“I’ll be sure Hunter or Ben picks everything up as soon as they open.”
“If you have trouble waking him up, or his fever spikes, you need to call me right away, Kenzie. Here is my cell number and the hospital number, where you can have me paged if I don’t answer my cell. If you can’t reach me, call an ambulance and have him brought in. Don’t worry about him getting mad at you, I’ll take full responsibility. His health is more important than what the media might think of him.”
“I’ll call for an ambulance if I can’t reach you, I promise.”
“He might start feeling better late tomorrow afternoon. If he feels up to it, you can add some noodles and vegetables to the broth. He shouldn’t eat anything heavy at least until Monday, and even then, it needs to be small amounts. He may tell you otherwise, but it’s important that you monitor him all weekend. Even when his fever finally leaves, he isn’t out of the woods, as it can come back at any time over the next few days. Just keep an eye on him once the fever drops, make sure he keeps drinking and eating. Drinking is more important than eating so don’t panic if he doesn’t eat anything. Just don’t let him convince you that he is fine.”
“I won’t. I promise, I’ll stay until you say it’s safe to leave.”
“Julie and I are both scheduled to fly back on Monday afternoon, so we can take over then if he still needs someone,” Carter offers.
“By then, hopefully, he will be out of the woods. It’s the next two days that we really need to focus on, but Monday should be the final day. And Kenzie, don’t let him do too much work when he does start to feel better. He needs his rest, so try to get him to just rest. His body can’t recover if he is using the little energy he has to sit in front of a computer and stare at spreadsheets all day.”
“I’ll try,” I agree, despite knowing that it will probably be very difficult to get Nicholas to stay away from work.
“Unfortunately, I need to get going. I’m already late for my shift at the hospital. Kenzie, I appreciate you staying this weekend; if I wasn’t scheduled to work or could find a replacement, I would stay myself—“
“It’s fine. I don’t mind,” I assure her.
“I’ll call in a few hours and check on him. Maybe you can text me so I have your cell phone number?”
“Of course, I’ll send you a text in a few minutes.”
“Take care; don’t hesitate to call me at any time. Even if you just have a question about the medication, just call.”
“I will, and thank you again for coming tonight.”
“Thank you, Kenzie. I really appreciate this; I’m sure it’s not how you envisioned spending your weekend.” Vivienne gives me a quick hug goodbye before heading to the hospital for her shift.
“Carter, I’m going to run to my apartment quick and grab a couple changes of clothes.” I realize that I’m going to need a few things if I’m going to be staying here this weekend.
“Of course, I’ll contact Hunter and Ben to let them know what is going on.”
“I don’t know that we need both of them this weekend if Nicholas and I are both here. I mean, it’s just a thought…”
“No, that’s a good point. Originally, Ben was covering for me as Hunter was going to be assigned to you for the weekend. I’ll have Ben remain on call; that way, if something comes up, he can come in. Hunter will be here all weekend and will pick up anything you might need.”
I take the elevator to my condo and begin to pack a small bag to bring back to Nicholas’s. I grab a couple changes of clothes, pajamas, and toiletries too, adding the charger to my phone and a book I started reading the other night. I’m not sure what else I might need, but since I’m only a few floors below, I know I can always run down here if I forget something.
I check the email on my phone and see the registration confirmation for the cooking class I was supposed to take this weekend. I quickly send a reply email notifying them that something has come up and I won’t be able to attend the class this weekend. I know I’ll lose the deposit for the class as it was non-refundable but seeing that no one else was available this weekend, there was no way I could still go to the class without feeling guilty. With everything that Nicholas has done for me, the least I can do is take care of him this weekend.
The community college is offering another weekend cooking class in a couple of months; I’ll call Monday and have them transfer my payment to that class, which means I should only lose the registration deposit. In the end though, I’m not upset. Nicholas helped me after the break in at my apartment and moved me in the middle of the night to this condo when he could have easily looked the other way. Canceling my plans this weekend is a small price to pay as a way to repay him.
“Ms. Rose, would you like me to put your bag in one of the guest rooms?” Carter greets me as soon as I step off the elevator.
“Yes, thank you.”
“At the top of the stairs, there is a guest room on the right that I’ll put your bag in.”
“Okay, I’m going to check on Nicholas and look over the stuff that Mrs—Vivienne left.”
I knock on Nicholas’s door, but of course he doesn’t answer. I wait a couple of minutes just in case he is in the bathroom. I don’t want to walk in and make it awkward. When he doesn’t respond, I open the door a little, but upon seeing him still in bed, I open the door more and step into the room. Nicholas is lying in his bed, another one that is entirely too big for one person I decide, and is still sound asleep. His breathing is soft and steady as he sleeps, but his coloring looks a little better.
I quietly walk over to his nightstand and look at everything Vivienne left for him. I replay her instructions as to what I need to do this weekend and realize that I probably won’t be able to sleep in the guest room upstairs where Carter just put my bag. I’m not about to sleep in the same bed as Nicholas, so I try to come up with another solution. Looking around the dark room, I see a chaise lounge in the corner, so I move it closer to the bed and decide that this is where I will sleep tonight. It will keep me close enough to Nicholas to check on him throughout the night but not too close that either of us will be uncomfortable.
I’m not sure how he will feel about me staying here this weekend. When he and Carter moved me into the condo, Nicholas told me he also lived here, but now I obviously know exactly where he lives. Not only do I know where he lives, but I’m staying with him for the entire weekend. I hope that he isn’t mad that I’m invading his privacy by staying here; I don’t think there was really another option to avoid him being admitted into a hospital.
Chapter 20
Nicholas
I feel like I’ve been hit by a fucking Mac truck!
My body aches, every fucking muscle hurts; like I was hit by a fucking truck or something! What the fuck is wrong with me? I try to open my eyes, but FUCK, even doing that hurts! I can barely focus on the clock next to my bed… 2:03 it reads. My room is dark, so it must be two in the morning. I manage to push myself into a sitting position, but fuck if just sitting up doesn’t hurt. What the fuck happened last night? I scramble my brain, trying to figure out why I feel like I-want-to-die-and-but-I’m-afraid-I-won’t. Kenzie and I went to the dinner; I remember the dry chicken that had no taste whatsoever. I gave a speech… Kenzie kissed me.
Kenzie fucking kissed me.
Kenzie kissed me… on the lips.
Kenzie’s lips were on mine.
God, I was so shocked, I think I just stood there without doing anything for a full minute. I knew she would rightly assume that the scholarship portion of my speech was written because of her. When I was writing that part earlier in the week, I couldn’t help but think about her. I have been fortunate that if something like that happened to me when I was at NYU, my parents would have immediately stepped in and helped me out until I could apply for loans or other scholarships.
Her reaction, however, to my speech was nothing I could have expected. I watched her from the stage, unable to take my eyes off her; I watched her eyes
fill with tears as my speech sunk in. I couldn’t get off the stage fast enough... I wanted to go to her and do… something. I don’t know what, but I just remember thinking that I didn’t want to see her cry because of a speech.
When I finally made my way back to the table, Kenzie was standing there waiting for me. I immediately took her hand in mine, relieved to see that there were no tears in her eyes any longer. I don’t remember what I was thinking, but the next thing I knew her lips were on mine. I swear it took me a minute to realize it wasn’t all in my head—I’ve imagined what her lips would feel like for weeks now… hell, probably since the first time I saw her.
I shake my head to push past those thoughts and try to figure out what the hell happened afterwards. It takes me a few minutes and multiple tries, but I finally manage to get out of bed. When the room finally stops spinning, I decide to head to the bathroom, hoping that if I splash water on my face it will help.
FUCK
I walk right into the chair that is normally in the corner of my room. What the fuck is that doing next to my bed? Why the fuck would I have moved a chair last night? There’s a throw blanket from the great room lying across the chair… did I sleep in the chair last night? Why would I move it next to my bed to sleep in it? Why wouldn’t I just sleep in my own bed? I shake my head again; nothing seems to make sense tonight. I use the bathroom, splash water on my face, and decide to head to the kitchen to get a bottle of water. I’m confused when I open my bedroom door as the apartment is very bright; my room was nearly pitch dark, but now I realize that someone must have closed my curtains.
I slowly make my way down the hall to the kitchen and am shocked again at what I see and confused even more. Kenzie is in my kitchen, with her back to me, cooking something on my stove. I try to figure out how the hell she ended up here last night, but for the life of me, I can’t remember anything. God, I would think if I fucked her I would remember it! But that doesn’t make sense… I can’t see either of us jeopardizing our arrangement like that, no matter how much I’ve thought about it since I saw her in a bikini. So if I didn’t fuck her, what the fuck is she doing in my kitchen? Why is she in my apartment?
“Kenzie?”
I finally give up trying to remember what the fuck happened last night and figure asking her is the only way to find out. Of course, my voice comes out as barely above a whisper, but she must have heard me because she immediately turns around and gasps in surprise.
“Nicholas! You’re not supposed to be out of bed! Sit down, let me get you some water,” she rushes around me, pulling a bottle of cold water from the fridge and handing it to me. As she runs over to the stove to turn the heat down on whatever she is making, I realize how odd it is to have her here. Other than Julie and my mother, no woman has stepped foot in this kitchen, yet Kenzie is comfortably moving around as if she has been here multiple times… as if she belongs here.
“How are you feeling? Do you feel like your fever is back? It shouldn’t be—you’re not due for more medicine for another two hours…” She glances at her watch while rambling.
“I don’t think I have a fever, why would I?”
“Do you remember what happened?”
“Not really… I mean, I remember the awards dinner.” Her face blushes, and I can tell she must be remembering the kiss as well. I hold off bringing it up until I figure out exactly what the hell happened. “I remember I started not to feel well after my speech, but I can’t seem to remember much after that.”
“Drink the water and I’ll tell you what happened.” She eyes the still full bottle in my hands. “Your mom will be mad at me if you don’t drink enough.”
“My mom?”
“Drink,” she commands and I reluctantly open the bottle and take a few small sips, which I admit feels really good on my sore throat. “We stayed for two speeches after yours, but by the second it was clear something was wrong. Your face was very pale and your leg was shaking. By the time we got into the car, you were pretty out of it—you kept your eyes closed the entire ride and didn’t say much. Carter offered to take you to the hospital but you refused—“
“Good.”
“He called your mom, who came shortly after we got back here. She had asked to talk with me when she came to see you—“
“Why?”
“She suspected food poisoning and to see if I was at risk of coming down with it. Since we ate different meals, the chances were slim that it would hit me as well.”
“Food poisoning? That’s what’s wrong with me?”
“Unfortunately, as all of your other blood work came back clear.”
“Why are you here though? Where’s Julie or Carter?”
“I…” She looks upset and I realize that what I said came out completely wrong.
“Shit… I’m sorry, Kenzie. I didn’t mean it like that. I was just surprised to see you here.”
“Julie is away for the weekend… at a wedding, I think. Carter left very early this morning to catch a flight to meet her.”
“Oh, that’s right, I forgot they were off this weekend.”
“Hunter is here, and Ben is on call. Hunter went to the pharmacy as soon as they opened this morning and got everything your mom requested for you.”
“What are you making? Something smells really good.” My stomach growls suddenly.
“It’s chicken noodle soup. Your mom said you should start with broth first, but if you are able to keep that down, you could move to chicken and noodles. I’m making a large batch of it, figuring you could freeze it in case you get sick again.”
“I don’t get sick… well, not usually.”
“Do you want to eat here? Or somewhere else?”
“Here’s fine.”
She brings me a bowl of hot broth a few minutes later before getting herself a bowl with chicken, noodles, and vegetables in it. I look at her bowl with envy; it looks so much better than mine does. I’m surprised when I taste my broth though; it doesn’t taste like colored water like I expected.
“I appreciate you making this for me, but it wasn’t necessary. I’m sure Ben could have gotten something from a restaurant, but thank you.”
“Your mom was concerned it wouldn’t be bland enough. It wasn’t a big deal; I haven’t made chicken noodle soup in a long time.”
“You said that Carter left early this morning?” She nods. “So you’ve been here since he left?”
“No... I… actually…” she stutters, and for the first time since I’ve met her, she actually looks nervous, almost deathly nervous.
“What is it?”
“I’ve been here since last night.”
“You slept here?”
I’m shocked… beyond shocked. I swore I would never let another woman, well one who wasn’t family, into my personal space again. Swore I would never let someone get this close to me again. To say that I’m conflicted right now is an understatement. I’ve thought of Kenzie being here, hell I wanted her here, but now that she’s actually here, in my home, I don’t know what to think. A few hours is one thing, but fuck, she’s been here the entire night. It’s not that I don’t trust her, I do… but it’s hard not to be skeptical after what she did.
“Your mother wouldn’t agree to keep you here unless someone agreed to spend the weekend taking care of you. If I hadn’t agreed to stay, she was going to admit you to the hospital.”
“I’m sure someone—“
“Your mother was on her way to the hospital to work a double and is scheduled to work overnight tonight, your dad and Cara are out of town and your mom felt Austin wasn’t the right person—“
“No, he probably isn’t.”
“With Julie and Carter away….”
“No, that makes sense. Look, thank you for staying with me, but I’m sure you have things to do—“ I don’t want to keep her here; I have no doubt this is the last place she wants to spend her weekend.
“Actually, I can’t leave.”
“Why not?”
&n
bsp; “Your mother made me promise to stay here until she cleared you to be able to stay by yourself.”
“I’m sure that’s not necessary, I’m fine.”
“I… I’m sorry, Nicholas, but I gave her my word I would look after you this weekend. She said you would probably start to feel better this afternoon but she was concerned that your fever could come back.”
“I’m sure my mother is just overreacting—“
“I can assure you I am not overreacting, Nicholas,” I hear my mother’s voice before I see her walking down the hallway in her hospital scrubs.
“I was just explaining to Kenzie—“
“I heard you,” she cuts me off and turns to give Kenzie a hug which absolutely floors me. My mother is not a very trusting woman when it comes to people in my life, especially females. “How are you, Kenzie? Are you still feeling okay?”
“I’m good, Vivienne, thank you.”
Vivienne? My mother is letting Kenzie call her by her first name? Well, that’s a complete shock as well. My mother insisted she call her Mrs. Parker; it was never an option for her to call my mother anything else. When the truth came out about her, my mother told me she never liked her but I guess I was blind to how much my mother truly didn’t like her. Seeing her interact with Kenzie is completely different—I can tell my mother actually likes Kenzie.
“Any problems since we spoke this morning?” my mom asks.
“No, I just finished making some soup. Would you like a bowl?”
“I’d love some, thank you,” and sits on the stool next to me while Kenzie rushes to the stove to get another bowl ready. The entire scene before me seems off… like I’m on the outside looking in, or like it’s a TV show I’m watching but missed a large chunk of it. “How are you feeling, dear? You gave us quite a scare last night.”
“I did?”
The Arrangement Duet Box Set Page 20