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“Thank you, Doctor.”
Ricky chuckled. “Mom says you need to drink lots of water when you’re sick.” He delivered a glass to her with instructions. “Drink it all.”
Sage did as she was told, groaned, and lay flat out on the sofa. Ricky covered her with the afghan she’d wrapped around him the night before.
Erica called her mid-morning. “How’s Ricky?” she asked.
“Better than I am,” she grumbled. “My hope is that this is a twenty-four-hour bug.” She hated the thought of missing work.
“Can I bring you anything?” Erica asked.
“I could use some Pepto-Bismol.” Sage didn’t want to trouble her friend, but her medicine cabinet was embarrassingly bare. “And children’s aspirin, too, plus a thermometer.”
“You got it.”
“Thanks, Erica, you’re the best.”
“Call if you need anything else.”
“Will do,” Sage told her. She felt dreadful.
Ricky was an attentive caregiver and enjoyed watching television. Sage was half asleep and awoke to the doorbell.
“Should I answer the door, Auntie Sage?” he asked.
“I should do it.” Every bone in her body ached as she rolled off the sofa and gallantly made her way to the front door with the afghan wrapped around her shoulders. She looked dreadful. Her shoulder-length hair looked like she’d been caught in a whirlwind. She must have drooled while asleep, as the side of her face was wet and sticky. Yuck.
“It’s likely Erica,” she told Ricky.
Only it wasn’t.
Instead, Ethan Cornwell stood on the other side of the door with a pharmacy sack in one hand and a container of what looked like chicken noodle soup in the other.
Chapter Six
Horrified that Ethan would see her in such a state, Sage panicked, grabbed the medication and the soup, then abruptly closed the door.
In his face.
Instantly she regretted her rudeness and flung it back open to discover him standing there with a wide-eyed look of shock.
“I’m so sorry,” she muttered. “That was terribly rude of me.”
“Are you okay?” His expression was full of concern.
“Yes…no. The truth is, I’ve been better.” It mortified her that he would see her in this condition. Her tangled hair fell over her face and she was convinced her cheek was smashed in on one side where the drool had leaked out while she’d slept.
“When you didn’t show up for work, I asked Erica and she said you were sick and needed a few supplies. I know you made it clear you’d rather not see me right now and that I might be stepping over the line.”
“It was thoughtful of you. I apologize for being such a jerk.”
“I hope you feel better soon.”
“Me, too. Thanks again,” she said, holding up the wraparound afghan with one hand and the bag in the other. She offered him a weak smile. Her resolve weakened, knowing he’d taken the time out of his day to bring her the items she requested from Erica.
“Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Will do.” But she wouldn’t, and she’d have something to say to Erica when she returned to the office. This wasn’t the first time her assistant had played matchmaker between Sage and Ethan.
