Which is a preposterously bad idea to begin with. I should have known. “Look, it’s a good thing, Vivian. I mean, I might not need an operation. Because I might be perfectly fine. In fact, that’s probably what’s going to happen. I should be just fine.”
Whew, good recovery. Not. OMG, just stop talking. I realize I’m rambling like a nutcase on a bender while she gently turns me around, walks me out of the building, and steers me into the parking lot. How did this even happen?
“Which car’s yours?” Vivian asks.
I point to my Civic.
The concerned look on her face is back. “Should I drive you home?”
“Oh no, I’ll be fine. Thanks for all your help.” I stand there. She stands there. It’s awkward and I swear I can literally hear the seconds ticking off on my watch. It feels like hours.
I wonder what Chase is doing and try to casually glance around, but I don’t see him.
And Vivian won’t leave, she just stands there with a hand on her hip and a raised eyebrow. So, I do the only thing that I can think to do.
I open the handle and get in the car. Knowing Chase is inside waiting. Knowing that the gas meter is on empty. Knowing that I don’t need an operation. Why am I so bad at this?
I wave. She waves. She stands there. With a resigned sigh I start the car.
“Oh wait,” Vivian shouts and runs over to the driver’s side window. “I want you to know that I organized a fundraiser. For your operation. Don’t you worry, everybody here is going to pitch in and make sure you’re okay.”
I roll down the window as fast as I can. “Wait, no, Vivian. That’s what I’m trying to tell you, I’m not going to need an operation. No operation. So please cancel the fundraiser thing and don’t go to any trouble. I promise if anything changes, I’ll let you know.”
“Oh, sweetie, you have to stay positive. Besides, it’s no trouble at all. I needed a cause to lean into. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s gotten very dull around here.”
Why is Vivian not listening to me? Squirming in my seat, I try to process which is worse. Vivian ignoring what I say about the surgery or her needing me to be at death’s door to not be bored. Or that Chase is off somewhere wondering what the fuck is going on.
Just when I start narrowing down the list of what I am more worried about while the car idles spewing out hot air since the air conditioning is turned off because I have almost no gas in my tank, the situation gets even worse. Which I honestly did not think was possible until I see Chase run out of the lobby and look in my direction.
“Kaylee, where are you going?” Chase yells across the parking lot.
Oh no.
Vivian turns to look at Chase, who, realizes his mistake. His face turns white for a moment. Then he turns and runs back into the building.
Great. That’s just perfect. “I gotta go,” I say to Vivian. Then, under her concerned and withering gaze, I put the car in gear, pull out of the lobby parking lot, and drive down the side street for almost a block. Where I get lucky because there’s an open parking space that I can pull into before I run out of gas.
I risk a quick glance around and see that the coast is clear. At least Vivian has gone back to wherever she came from.
Well, that could have gone better.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chase
Kaylee is driving me crazy. This is becoming so much more complicated than it needs to be. Now she’s pushing me down hallways and pretending she doesn’t know me?
It’s insulting. What the fuck? I’m a Covington. Nobody treats me this way. And then she walks straight out of the building without a word and drives off? What am I supposed to do, lurk around the hallway in the resort forever?
Following her out into the resort parking lot didn’t end well for either of us. A few minutes pass. Doubt washes over me. She is coming back, right? What if she doesn’t?
Now I’m kicking myself. I must be the dumbest guy alive. I already gave her the money. Of course she’s going to take it and run. She’s probably been waiting for the right moment.
I’ve made a huge mistake, and I’ll probably never see her again. The thought hits me harder than I expected.
I stand in the hallway feeling stupid. What am I still doing here? I decide to head back to my room.
That’s a better plan than hanging around here. My mind made up, I walk back out into the lobby. And straight into Kaylee, who yips in surprise. I nearly knock her over.
“Kaylee,” I say. I have half a mind to let her have it over the shoving and the leaving and the expecting me to lurk in hallways. “What the fuck?” I want to be even angrier, but despite it all, I’m so damned relieved that I was wrong. She came back.
Instead of apologizing, she shoves me back down the hallway. Then she turns her back to me while peeking around the corner at the rest of the lobby. I try to stay mad, but that ass poking out at me makes me hot all over again.
I remember last night. And this morning. And now she’s waggling it at me while studying the lobby, which when I checked a minute ago, was empty anyway.
I approach and tap her on the shoulder.
“What?” She doesn’t even glance back at me. But I need answers. Whatever this thing is that we’re doing, I guess
