She ran the water and rinsed her mouth. “Can you grab my bag from the bottom right drawer of my desk?”
I frowned at her, but figured she was upright enough for me to get there and back before she pitched forward. Maybe. She hunched over the sink and rested her head against the faucet.
I opened her desk and found a purse the size of my entire torso. Jesus. It took me two tries to get it free, but then I was back beside her. “Here.”
She plucked a green bag out from the bottom with barely a look. How she knew which bag was which with the six in there, I had no idea. But the sharp scent of mint disrupted the sour aroma.
While she was brushing the sick out of her mouth, I found a trash can liner and dumped the little wastebasket into the bag and tied it off. The little plastic bin was pretty and frilly like a girl. And also had a basket weave that would never recover. Better to just put it all out of its misery.
I put the bag near the door and went back to her. “All right?”
She blew out a slow breath. “Yes. We’ve had three kids out with the stomach bug. It’s not shocking I got it.”
I leaned forward and touched my lips to her forehead. “No fever.”
She blinked up at me. “No. I’m probably in the contagious phase. Which doesn’t bode well for you.”
I shrugged. “I rarely get sick. Motor oil in my veins.”
She tied her hair back into a low tail. “I hope that’s true. It’s not fun in the least. At least according to the moms I’ve talked to.”
“Maybe you should cancel the rest of the meetings tonight. Just in case. I can, uh, take you home if you want.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll send out an email to the other parents, but I can get home on my own.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m a big girl.”
“Yeah, but I’m going back to work anyway, so I’m right there.”
“Then I won’t have my car.”
“I can have one of the guys pick it up.”
She rested a hand against my chest. “I’ll be okay.”
“All right. I can take a hint.”
She gnawed on her lower lip. “It’s not that. I hope you know that.”
“Sure, whatever.”
“And that’s what your son does. He obviously has learned it from you.”
I folded my arms.
“That too. Look, Dare. He’s an amazing kid. I’m not disputing that, so don’t get all…growly.”
“I’m not.”
“You are. But he’s obviously got something going on at home, or because of this thing with Laurie. Just promise me you’ll talk to him.”
“I will.”
“Good.” She stepped back and I immediately wanted to pull her closer again.
And that was stupid. Very stupid. Obviously, she had her own reasons for not wanting to start up something with me. My own list of reasons was about as long as my arm.