There was no lying. “Yep. I don’t want to rush, but I’m telling myself if I’m feeling something, that I’m sick of being the person to hold back. Holding back hasn’t gotten me anywhere so far.”
“I’m so proud of you,” Kelsey said, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye. “Do you think he is feeling the same?”
“Yes,” she said. The way he kissed her and pulled her close to his body said that he was more than thrilled she brought up the question first.
That maybe he was trying to feel her out to see her reaction to him.
It was the first intimate contact between them.
And it was smooth as silk.
Easy as Sunday morning.
Sweet as cotton candy.
“I’m happy for you. Both of you. Ride that man into the sunset. You deserve it.” She was laughing when Kelsey’s phone dinged in her purse that was still on her shoulder. Her cousin had her jacket on too. She fished the phone out. “Oh. Brennan is sick.”
“He’s sick or Becca is?”
“He said he has the flu. He meant to text earlier but just woke up.”
“We texted yesterday afternoon when Becca was napping. He had said nothing to me.”
“Maybe it came on suddenly,” Kelsey said. “I’m going to pull up his schedule and just see if there is anything I have to take care of for him.”
Alana had her phone in her hand and debated reaching out.
Brennan had to know she’d find out. It wouldn’t be a secret.
Waiting served no purpose. Especially if he was up.
She sent a text that she’d just heard he had the flu and wanted to know if Becca was okay.
She didn’t get a reply right away, and put her phone down to start her day.
Twenty minutes later the text came in that he was sorry, he was throwing up and back in bed. Becca was with his mother and he hoped Alana felt fine.
She did. So whatever he had he must have caught after he was with her.
She told him to rest and she’d check in with him later.
At the end of the day, she hadn’t heard another word from him and was worried.
She ran to the store and bought Gatorade, some chicken soup, and crackers, then texted that she was going to leave him a care package on the back porch.
When she got out of the car, the front door opened. “Don’t come too close.”
“Whoa,” she said. “Casper has more color than you.”
His hair was sticking up in every direction imaginable. He was wrapped tight in a wool blanket with thick socks on his feet. Looked like he had gray sweats on. At least what was popping out of the cocoon of blankets.
“I just wanted to thank you. I’m not sure I can keep anything down or in me right now, but I appreciate you bringing it over. I ran out of Becca’s Pedialyte.”
She didn’t even think that he’d have that in the house.
“Are you sure you’re okay alone?” she asked. “Are you running a fever?”
“I was, but I’ve been taking stuff. Not sure what it is now.”
