“You know they do, and it’s okay,” I said gently, smiling as she folded her arms across her chest. “I’m used to it. I’ll treat your patient as professionally as I can. Do they still have that roller coaster at Wonderland where you ride backward in loops? I bet she’ll love that.”
Gwen picked up an imaginary baseball
from the coffee table and threw it at my head. She always did that when she was ticked off at me. I ducked to the side, pretending to be offended.
“Okay, I’ll behave, I promise.”
“You’ll check in with me every day,” she commanded.
“Yes, ma’am.” I tucked her paperwork into my knapsack, gave her a sharp salute, and left before any of my sister’s imaginary projectiles became real.
CHAPTER THREE
* Kayla *
A knock at the door scared me to pieces, but maybe Gwen lost the key. I got up, walking with my hands out so I could feel the hallway wall, approaching my front door.
“Kayla? Are you there?” It was a man. A very deep, resonant, low voice.
My entire body froze, not sure what to do. Could somebody have found out that I was here alone, and they were coming to rob me? Could the landlord have picked today of all days to do an inspection?
“Kayla, it’s Gwen’s brother, Liam. She sent me here. I have the key, but it would be better if you opened the door so I don’t feel like a burglar. Can you hear me?”
“Yes,” I said quickly. I trusted Gwen, so if she sent her brother, there must be a good reason.
I unlocked the door, opening it and standing back up against the wall. I felt and heard him come in and lock the door behind him. He put some bags down.
“Hi,” he said softly. He reached out to take my hand from the wall and shake it gently. From the direction his voice was coming, he was very tall. His hand was warm and huge. “I’m Liam, Gwen’s little brother.”
“No offense,” I said, desperately trying to make casual conversation, “But you sound bigger than she is.”
His deep rumbling chuckle made me smile. He took my hands, placing them on his shoulders, which made me reach up higher and wider than I would have expected. “Yes. I’m a big guy. So if you need any heavy furniture moved, let me know.”
My wide smile surprised me. I’d always had secret fantasies about big, hulking men, but I certainly couldn’t think of that now. He sounded sweet. Something about the tone of his voice was so friendly that it made me feel a bit more grounded for the first time since the world went dark.
Liam placed a hand on my shoulder, guiding me to the couch and sitting down beside me.
“Gwen said that the first thing I have to tell you is that she’s okay, because she doesn’t want you to worry.”
“All right.” Instantly I began to worry.
“She was riding her bike here this morning and got doored by some asshole getting out of a taxi. So she’s on crutches for a while with a sprained ankle.”
“Oh my God – poor thing.”
“It could have been a lot worse, but she’s learned how to fall pretty well after biking in Toronto for years. She’ll be fine, but she has to keep it iced and elevated for a while. She said that you shouldn’t be worrying about her, you’re supposed to be relaxing and taking care of yourself.” I felt the couch shift under his weight as he leaned back.
“Gwen checked with the agency, and they’re already low on nurses this month, plus the flu took out four of them yesterday. Apparently, there would be a two-week wait. She couldn’t stand the thought of you here alone, so she called me.”
“Wait – you’re going to drop everything and take care of me for five days?” That was unbelievably kind of a stranger, and it was a little strange.
“I work remotely,” he said. “My laptop is in my knapsack. So I can hang out here and feed you, keep you company, and make sure you don’t trip on anything.”
“Are you a nurse?”
That low warm chuckle again. “No, but I can handle the basics, and if anything comes up we can call Gwen. I’m pretty used to her ordering me around.”
“Wow.” Even though I couldn’t see, I looked down at my hands in my lap out of instinct. Having a professional care of me was a terrible necessity. Having a random guy do it was difficult to process.