeared taken aback.  “But they gave you the
time off.”

She sighed.  “I really didn’t
ask
for the
time off, but called in and told them I had a family emergency and had to take
some time off.”

“Did you tell your boss where you’re at?”

“Yes,” she answered in a wan tone.   “And she
probably thinks I’m on vacation.  I mean, I would, if someone told me they had
a family emergency, and then went off to sunny Florida.  Oh, shoot!” she
moaned.  “I’m going to be unemployed…”  She began crying.

Brady put the bag of food on the bedside table
and sat down beside her.  “Hey, try not to worry.  Maybe the doc will release
you and we’ll make it back in time.”

She gave a sad shake of her head.  “He won’t
release me.”

“He won’t?”

“Probably not.  It usually takes a couple
courses of antibiotics for these darned infections to go away.”

“Oh, wow,” he said.  “That could be a problem.”

“Yeah, I may as well consider myself out of
work,” she said, fighting back tears.

“Hey, that’s a defeatist attitude if ever I’ve
heard one.”

She sniffled.  “I’m a realist.”

To her surprise, he took her in his arms and
pulled her into a hug.  “Everything will be fine,” he soothed.  “We’ll just
have to get you well soon.  Let’s think positive.”

“I am,” she said from between trembling lips. 
“I’m positive I’m going to be fired.”

He squeezed her tight.  “Well, hey, you can
always work for me.”

***

Ike escorted Liz to her suite after a long day
of exploring the Bahamas.  “I’ll give you an hour to freshen up and then we’ll
get dinner,” he said.

“Ike, that was one of the most wonderful days of
my life,” she gushed.  “I’ve been to the Bahamas!” she added with a delighted
cry.  She fingered a shell necklace around her neck.  “And I just love my
necklace,” she said.

Ike chuckled and gave her a quick peck on the
cheek.  “I’ll see you in an hour.”

She dashed into her suite, but came to a stop
when she spied a lovely basket on a table near the door.  It featured two, pink
foiled, chocolate hearts, set within a wicker basket.  The hearts were set off
by lovely greenery.  A small card was tucked into the side.  She took it from
the basket and read aloud, “Sweets for my sweet.”

Liz clutched the card to her chest.  The basket
was such a sweet gesture.  Ike was the kindest, most attentive man she’d ever
met.  No one had ever shown her so much care and attention.

Her heart began to thud and she felt an
overwhelming feeling come over her.  It had been so long since she’d
experienced anything like it, it was a miracle she recognized it now.

Love
.  She loved Ike.

She stood silently, still holding the card, and
contemplating her epiphany.   Suddenly, she felt frightened.  She hadn’t had a
man in her life for so many years.

But then, a vacation together didn’t mean that a
relationship was in her future with Ike.  They’d been thrown together due to
circumstance.  They’d united to teach the kids a lesson.  She gave a withering
sigh.  Lord, she hoped
she
wasn’t about to get a lesson.  A lesson on
how to mend a broken heart.

***
 

“The grandparents will be back from their cruise
by late afternoon,” Brady told Amanda.

He was lying across his bed, dressed in shorts,
but shirtless, while she was tucked under light covers.  Her ears were still
throbbing, her head hurt, and to cap it off, she was bored out of her mind.

“Brady, I need to go outside,” she announced.

He gave a brisk shake of his head.  “Nope.  Not
until tomorrow, and even then, you have to take it easy.  You heard the
doctor.”

“Brady,” she whined, “I’m in Florida.  It’s
sunny.  When am I going to get another chance to experience this Florida
sunshine?”

“Tomorrow,” he said, and checked his watch. 
“I’m going to get us lunch now.”

“Here, take my debit card,” Amanda said.

He arched his brows.  “Mighty trusting, aren’t
you?”

She chuckled.  “I trust you, roomie,” she said.

“Put it away,” he said dismissively.

She promptly took out her notepad and wrote down
the date and that Brady once again, was paying for lunch.  He eyed her ledger
ruefully. 

“What do you want to eat?” he asked.

“Surprise me.”

“Okay.”  He ran a hand through his hair.  “I may
be a while.”  He checked his watch.  “Noon is about thirty minutes away, so I
have time.”

“Where are you going?”  The instant she asked
the question, she realized she was being intrusive.  “Strike that,” she said
quickly.  “I shouldn’t have asked.  It isn’t any of my business.”

“No, it’s okay.  I’ll tell you.  I either need
to buy a couple pair of shorts and a few t-shirts, or do laundry.  I’ve opted
to shop.  I’d be happy to pick up a few things for you.”

“I’m good,” she assured him.  “I’ll do the
laundry in a day or two.”

“We’ll see.  Rest until I get back.”

He rose and grabbed a t-shirt he’d left draped
across the back of a chair.  He slipped into it and moved to the side of her
bed.  He bent and gave her a chaste kiss on the top of her head and then left
the room.

As soon as he’d left and she was sure he’d had
time to get to the car and drive away, she rose from the bed.  She felt dizzy,
but stood still, in order to orient herself.  She finally crossed the room to
the window and drew back the drapes.  Her eyes blinked against the bright
sunshine. 

Suddenly, she felt a desperate need to get
outside.  Was it windy?  The shrubbery and trees seemed to be still.  She saw
no rustling leaves. 

She made a quick decision to go outside.  She
carefully crossed the room to her carry on and pulled out shorts and a tank
top.  She got dressed, found a pair of flip-flops stuffed into her bag, and
grabbed a key card that was lying beside the TV.

She slipped outside. The warmth of the air
struck her, a slight humidity in the air.  Coming from an air conditioned room
and into the heat might not have been her best idea, but she yearned to be
outside if only for a moment.

Tipping her face to the sun, she sighed.  Here
she was in Florida and couldn’t even enjoy it.  Or, could she?  Couldn’t she
lie by the pool for ten or fifteen minutes?  Would it make any difference being
outside versus inside, if she was lying back on a lounger?

No.  Either way, she’d be lying down and
resting. 

She made a quick decision and began walking the
path to the pool before she could change her mind.  Moving slowly and
carefully, since her balance was still off, she used her hands to brace herself
when she reached the gate around the pool.  She slipped the key card into the slot,
in order to gain entrance, and then selected the closest lounger to her.

She eased onto the chair and gave a sigh of
pleasure as she glanced up at the blue Florida sky.  Thankfully, she’d
remembered to bring her sunglasses and slipped them on her nose.  Scanning the
perimeter of the pool, she realized she was alone.  She stretched out her long,
slender legs and gave a sigh of contentment.  The sun felt divine against her
skin.

She checked the time.  Fifteen minutes.  That’s
all the time she would allow herself outside, lest Brady come back to the room
and find her gone.  She closed her eyes, and gave another sigh.  Only fifteen
minutes…

“Amanda!  What are you doing out here?”

She woke slowly, feeling disoriented.  Her ears
ached and her head hurt.  Even her skin felt painful.  Where the heck was she?

“Amanda!”

Brady’s voice finally penetrated.  Her eyes
fluttered open and she sat up.  “Where am I?”

“I can’t believe this,” he muttered, raking a
hand through his hair.  He glanced around.  The entire pool was lined with men,
young and old alike, clad in bathing suits, and all seemingly watching Amanda
with interest.  And she’d fallen asleep, unaware they were staring at her. 
What if something had happened to her?  What if one of them had…?  He couldn’t
imagine what could have happened to her, sleeping unprotected like this. 

He felt a stab of fierce anger at the prospect,
and his protective instincts flared and burst into full flame.  He’d never felt
such an intense emotional response. 

“Amanda, get up.  You shouldn’t be out here—for
so many reasons,” he muttered under his breath, giving all those men a dirty
look.       

“But…”

“No buts.  You know better.”  He took her arm
and helped her to stand.  He immediately saw the many pairs of eyes watching
their every move, and then most unabashedly staring at Amanda’s slim body. 

He stepped back, saw she was dressed in shorts
that showed off her long, silky legs.  The tank top she was wearing wasn’t cut
too low, but still accentuated her curvy figure. 

Brady glared at the ogling men again and then
yanked a white towel from a folded stack nearby.  He abruptly wrapped it around
her, and then draped an arm over her shoulder.  He shot another angry glance at
the men, who still watched after them.

“Wow, I must have fallen asleep,” Amanda
murmured, and then happened a glance at the other side of the pool.  It was
then she finally noticed she had an audience.  Her eyes widened.  “Where did
they come from?”

Brady muttered beneath his breath.  “Come on.” 

Back in the room, she sat down on the bed.  She
gave a shake of her head.  “I must have fallen asleep,” she muttered again.

“Yeah.  You fell asleep,” he concurred. 
“Amanda, what were you thinking, going outside?  You know the doctor told you
to stay inside and in bed.”

She made a guilty face.  “I figured it wouldn’t
make much difference if I was lying down outside, versus inside.”

“Well, you were wrong,” he asserted, as he began
to pace.  “Did you happen to see your throng of admirers?”  He shook his head. 
“Something could have happened to you out there, and I wouldn’t have known
anything about it.  One of them could have carried you into a room and…”

She gasped.  “Brady, give me some credit…”

“I would,” he said angrily, “if you hadn’t just
done something really stupid.  Amanda, you were practically unconscious out
there.  Did you even know all those guys were out there, watching you?”

“Obviously not,” she said.  “I was asleep.”  She
raised a clarifying finger.  “But I’m a big girl, Brady.  It happens I’ve been
on my own for awhile, and I’ve made it this long without someone telling me
what to do.”

He dropped onto the end of his bed.  He was
silent for several moments, seeming to be gathering his thoughts.   Finally, he
gestured toward the bag of burgers on the bedside table.  “Lunch is over
there,” he said, and rose again.  “I’m going for a walk.”  He pinned her with a
look.  “Don’t go out to that pool again.  Please.”  He paused, apparently
awaiting her answer. 

“Okay.”

He left the room.  Amanda watched the door close
behind him.  Why was he so upset?

When Brady returned to the room, he found Amanda
asleep on her bed.  She was still dressed in the shorts and tank top, and he
noticed she’d gotten a bit of a sunburn from her time outside.  Her face was
bright red—almost purple.  

Was it a sunburn?  Or was her fever back with a
vengeance?

He moved to her bedside and checked her
forehead.  Once again, she was burning up. 

He went into the bathroom for a wet rag,
drenched it with water, and put it on her brow.  She stirred, opened her eyes
alarmed, saw it was him, smiled, and went back to sleep. 

He felt an odd feeling in the pit of his
stomach.  He’d left the room before to think, to clear his head.  Finding
Amanda outside, asleep, and exposed to possible harm had practically undone
him.  He couldn’t remember ever experiencing that intense feeling of
protectiveness before.  He dropped onto the bed beside her and studied her
face.

Despite the color from her fever, she was
beautiful.  Her long, thick lashes fanned out over her cheekbones.  Her full
lips were slightly pursed, but she suddenly grimaced in her sleep.  She groaned
and shifted, a hand going to her ear.  She thrashed around, clearly in pain.

He groaned and then laid down beside her and
gathered her in his arms.  She cried out again.  “You’re okay,” he whispered. 
“I’ve got you.  You’re okay.”

She turned toward him, still sleeping, but
seeming to know he was there to soothe her.  She nestled against him and he
held her more tightly.