I removed my hand. “I-I was just saying thank you, Logan. I’m going to take a little nap. I had a long night, and I’m exhausted.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“I will. Goodbye.” I hung up.
Tears welled up in my eyes. I didn’t understand it. Logan was so sweet, not only to me but also to Juniper. He didn’t have to stop by; he didn’t have to make the offers. I knew it was an inconvenience, especially since we weren’t in a relationship. I’d made sure of that in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, Juniper’s daddy couldn’t be bothered to skip the beach for his kid in the hospital.
Chapter Twenty-eight
LOGAN
“With the signing of the Japanese deal,” I said over my phone, “we should destroy our next quarter earnings targets, regardless of the macroeconomic conditions or any Fed interest rate changes.”
Several people murmured happily over the phone. This was the least annoying conference call I’d had to suffer through in a while. Then again, few people complained when they were making money, especially when it was a lot of money.
Really, though, I wanted the damn thing over. I wanted to get to the hospital sooner rather than later, and every minute I spent telling everyone what they already knew was one minute later that I’d arrived at the hospital.
“Any questions?” I waited a good five seconds. “Okay, then. I’ll talk to you all next week. Thank you for attending.”
I ended the call. My big conference call was over, and it was the only major thing on my schedule all Friday. The previous day, I’d told Emily I would stop by, and there wa
s no good reason not to, but I didn’t want to show up empty-handed.
There had to be some small ways I could help Juniper and Emily feel better. Something easy that wouldn’t make her feel uncomfortable.
My gaze landed on my laptop on the corner of my desk. I grabbed it, and then picked up my phone to call my favorite nearby deli and place an order. I had no idea if Juniper liked the hospital food or not, but I was sure she wouldn’t mind a change of pace.
* * *
Despite having my laptop and charger under one arm and a thick paper bag in another, I still managed to knock lightly on the door to Juniper’s room.
Emily opened the door a moment later and offered me a smile. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Sorry about that. I knew I forgot to do something. I hope I’m not intruding.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Hello, Mr. Hawkins.” Juniper waved from the bed, a broad smile on her face. I nodded to her. She was still pale but lacked the intense pallor from Thursday. That filled me with hope.
“Hello, Juniper.” I offered Emily the bag. “Could you hold that please?”
She took the bag from me, staring at it. “What is it?”
“My favorite tomato soup and ginger tea. Something I always have when I’m sick. I even once paid a premium for crosstown delivery just to get some.” I shrugged. “I thought Juniper might like to give it a try. If she doesn’t, it won’t offend me. It’s not like I personally made it.” I grinned. “I’d just avoid Marino’s Deli if you don’t like it.”
“I wanna try it, Mama,” Juniper called from her bed. “I really do. I want my Marino soup.”
I winked at Juniper. “I figured you might be tired of hospital food.”
“I am. I so am. I want the soup and tea, Mama. Please, please, please.” Juniper actually bounced a little in her bed.
I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d never seen a little girl so excited about some tea and tomato soup. I began to wonder what kind of awful slop they were serving the poor girl.
“Okay, okay, just one second, sweet pea,” Emily said, shaking her head. She headed over to Juniper’s bed and rolled the table over it. She pulled out the bowl of soup, the tea, and the plastic spoon to place on the table.
“Thank you, Mr. Hawkins,” Juniper said. “The food here is bad. I hope your food tastes good.”