gasping for breath, and Kallie was standing next to the bed. “Hey, are you okay?” she asked Nicole, alarmed.
“Yes. Just had a nightmare.” Nicole slid up in bed to a sitting position.
“I came in to see if you wanted another glass of water.”
“Yes, please.”
Kallie grabbed the empty glass from the bedside table. She returned a few minutes later. “Red’s downstairs in his office doing some work. He told me to let you know that he was around if you need him.”
“I’m sorry you ended up having to babysit me today,” Nicole said, taking the fresh glass of water and drinking gratefully from it. “This wasn’t planned, just so you know.”
Kallie laughed. “I’m happy to help out. After all, if you hadn’t come and picked me up the other day, I’d probably still be wandering the mean streets of East Hampton right now.”
“You’ve more than made up for it, Kallie. I really appreciate your kindness.”
Kallie looked down at her. “Same here. You’ve been kind of like a sister to me.”
The admission seemed to embarrass her. “Sorry, I get super cheesy and emotional sometimes. I didn’t mean to go all dramatic on you.”
Nicole laughed. “I never had a sister either, so…maybe it’s good fortune we met when we did.”
Shortly after Kallie left the room, Red came in carrying his laptop and some files.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he said, grinning.
“This looks official,” Nicole said, as he put the stuff down on the bed and leaned in to kiss her.
“It is. Very official business. I realized that I actually do need to get some work done while we’re here, but I also want to be with my wife. This is what’s called a good old-fashioned compromise.” He pulled himself up to the headboard and sat with his back against it, the computer propped up on his lap.
“That looks like fun.”
He glanced at her. “Do you need anything?” He peered over and saw that she had a full glass of water. “Hungry?”
“I think Kallie’s going to fix dinner soon.”
He whistled through his teeth. “She’s really running a tight ship around here. I have to say, I’m kind of impressed.”
Nicole nodded. “It’s like she anticipates my every need. She’s so helpful and sweet and—“
“And maybe she should stay on for awhile,” Red finished.
Nicole looked over at him. “I thought you said having her around was a bad idea.”
“I’ve been wrong before,” he replied, pecking away at his laptop.
It was funny how slow he typed for a man of his abilities and achievements.
Nicole found it rather adorable.
“You’ve been wrong before? You don’t say.”
“I do. I do say, actually.” He smiled at her. “What do you think about it?”
“About Kallie staying on to be my nurse maid?”
Red laughed. “About her staying on to help out around here while you recover.
She’s doing a good job so far and, frankly, we could use the assistance. Work’s picking up and I don’t like the idea of not being able to give you the care you need.”
Nicole sighed. “I’m fine, Red.”
He just looked at her. They both knew she wasn’t fine.
“Well, what do you think?”
“It’s a good idea. We can pay her and give her a place to live and maybe it will allow her to continue on in New York, instead of being forced to go back home.”
“Then it’s settled,” he said.
“First, we check and see if she even wants to stay on.”
“Oh, right. I forgot.” He began pecking away at his keyboard.
***
Kallie hadn’t been able to get Hunter Reardon out of her mind. Even now, as she started prepping for the Chicken Piccata she was making for dinner, she kept thinking back to last night.
The way he’d looked at her, the way he’d touched her. It was real, wasn’t it? It wasn’t just her imagination.
She seasoned the chicken breasts liberally with salt and pepper and dredged them in flour. Then she paused to return to her memory of the pool, the feeling of his hands on her thighs, the
“Yes. Just had a nightmare.” Nicole slid up in bed to a sitting position.
“I came in to see if you wanted another glass of water.”
“Yes, please.”
Kallie grabbed the empty glass from the bedside table. She returned a few minutes later. “Red’s downstairs in his office doing some work. He told me to let you know that he was around if you need him.”
“I’m sorry you ended up having to babysit me today,” Nicole said, taking the fresh glass of water and drinking gratefully from it. “This wasn’t planned, just so you know.”
Kallie laughed. “I’m happy to help out. After all, if you hadn’t come and picked me up the other day, I’d probably still be wandering the mean streets of East Hampton right now.”
“You’ve more than made up for it, Kallie. I really appreciate your kindness.”
Kallie looked down at her. “Same here. You’ve been kind of like a sister to me.”
The admission seemed to embarrass her. “Sorry, I get super cheesy and emotional sometimes. I didn’t mean to go all dramatic on you.”
Nicole laughed. “I never had a sister either, so…maybe it’s good fortune we met when we did.”
Shortly after Kallie left the room, Red came in carrying his laptop and some files.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he said, grinning.
“This looks official,” Nicole said, as he put the stuff down on the bed and leaned in to kiss her.
“It is. Very official business. I realized that I actually do need to get some work done while we’re here, but I also want to be with my wife. This is what’s called a good old-fashioned compromise.” He pulled himself up to the headboard and sat with his back against it, the computer propped up on his lap.
“That looks like fun.”
He glanced at her. “Do you need anything?” He peered over and saw that she had a full glass of water. “Hungry?”
“I think Kallie’s going to fix dinner soon.”
He whistled through his teeth. “She’s really running a tight ship around here. I have to say, I’m kind of impressed.”
Nicole nodded. “It’s like she anticipates my every need. She’s so helpful and sweet and—“
“And maybe she should stay on for awhile,” Red finished.
Nicole looked over at him. “I thought you said having her around was a bad idea.”
“I’ve been wrong before,” he replied, pecking away at his laptop.
It was funny how slow he typed for a man of his abilities and achievements.
Nicole found it rather adorable.
“You’ve been wrong before? You don’t say.”
“I do. I do say, actually.” He smiled at her. “What do you think about it?”
“About Kallie staying on to be my nurse maid?”
Red laughed. “About her staying on to help out around here while you recover.
She’s doing a good job so far and, frankly, we could use the assistance. Work’s picking up and I don’t like the idea of not being able to give you the care you need.”
Nicole sighed. “I’m fine, Red.”
He just looked at her. They both knew she wasn’t fine.
“Well, what do you think?”
“It’s a good idea. We can pay her and give her a place to live and maybe it will allow her to continue on in New York, instead of being forced to go back home.”
“Then it’s settled,” he said.
“First, we check and see if she even wants to stay on.”
“Oh, right. I forgot.” He began pecking away at his keyboard.
***
Kallie hadn’t been able to get Hunter Reardon out of her mind. Even now, as she started prepping for the Chicken Piccata she was making for dinner, she kept thinking back to last night.
The way he’d looked at her, the way he’d touched her. It was real, wasn’t it? It wasn’t just her imagination.
She seasoned the chicken breasts liberally with salt and pepper and dredged them in flour. Then she paused to return to her memory of the pool, the feeling of his hands on her thighs, the
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