“Anyway, what are you doing up? Shouldn’t you still be in bed?”
“I’m tired of being in bed,” she countered. “It’s ridiculous, it’s been nearly a week since I was beaten.” Her arm was still in a sling, and Doc had told her it would need to stay that way for at least another week, but she was moving around much easier. “If I lay in bed for much longer, I’m going to go insane.”
Mia sent her a wicked grin. “West know you’re up?”
“West is out doing something. And West is not my boss.”
Mia laughed. “Oh, honey, you give him hell. It’s gonna be fun to watch.”
She wasn’t sure what Mia was talking about. Sure, West was looking out for her, but he had his reasons: Lana.
“I’m not gonna give him hell. He won’t care that I’m up.” Even she didn’t believe that.
“And I’ve got some magic beans I can sell you,” Mia mocked. “Honey, your ass is toast.”
“West won’t spank me.”
Mia ran her gaze over her. “Well, not right now, no. He’ll wait until you’re healed up.”
“No, I mean he won’t spank me at all. He might have taken over, uh, guardianship of me but we don’t have that sort of relationship.”
Mia tilted her head to the side. “You don’t have that sort of relationship? What does that mean?” She walked over to the pantry and pulled out a loaf of white bread and a package of something Flick couldn’t quite see. She placed them on the kitchen table and grabbed some butter and a breadknife and a cutting board.
Flick sat as she moved around the kitchen, sipping her own cup of coffee. “I mean, that he’s not my guardian because he likes me like that. It’s more out of guilt. And because of Lana.”
“Lana? What has she got to do with you?”
So Mia did know her name. “You know the whole story?”
“I do,” Mia confirmed sadly.
“Then you know couldn’t help her.”
Understanding filled Mia’s face as she sat across from her and started buttering some bread. “Right, so you think he’s helping you because he wasn’t able to help Lana?”
She nodded.
“Makes sense in its own way,” Mia agreed.
“Yeah, it does.”
“Or at least it would if I hadn’t seen how West was for those few days you weren’t around. He was like a beast with a sore paw. And then when Beau brought you back here, the fury on his face, the way he wasn’t about to let anyone else take care of you, and how he’s been with you since. Honey, I don’t think he’s doing this because of Lana.”
Mia was wrong. “He felt guilty because he said some mean things and then sent me home and I got beaten up. But I’ve made it clear it wasn’t his fault.”
Mia sent her a doubtful look. She watched the other woman pour chocolate sprinkles onto the buttered side of the bread, then place another slice on top.
“Uh, Mia, what are you making?”
“Chocolate sandwich, want one?” She started to make another identical sandwich.
“Is this a pregnancy craving?”
“No,” Mia said cheerfully. “It’s a Mia craving. I love chocolate sprinkle sandwiches. Trust me, they’re good.”
Flick hadn’t had much of an appetite and the coffee she’d just drunk wasn’t sitting well in her stomach, so she nodded. “Okay.” Although she eyed the concoction dubiously, she took a bite. “Wow, that’s sweet.”
“Good, though, right?”