I put the phone up to my ear. “Hey sorry. I thought I hung up.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” he said, words coming out in a rush. “You’re still sick?”
“Sort of,” I said, dragging out the words as I made my way to the sink.
I didn’t hear the long line of curses Luke was shouting into the phone while I rinsed my mouth out. And that was probably for the best. When I put the phone back up to my ear, I said, “Chill. I’m fine. Whatever I have is not that serious.”
“Cadence,” he said, voice stern. “You don’t get sick.”
“Yes, I do. Just not often,” I said.
“Still, you’ve never been sick this long. Something is up,” he said.
“You, my dear brother, are overreacting,” I said. “I’m fine. Besides, I can’t afford to go to a doctor right now. I already missed too much work.”
“Screw a doctor. You need to go to the hospital,” he said. “Tonight.”
“I can’t,” I said and headed back up to the front of the store to stand near the register. “I’m in charge of the store.”
“You can, and you will,” he said. “Even if I have to drive you myself.”
I laughed. “You’re such a fibber. What are you going to do? Drive all the way from the city just to bring me to the ER?”
“If I have to, yes,” he said.
“Yeah, right,” I said and looked out the window. A pickup that looked really close to Guy’s sat near one of the gas pumps. My heart skipped a beat and I sighed. It was a regularly reoccurring thing that I would see his truck or him. Regardless of where I went. It wasn’t him or his truck. Not really. But the first glance always sent my heart racing.
I frowned and turned my back against the image. I missed him. More than I cared to admit to.
“Cadence,” Luke snapped.
“Luke?” I said, taking a tone with him.
“Don’t do that,” he said.
“Don’t lecture me and tell me what to do,” I said.
“You need to take care of yourself,” he said. “You can’t keep doing things for everyone else and never do a thing for you. Now you’re sick and this has gone on for far too long. Go to the hospital or I will drop everything I am doing and drive there.”
“Passes might be closed with the storm,” I said.
“Then I will run,” he said.
“You could freeze to death,” I said.
“Then don’t force my hand,” he said. “Now, what will would you rather have done?”
“Fine. I’ll go,” I lied. “I’ll call you when I arrive.”
“You better.” His words were filled with warning. “I meant what I said.”
I groaned. “Okay, okay.”
We ended the call and slipped my phone back into my back pocket. The last thing I was going to do was go to the hospital. Not right now. This thing will pass in time. Besides, my nausea had gotten a little better. I was on the mend. Or close to it.
That was what I kept telling myself as I gathered all the left-over holiday decorations and tossed them into a box before carrying them to the back storage space. When I walked back to the front, I stopped as my gaze met the sweetest, kindest brown eyes I had ever known. My breaths stilled as I took in the shape of his mouth.
My heart hammered in my chest at the sight of Guy. And there was no mistaking my eyes this time. He really stood in front of me.