I was afraid to utter another word, but desperation forced courage into me. “I need you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, lifting her nose, as though she had been born with an air of snootiness in her. “What you need is your head checked if you think for one second that I would agree to take care of you. I draw the line of kindness somewhere, and this isthatline.”
I gave her my best pleading face. “You know how I feel about nurses.”
But her stubborn chin held its ground. “Well, ask someone else. Anybody else. Don’t you have friends?”
My jaw hardened. “Okay … let me go ask James. He’ll surely help me out. Everyone else I’m close to doesn’t live here. They’re all home for the off-season.”
She huffed loudly and paced the room. “Where is your mom?”
“In Antigua for her annual A Kitty’s Life charity, for all those stray kittens.” I rolled my eyes.
She rubbed at her eyes, her face distorting into some pained look.
“I’ll make it worth your while,” I promised.
“You’ve been saying this for what seems like forever,” she screeched. “Austin, really? Come on now. Haven’t I done enough for you already?”
My shoulders slumped. She had. This was asking way too much, but when had I ever been an unselfish man, especially when it came to something I wanted?
All right, time to pull out the big guns. “Listen, I’m going in on a business venture with Logan Tyler.”
“So?” she fumed.
“He’s that actor inMission Completed.”
“I know who he is, Austin,” she spat out.
“Well, he asked me to go in on a tequila company. He believes with our star power, we can make this a very marketable brand.”
Her face scrunched, and if looks could kill, I would be dead right now. Good thing we were in a hospital.
“What does that have to do with me?” She said the words slowly, as though English were my second language.
I swallowed hard, preparing myself. This was it. Either this worked or I was shit out of luck. “I suggested your ad agency for the PR.”
She suddenly froze. Like a statue. Not a muscle moved in several seconds.
“S-Sydney?” I wondered if she’d turned to stone.
She still didn’t move. Damn, all these years, and I’d finally managed to kill a woman with my idiotic words.
I cleared my throat, adding, “It’s a multimillion-dollar company. The commission is substantial.”
Her face softened just a tad, but not enough where I thought it was safe yet. “You … you …” she stuttered, like she was broken.
Oh, shit. Sydney’s broken. I fucking broke her.
“Well, I haven’t secured it with Logan yet,” I stated, “but I already told him I wanted you guys, only if …ifyou’ll help me recover.” Okay, maybe I was an asshole for putting it that way, but I was desperate. And I was kind of an asshole when I was desperate.
Well, shit, that unfroze her.
She stomped toward me, getting into my face. “You are something else, aren’t you? Well, you know what? Screw you and your sister and your stupid strings-attached deal. No. Hell will freeze over and pigs will fly before I ever help you.”
Then, she stomped out.
My whole body slumped against the bed until the door flew open and she pierced me with a narrowed stare.