“The future,” I repeated.
“With Royce. Do you picture a future with him?”
Uneasiness shifted through me. “Of course.” I definitely pictured Royce in my future. Why was she asking me that? Her serious expression was making me nervous. “Did I do something wrong?”
She sighed. “No. I just don’t want you to miss the signals.”
“Signals?”
“Yes. From Royce.”
I pressed my fingers to my throbbing temple. “I’m not sure what signals you mean.”
“Sorry.” She gave a sheepish laugh. “I should probably mind my own business. It’s just when Royce couldn’t find you, it really hit me hard how much he cares about you. I think he’d be lost without you.”
“Well… we… we love each other. I know that much.”
She smiled, looking pleased. “I’m glad to hear you say that.”
“Are you?”
She shrugged. “You don’t always express yourself well. Royce is a traditional kind of guy. He’ll want traditional stuff with you.”
“What does that mean exactly?”
“You know, just the normal stuff.”
“Normal…” Did she mean marriage and kids? God, I wasn’t ready for those things just yet. I knew Royce wanted a family one day, but he certainly never pushed the idea. Not to me anyway. Did he talk about that stuff with other people? Was that why she was bringing it up?
She laughed gruffly. “You look terrified. I’ll shut up now.”
“I… I think Royce and I are doing fine.”
“I’m sure you are.” She sighed, still studying me with that odd expression.
Gritting my teeth, I said, “I definitely see a future with Royce, but we’re taking our time. He seems fine with moving slowly.”
“Absolutely.”
I frowned. “Are you just pacifying me now?”
She grimaced sheepishly. “No, but it simply occurred to me I’m out of line. Seeing how tortured Royce was when you were missing, it got me thinking about stuff. But to be honest, it’s none of my business.”
“I see.” I couldn’t tell if she was backpedaling because she’d really thought better of butting in or if my reaction was the reason she’d pulled back.
She brightened. “Now, let’s talk about your new place. It’s so exciting.”
“Uh… yes…”
“I ordered the cardiograph you wanted and the defibrillator you had your eye on. I called Miles at Rocky Construction, and he’s ready to remove the dental equipment from the building when escrow closes. Happy Smile is thrilled to take them off your hands.”
“That’s great.” Her perkiness seemed forced, which was making my headache worse. I stood and took my empty bowl to the sink. “My head is killing me. I think I’ll go lie down.”
“Oh, of course.” She bit her lip. “Sorry. Of course you need more rest. You’ve been through so much.”
“I’ll be fine. We can talk more about the new place once I’m feeling stronger.” I forced a smile because I didn’t want her to feel bad. While I was puzzled by why she’d brought up all that stuff about Royce, I knew she meant well.
She surprised me when she moved to hug me. I hugged her back awkwardly, patting her shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re safely home, Maxwell.” Her voice wobbled. “I’m sorry if I upset you earlier.”
