Before I could make the conscious decision to do it, I was crowding her space and lifting her face with my hand at her throat so that I could look at her more closely.
Her eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed.
They were also brimming with new tears.
“What’s wrong?” I asked anyway, even though I’d heard her explanation to the receptionist.
“Umm,” she hesitated. “Apparently I’m allergic to cats with long hair,” she muttered miserably. “I have this cat I found at the local park. He’s the sweetest thing ever, but he makes me itch so bad that I’m going to have to find him another home soon.”
Regret and a sense of disgust filled me, all aimed solely at me.
“Come on,” I urged, pulling her toward me. “We’ll go see my brother.”
Her breath hitched. “I… I thought you were ignoring me?”
I hated myself in that moment.
“You thought wrong,” I declared.
I’d made my decision.
Now I had to stick with it.
• • •
SABRINA
I was in the twilight zone.
I was on the back of Price’s bike.
I had my hands wrapped around his middle, my face pressed against the skull with his top hat that was embroidered on the back of his cut.
I was… free.
For the first time in six weeks since I’d gotten back from the beach, my heart was happy.
His hand was on my thigh, and though that thigh itched because there was a cat that was cute and sweet at my home that I was allergic to, I didn’t ask him to move it.
Even worse, I loved the way everyone was looking at us while we drove through town.
I loved that on every single street corner, we had heads turning in our direction.
At one point, we’d even seen his sister.
She looked directly at me, and her face completely shut down.
Price didn’t see her, though.
His gaze was focused solely forward as he drove me to the hospital where his brother worked.
When we arrived, he hopped off the bike and marched us inside, my hand completely engulfed in his own.
“Whoa,” I called to him as I nearly tripped over my own two feet, slightly huffing in reaction to his quick movements. “I’m about a foot shorter than you, and I haven’t worked out like this since we went to the beach. You’re going to have to slow down, or your brother will be seeing me for a concussion as well as an allergic reaction.”
He slowed down, but the intensity didn’t go away.
In fact, it only intensified the closer we got to the doors that led to the ER.
He bypassed everyone as he typed in a code in a side door.
Once inside the open-spaced ER, Price walked directly toward Tide, who was leaning against the nurses’ station charting something into a computer.
Tide looked as if sensing his brother, and I had to wonder if the two had some sort of twin sense that let them know when the other was near.
It was clear by Tide’s face that he wasn’t expecting us.
It was also clear that he wasn’t surprised to see me with Price.
“What’s up, bro?” He grinned down at me and bopped me on the nose with a finger. “Sabrina, how are you doin’, darlin’?”
I instantly was reminded of how sweet he’d been when we’d been at the beach.
“I’m good…” I said without thinking.
“She’s not fuckin’ good,” Price denied. “Look at her.”
Tide’s eyes sharpened as they came to focus on me.
I saw his eyes trail down the length of my body, taking in the welts, the redness, and the swelling that’d started the moment I’d brought that little kitten home.
“So I found this long-haired kitten at the park and took him home. Progressively over the last week, I’ve started to show more and more symptoms of being allergic to him. I haven’t been able to eat properly in a week. Everything feels like I’m swallowing past a lump in my throat. I can’t breathe without taking massive doses of Benadryl. And when I sleep at night, I have to prop myself up on lots of pillows.” I shook my head. “The welts showed up this morning, though.”
Tide looked me over, then pulled out a pad from his pocket and started to write on it.
“Go fill this and take it.” He tore the piece of paper off and handed it to me. “Get rid of the cat.”
I was afraid he was going to say that.
Sadly, my next-door neighbor would likely be keeping the cutest cat in the world—since she’d already volunteered and was hanging on to him until we could find a solution for my hives.
“I can’t… you know, take something to make it bearable to keep the cat and not feel miserable?” I wondered.
He shook his head. “No. Not when you’re that allergic.”
“Well, shit,” I grumbled.
Price wrapped me up in his arms, despite how awful I must look.
“Thanks, bro.” He tilted his chin up at his brother, who winked and walked away. “Let’s get out of here,” Price said. “Get this script filled, then head home.”