Mia Like Crazy (7 page)

“You need someone to take care of you. You only know two people in this town, and the other one is in some board meeting for the day.”

“You’ve done your duty. You gave me the medicine.” I pulled my knees up to my chin and wrapped my arms around my legs for warmth. “Now, go home.”

“If these pills don’t work, I’m supposed to give you another one in an hour and I’m not staying here. Get up.”

“I can take care of myself. I just need some rest.” The nausea had dissipated again, and I didn’t want to move.

He let out a loud breath. Through half-closed eyelids, I saw him pace around the room, He grabbed my sheer robe, which was practically wadded in a ball on the dresser.

“Not much of a housekeeper, are you? Here put this on.”

At least the robe would c
o
ver my goose-bumped limbs.
I took it from him, propped myself up with one arm and began struggling into it. After a few long seconds, he reached over and helped me pull the other
sleeve over my arm.

I
collapsed back onto the bed, but to my surprise, he bent down, scooped me up, and snatched the pill bottle from the bedside table in one fluid movement.

I didn’t have any fight left in me. I wanted him to take me to a warm—hopefully more comfortable—bed, and nurse me back to health.

Drew headed out the door and deposited me into a black sports car. After a short, silent ride, he placed me gently on my feet next to a plush bed with a velvety comforter and expensive-looking throw pillows. He raked the pillows onto the floor and yanked back the covers, then helped me into bed and covered me up to my chin.

“Is it still hurting?” he asked, in a business-like tone.

“Mmm-hmm.”

“In fifteen minutes, I can give you another one. I’ll go get the water.”

Soon he was helping me sit up so I could take another pill. I lay back down and drifted off into a restful sleep for the first time in several days.

~

When my lids fluttered, I found myself looking directly into the eyes that had been haunting my dreams for the past two nights, except this time they were real.

Drew was leaning forward on his knees with his chin propped in his hands, looking more boyish than he did in any of his childhood pictures. He was only a few inches away.

Knowing a man like him had been watching me while I slept should have been disconcerting or downright frightening, but it wasn’t. In fact, I found his presence oddly comforting.

Although the fact that he was making serious eye contact caused a pleasant warming sensation, I felt I needed to break the hypnotic effect of his stare.

“What time is it?” I asked.

“About three.”

“Have you been here the whole time?”

“Mostly,” he said, with a slight shrug. “I wanted to safeguard my meal ticket. How do you feel?”

I wondered what he’d thought about in the hours while he sat next to my bed. “Better,” I answered. “I just feel kind of weird in the head.”

“That makes two of us—I ordered you some soup from the diner.”

“The roach infested one?”

“Yeah, I figured after staying in the fleabag hotel, you wouldn’t mind.” There it was. That dazzling smile I’d been waiting for. The one he should have shown the cameras when he won all those awards. I felt something catch in my chest. “And they
do
make the best soup.”

I smiled back at him. “I
am
pretty hungry.”

“I’ll bring it up.” He stood and started for the door.

“Could I go downstairs?” I asked before he made it across the room. “I’ve been lying in bed all day, and I’d like to sit up.”

“Sure.” Drew put his hands in his pockets as though he was hoping I wasn’t going to need his assistance this time.

We seemed to be back to the “no touching” rule. I remembered how effortlessly he’d lifted me into his arms earlier and wished I hadn’t been in too much pain to enjoy it.

“Um…do you need any help?” I tried not to be insulted at the half-hearted way he asked.

“No. I should be okay now. I’ll have to thank Meridith for the medicine.” I climbed out of bed and stood up slowly to test out my legs. I was a little woozy, but otherwise fine.

Downstairs, as I sat at the table and smelled the aromatic soup, I was releived not to feel the nausea that had affected me all morning. Drew handed me a beautiful cloth napkin. The warm colors in it left no doubt this was another of Meridith’s purchases.

He had transferred the liquid into a deep ceramic soup bowl and had, apparantly, discarded the plastic silverware in favor of the real thing. It was vegetable soup, and it was exactly what I wanted.

I was sad to think I’d never been as well cared for in my life as I was now, with a virtual stranger. Since this morning, he’d burst into my hotel room with desperately needed medicine, carried me away, tucked me into a room fit for a queen and was now serving me a simple, yet, elegant meal.

He brought out some French bread, and when he buttered it and handed it to me, it was all I could do to keep from crying.

Why was I so weepy? It was as though I’d been falling apart at the seams since I met him. Or was it before?

Was I really so starved for whatever he was offering that I got choked up over a bowl of vegetable soup and some butter?

I preferred to believe the stress of leaving my job was what had me so off balance and emotional.
After all, my career had been my top priority since I was a teenager. Or maybe this was a side effect from the medication.

After I ate, he offered me the couch and gave me a book and the TV remote control.

I picked up the paperback and realized it was the same novel I’d bought at the airport. Since I couldn’t stand waiting, I had a habit of buying whatever books or magazines were available in case there was a flight delay and I needed distraction.

“Where did you get this?” I asked when he came back into the room.

“It was with your stuff that was brought over from the hotel.”

“All my stuff is here? Then why am I sitting in this negligee?”

He shrugged. “Why not?”

I was surprised at myself for not complaining that he moved me out of my hotel room without consulting me. But I was so comfortable it would have been hypocritical to protest. Besides, I felt as though I owed him a little graciousness.

“I’d better go over first thing in the morning and pay for my stay there,” I thought out loud. Then to Drew, I said, “When I checked in, I wasn’t sure how many nights I’d be staying. The manager told me not to worry about it, I could pay him later. He didn’t even take a credit card.”

“Yeah, I bet.”

I ignored his sarcastic tone. “He was so nice, I would hate for him to think I had skipped out on him.”

“He’ll get over it. Besides, it’s all taken care of. I told you your expenses would be paid.”

“But when did you have time to do that?”

“I had Meri’s butler go over there and take care of it while you were sleeping.”

“You seem to borrow Meridith’s staff an awful lot,” I pointed out. “Did you ever think of getting some help of your own?”

“No, I don’t like people lurking around here.”

I wondered if what I was doing would be considered “lurking.”

“I do have a housekeeper, though,” he said. “She comes over once a week. I go to Meri’s so I don’t have to be here when she comes. Of course, with you
here we might have to change it to twice a week.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” I pretended to be insulted, then noticed he was talking as if he expected me to live here now. Had I agreed to his marriage plan while under the influence of the migraine medication?

“I saw your hotel room,” Drew said with an almost-smile. He laid a throw across my lap. ”Want some hot chocolate?”

“Yes, please.”

A few minutes later, he brought me a mug with a dozen tiny marshmallows floating around on top.

This was the kind of thing I’d seen only on television as a kid. When I was sick, I would imagine someone was taking care of me, but it had never been a reality, until now. From what Meredith had told me, Drew probably had to imagine it, too.

I noticed he had a second cup for himself, so I invited him to take a seat on the sofa next to me, and he did. Then it hit me that I was sitting on the couch next to the notorious Drew Larson, sipping hot chocolate. Who would imagine he kept mini-marshmallows in his pantry?

I picked up the remote and turned on the TV. “I’m in the mood for a good movie,” I said. “Will you watch with me?”

He shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

We watched one movie and started another. I began to get sleepy, so I grabbed a chenille throw pillow and, on impulse, tossed it in his lap and made myself comfortable.

The second my head touched the pillow, I felt his entire body tense.

Although even I didn’t know why I was being so presumptuous, I stubbornly stayed where I was and decided to let him try to adjust.

After a few moments, I felt him move a bit and was certain his hand was hovering over me, possibly unsure as to where to position itself appropriately. I remembered what Meridith had said about Drew rarely touching anyone.

I pulled the thick throw over my shoulder so he wouldn’t have to make contact with the nearly bare skin of my arm through the gauzy robe I was still wearing.

Once I was amply covered, he placed his hand lightly on my arm and I gradually felt him relaxing.

~

I woke up and, again, wondered how long I’d been asleep. It had been a peaceful, happy sleep and I felt wonderful. When I turned my head, I saw Drew looking down at me.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I haven’t been sleeping well lately, and I guess I’ve been catching up today. I hope I wasn’t snoring.”

“Only in the most attractive way.” The sarcasm was still there, yet it was somehow mingled with sincerity. His face held an expression I hadn’t seen on him before, and it was so compelling I turned my whole body around so I was lying on my back and staring up at him.

“There
is
no such way,” I argued playfully.

“There is now.”

I knew that he rarely maintained facial expressions—other than disdain, indifference, or anger—for long, so my mind scrambled to find a name for this one before it disappeared. As he gazed down at me, I knew the soft look in his eyes could only be described as “tenderness
.”

I became aware of his hand, which was resting on my stomach since I’d rolled over. Supposedly, he had an aversion to touching people. Yet, today, he’d carried me in his arms and now his touch felt so hot and intimate I couldn’t help but imagine it moving a few inches up or down.

I opened my mouth to speak to him, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to say. I became aware of his thumb moving in a caressing motion on my stomach as his eyes held mine.

Afraid of breaking the spell, I kept myself as still as possible but found I had to suck in some air eventually. When I did, he jerked his hand away as if he’d been burned and averted his eyes.

“Drew—” I began, but he moved out from under me, allowing the pillow, with my head on it, to drop onto the couch.

“I guess you’re okay, now, so I’ll see you in the morning and we’ll get to work on a plan,” he said. “Oh, yeah. I’ll carry your stuff upstairs for you.”