Braydon (Alluring Indulgence #6)(93)
Author: Nicole Edwards

“Sure,” she told him. She didn’t bother to say that she would pretty much say yes to anything he suggested if she could have the opportunity to see him. “Did you have a place in mind?”

“Not really, but we’ll figure it out. Where’re you at?”

“On my way home. I should be there in about ten minutes,” she informed him, coming to a stop at the stop sign in the middle of town.

“I’ve got to shower, but then I’ll meet you there.”

“Okay.”

Jessie disconnected the call and tossed her phone in her purse. It was early for dinner, but she had skipped lunch because Kylie was too excited about the new job for them to even stop and take a break, so she was starving.

After they had arrived at the old Victorian house, Kylie had called Cheyenne and for almost an hour, they’d walked through the entire house, going over details with Cheyenne on the phone. Jessie had finally suggested they use video chat so Cheyenne could see what Kylie was talking about because the constant detailed explanations had gotten old fast. That had probably saved them another hour. After Jessie had jotted down at least three pages of notes, Kylie and Cheyenne had agreed to meet the next time Cheyenne was in town. According to the superstar’s schedule, that wasn’t going to be for at least three weeks.

That hadn’t stopped Kylie from putting a list of action items in order. Her theory was that she’d get the project all mapped out and the details sent to Cheyenne. She was hoping they could get started before Cheyenne could make the time to come back. It was either that or Kylie was going to have to take a job out of town, and she didn’t seem to want to be traveling much right now. Which was perfectly fine with Jessie, because, from a completely selfish perspective, she didn’t want Kylie to be gone right now, either. And when Kylie took jobs out of town, Jessie was almost always left to her own devices because her sister was generally accompanied by one of her husbands. They weren’t fond of her traveling either, but they seemed to understand.

Jessie arrived home in time to freshen up her makeup and change clothes. Forgoing the blue jeans and T-shirt she’d worn to work that morning, she opted for a skirt much like the one she’d had on just yesterday when she and Braydon had gone to the movie.

Wow. Had that been yesterday? It seemed like a lifetime ago.

A knock on her front door spurred a smile, and she made her way through the house, then opened the door to find Braydon standing there. He was rubbing his forehead as though he had a headache.

When he put his hand down and looked into her eyes, she saw the pain reflected there. This was a physical pain that she wasn’t used to seeing on his handsome face.

“Are you okay?” she asked, concerned.

“Headache,” he said softly. “Won’t go away.”

“Yet you want to take me to dinner?” she asked.

“We’ve got to eat, right?”

“Sure. But I happen to know how to cook.”

His eyes widened faintly as though he had no idea that was one of her specialties.

“Come in,” she encouraged him, stepping back out of the way so he could.

“Jess, it’s okay. Let’s go eat. I don’t want you to have to take care of me.”

“Shut it,” she remarked, gripping his wrist and pulling him toward the couch. “Sit. I’ll see what I’ve got.”

It didn’t take much to get him to drop down onto the cushion. With his eyes still studying her, Jessie smiled back at him. “I want to cook for you. How’s that?”

“It sounds like a total lie, but who am I to argue with a pretty lady?”

“Exactly.”

Jessie kicked off her shoes and made her way to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of ibuprofen and poured Braydon a glass of water before returning to his side. His head was leaning back on the couch cushion and his eyes were closed.

“Take these,” she whispered, not wanting to cause him any more pain.

He peeked open one eye and glanced at the bottle in her hand. Without an argument, he reached up and retrieved it from her and then took the water. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Take those, close your eyes, and I’ll wake you when dinner’s ready.”

Braydon smiled, but Jessie noticed it was forced. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him like this. Despite the fact that he was in pain, she actually liked the idea of taking care of him. At least for a little while. She didn’t usually have anyone but herself to take care of. Although these days, that was generally enough for her.

Twenty minutes later, Jessie dished up the stir-fry she’d thrown together. It was simple and light, consisting of an array of vegetables she’d picked up at the store along with some leftover chicken she had made last night when she got home, but hadn’t eaten. She knew that when she had a headache, eating was the last thing she worried about, but Braydon was probably starving, which meant he needed to eat.