Parker's Island (27 page)

“You ne
ed to sleep, you look exhausted,
”
h
e said
,
reaching out to touch my cheek,
but
then changed his mind.

“Don’t you want to know?”

“Not tonight.  I’m just happy you’re here.  We’ll deal with whatever it is tomorrow,
a
fter you’ve slept and eaten
again
.  You’re so thin.”
  This time he did touch my cheek, with the back of his hand.  He noti
ced me tremble.  “Are you still
c
ol
d?” 

“No
,
” I said
,
embarrassed by the reaction he was so easily able to provoke in me with one simple touch.
  I started feeling sick again, so I quietly excused myself, walked into the furthest bathroom from the living room so he wouldn’t be able to hear me vomit.  I closed the door and stood over the toilet
waiting for the inevitable.  I didn’t have to wait long.  At least I had something in my stomach to throw up that time.

I headed back to the living room, pale and clammy and sat down next to Logan.

“You should go to bed now. 
You look like you’re not feeling well.
Whatever it is can wait until the morning.
             
Is there…anyone you need to call?”

“No
,”
I said
,
closing my eyes,
seeing Brian sitting at that table, the way I left him, heartbroken and crying.

“
It’s getting pretty late. 
I think you should have everything you need
.  There are towels and wa
sh
…
”
b
ut it was too late, he looked over at me and I was already asleep.

I woke up hours later as the sun streamed through
the
window.  “Good morning
,
” Logan said.

I looked around and realized my head was on his lap and he had draped a blanket over me.  I sat up, embarrassed
,
“I’m sorry
.
I guess I fell asleep.”

“You needed
to sleep
.”

“Um, what time is it?”

“1
0
:30.”

“
Oh no.  Have I kept you from…
?
”

“From what?  I had nothing better to do last night than to watch you sleep.  Why don’t you get cleaned up and I’ll fix you some breakfast
?
”
h
e smiled that gorgeous smile.

“No, let me cook for you this time.  I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Delaney, go get cleaned up.  I’ll cook breakfast.  You can take care of dinner
,” h
e smiled, as i
f
to say he knew I planned on staying for a while. 

I noticed
that
he didn’t seem upset about
my being
t
here,
but I
also
knew that
my being
t
here could cause him trouble
, and I didn’t want t
hat
.

I showered and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.  When my hair was
mostly
dry and somewhat presentable
,
I made my way to the kitchen. 

I caught my breath at the sight of him again; so perfect, that blonde hair, those piercing blue eyes, that incredible smile.  He only had to stand there and my heart
pounded
in my chest.

“I guess you want to know why I’m here
?”
I said, still not exactly sure what I was going to tell him.

“After you eat,
”
h
e said, setting a plate down on the table in front of me.

The smell of the eggs instantly turned my stomach and I could barely force a single bite down.

“Aren’t you hungry?”
Logan asked.

“Not really.  I think I’m still full from last nights
’
dinner.  Thank you for that, by the way.”
  Hopefully he didn’t hear last night’s dinner come back up.

“Would you like to take a walk with me?
” h
e asked, sensing our conversation
w
ould be easier
for me
if I wasn’t staring right into his eyes;
those hypnotic eyes
.  He was right.

“Yes.  Let me do the dishes first
,
” I said
.  I stood
up
and was instantly dizzy
.

“They can w
ait.  Let’s go…
”
bu
t I was struck by another wave of nausea and I ran to the bathroom.

When I returned a few minutes later, looking even
paler
, he asked, “Are you okay?  You look like you feel terrible.”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

We headed to the beach and walked along the shore.  I was reminded once again of Brian. 
The last time I walked on this shore
I had been
with him. 
I couldn’t stop seeing the pain in his eyes.  My thoughts were interrupted
by Logan
.

“What are you running from
,
Delaney?”
h
e
asked.

“Things at home suddenly got very
…
complicated.  I had to leave.  I promise I won’t stay any longer than I have to.  I don’t want to cause you any trouble
.
I just didn’t know where else to go.”

“Are you going to tel
l me what got so complicated?” h
e asked, somehow
sensing that
I wasn’t.

“
Everything.”

He stopped then and turned to me.  “Delaney, whatever it is, you can’t run from it forever.  You can stay as long as you want, but eventually you’re going to have to face…whatever it is.”

“I know
, and thank you
,
” I said
sadly
, looking out at the ocean.

We just walked then, in silence. 

True to my word
,
I cooked dinner for the both of us.  “Where did you learn to cook like that?” Logan asked after dinner.

I had learned how to cook a few things from Brian’s mom.  My mom was awful in the kitchen
, but Christine was a wonderful cook.
 

I was determined not to lie to Logan.  I
knew I couldn’t tell him everything
, but I
refused
to lie to his face.
  I was done lying.

“Brian’s mom.”

“She must be some cook
,
”
h
e said, not asking for any other explanation.

“Yes, she is.”

“So, what would you like to do tonight?”
h
e asked.

“You don’t have to entertain me
,
Logan.  I know I’m not an invited guest.  I really appre
ciate you letting me stay until..
.”

“Until?”

“Until I figure out what to do.”

“Is this about Brian?”
h
e asked,
looking me in the eye.

“Yes…
and no.”

“I know I don’t have any right to ask, but I need to know.
  Do you love him?
”

“Yes
,
” I whispered.

“Then why are you here?”

“Because I don’t want to hurt him anymore
,
” I said as a single tear slid down my cheek.

He must have thought I had enough for one day, so he asked if I wanted to watch a movie.  “
I thought you weren’t much into movies?” I said, grinning.

“You don’t know how much I wanted to say yes to you that day.”

“Me too
, and a
movie
sounds nice.
  Thank you
,
” I said, knowing he was being very patient with me.

“What would you like to watch?”
h
e asked.

“Anything is fine
,
” I said, knowing that I probably wouldn’t be able to pay attention to anything but Logan
anyway.

“Why don’t you pick one out
;
as long as it’s PG.
  I wouldn’t want your parents to think I’m corrupting you
,
”
h
e grinned.

“What, you don’t have any Disney
films
?” I asked, smiling back.

“I’ll be right back.”

I put
a
movie on and then turned around, not sure where to sit.  The couch looked very inviting, but I didn’t want to make Logan uncomfortable.  I finally decided on a recliner next to the couch.  I found the right remote, and pushed pause until Logan came into the room. 

I could smell the popcorn long before I heard it popping.  I
t sent me
immediately running to the bathroom
.  I was
praying that if I couldn’t keep my dinner down, that I could at least vomit quietly.

Unfortunately, my dinner did come back up an
d
I doubt I was very quiet
.  I finished throwing up and then brushed my teeth, praying that Logan
hadn’t
hear
d
me.

I made my way back to the living room just as the phone rang. 

“Hello
,
” Logan said.

He looked over at me
for a minute
, and then
finally
said, “Yes.”

I didn’t
know what the call was about, but I knew it wasn’t
any of
my business, so I sat down on the couch.

“Where’s the popcorn?” I asked, praying that I could
actually
stomach it.

“I burned it.  I do it every time I make it.  Sorry.  Would you like me to try again?”

“No, I’m still full from dinner.  But thanks anyway.  Are you ready for the movie?  I
thought we could wat
c
h
…”

“
Delaney
,
that
was Brian on the phone.”

“Oh
,”
I was frozen.

“
He knew you were here.
  I didn’t tell him.
”

“What did he say?” I asked, not really wanting to know.

“
He asked me if you were
safe
.
”

“That’s all?”
I aske
d, starting to shake.

“Yes, and then he hung up.  I
just
thought you should know.”

“Thank you.” 

I was
still
shaking by the time the movie started and Logan pulled a blanket down over my shoulders.  We didn’t talk
during
the movie and a
fter a short time
, I said I was really tired and needed to go to bed.  I was afraid I was going to break down again and I didn’t want to do it in front of Logan.

“Goodnight
,
Delaney.  I’m here if you need me.”

“Thank you.”

I turned and headed into the bedroom
with Duchess at my heels
.  I barely closed the door before the tears started.  How could I think Brian wouldn’t
figure it out?
How could I be so stupid?  Of course he
knew
I would come here
.  H
e thinks Logan is the
baby’s
father. 

I put on my nightgown and crawled into bed.  Duchess stood next to the bed, obviously waiting for an invitation.  “Come on girl, come lay with me
,
” I said, patting
the bed.  She didn’t wait long, she jumped up on the bed and quickly
laid
down next to me and put her head on my chest. 

I don’t know if it was the jostling of the bed from Duchess, or the faint smell of popcorn still in the air, but suddenly I was once again running to the bathroom.  I was tired and weak and
all of
the vomiting was taking every ounce of my strength.  I had nothing left in my stomach, yet the heaving continued.  I was exhausted and unable to move
. 
I finally
just gave in
,
closed my eyes
and curled up on the bathroom floor.