Part 10 (2/2)

Rosalie finished the treatment and immediately fell asleep. The medicine worked wonders. Her breathing seemed softer now, quieter, but he still decided to keep her propped up. Mona had said it would help. He stood and returned to the kitchen to get something to eat, grateful that Mona brought over so many groceries, he could cook enough to feed himself, Rosalie, and ten of his closest friends.

After heating up the lasagna he'd made earlier, he sat down just as the cell phone in Rosalie's purse started ringing. He took a bite and burned his mouth. A few minutes later, her landline rang. Nick didn't want to answer it, but he didn't want it to wake Rosalie, either. The machine picked up.

”Rosalie, where the h.e.l.l are you? Ma's already p.i.s.sed as h.e.l.l and making my life miserable, since you flushed your last hope of marriage down the proverbial toilet. Now you're skipping out on Sunday dinner? You better be dead, or you'll wish you were. She's...”

Nick picked up the telephone. ”h.e.l.lo?”

”Who's this? Where's Rosalie?”

”Hi, I'm Nick-and you are... ?”

”Rosalie's sister, Annabelle.”

'Annabelle, Lee's here. She's sick in bed and won't be able to come to dinner.”

”Lee? Rosalie Rosalie doesn't get sick. Let me speak to her.” doesn't get sick. Let me speak to her.”

”I'm sorry, she's asleep. I'll have her call you the next time she wakes.”

”How do I know you're not some kind of ax murderer holding her hostage or something?”

”If I were, would I answer the phone?”

”Good point. Okay, so you're not an ax murderer. Who are you?” She paused for a moment, ”Oh, I know who you are.”

”You do?”

”Yeah, sure, you're the guy who went to Fiorentino's to buy breakfast two days after she dumped Joey Manetti. You're the rebound guy.”

”Excuse me?”

”Yeah, you're the guy she picked up to prove she could still... well, you know.”

”Listen, Annabelle, for your information, I asked Lee out before she broke up with the idiot she'd been seeing. I am not a rebound guy.”

”Sure. Whatever.”

”Annabelle, tell your mother that Rosalie's not feeling well, and she'll call her later in the week.”

”Fine, but Mama's gonna be p.i.s.sed that you're there, and Rosalie's in bed, and she wouldn't talk to me.”

”Then don't tell her. Say you called Rosalie, and she's sick. You don't even have to lie. Do your sister a favor, and don't tell your mother you spoke to me. Lee's feeling bad enough as it is. She doesn't need your mother coming down on her, too.”

”Okay, but you tell her she owes me.”

”Gee, Annabelle, you're all heart.” Nick hung up the phone and hoped Rosalie was adopted.

Rosalie's first thought when she awoke was why wasn't she sleeping alone? Her second thought was, who who was sleeping with her? She removed the hand that held her left breast-not through her s.h.i.+rt, either. And turned her head. Nick. Her brain began functioning, and it all came back... Nick dragging her to the hospital; Nurse Gus and Dr. Barbie; Nick carrying her to bed, forcing her to eat, making her do that awful nebulizer treatment every fifteen minutes, or at least, that's how it felt. Nick invading her life, spending the night, taking care of her-and Dave, the traitor. Oh, yeah, she remembered everything. was sleeping with her? She removed the hand that held her left breast-not through her s.h.i.+rt, either. And turned her head. Nick. Her brain began functioning, and it all came back... Nick dragging her to the hospital; Nurse Gus and Dr. Barbie; Nick carrying her to bed, forcing her to eat, making her do that awful nebulizer treatment every fifteen minutes, or at least, that's how it felt. Nick invading her life, spending the night, taking care of her-and Dave, the traitor. Oh, yeah, she remembered everything.

Nick's hand slid beneath her top again. The man was incorrigible, even in sleep. He did feel good cuddled against her, and at least he didn't snore. If he had, she'd have had to make him leave.

”I can hear you thinking.” His voice was gravelly with sleep and rumbled over her.

”Why are you here?”

”Why do you ask that every time you wake up?” ”Because I wonder why you're here every time I wake up.”

”We're on a date.” ”I canceled.”

”I never got the message.” ”Obviously.” ”Your fever's down.” ”How do you know?”

”I'm holding you, and you don't feel like a d.a.m.n radiator.”

”So that's why you're spooning me... ?” She reached back and touched nothing but his bare hip ”... naked? To check my temperature?”

”Would you believe me if I said yes?”

Rosalie would have laughed, if she hadn't started coughing. Nick tightened his hold on her. He splayed his hand over her chest, and the pressure actually made her feel a little better. Go figure.

”You poor baby.” He checked his watch. ”Yeah, it's that time again.” ”Oh, no, it's not.”

”Lee, don't you think it's a coincidence you wake up every four hours, right in time to do a breathing treatment? Think about it. You can't breathe, so you wake up. When you can breathe, you sleep. The only way either one of us is going to get any more sleep tonight is for you to do your breathing treatment.”

”You could always go home and sleep.”

”Lee...”

d.a.m.n. ”Fine, I'll do it, but only because I'm tired. Capisce?” ”Capisce.”

Rosalie woke alone and got out of bed in search of Nick. Her legs felt like lead as she shuffled down the hall.

Nick was in the kitchen tasting something over a large pot on the stove. He turned, and Rosalie almost laughed. He was wearing her Women Need Men Like Fish Need Bicycles He was wearing her Women Need Men Like Fish Need Bicycles ap.r.o.n. When he spotted her, he ripped the ap.r.o.n off as if he was embarra.s.sed and shoved it in the drawer behind him. ap.r.o.n. When he spotted her, he ripped the ap.r.o.n off as if he was embarra.s.sed and shoved it in the drawer behind him.

”I didn't know you cooked.”

”I don't.”

Rosalie made it to the stove and peeked into the pot. Red sauce bubbled over meatb.a.l.l.s, sausage, and braciole. ”It sure looks like cooking to me. You made braciole?”

Nick turned the cutest shade of red. ”Yeah, so?”

Rosalie tried not to laugh; she'd never seen Nick embarra.s.sed. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. ”Thanks.”

”Yeah, well. I need to eat, too, you know.” He sounded pacified. She hadn't meant to give him a hard time. Heck, she appreciated the effort. She'd never seen a guy cook on something that didn't require charcoal before-well, at least a guy who wasn't a chef. Actually, the whole cooking thing was s.e.xy in a Bobby Flay or Take Home Chefkinda Take Home Chefkinda way. Rosalie sometimes fantasized that the hot Aussie, Curtis somebody, the Take Home Chef, would run into her at the market and come back to her place to fix dinner. Then, she'd remember what a mess her apartment was and thank G.o.d he hadn't, because it would be so embarra.s.sing to have to get out of it on national TV. She supposed she could take him to her mother's but then her mother would wreck the whole show by telling him that he was doing everything wrong. way. Rosalie sometimes fantasized that the hot Aussie, Curtis somebody, the Take Home Chef, would run into her at the market and come back to her place to fix dinner. Then, she'd remember what a mess her apartment was and thank G.o.d he hadn't, because it would be so embarra.s.sing to have to get out of it on national TV. She supposed she could take him to her mother's but then her mother would wreck the whole show by telling him that he was doing everything wrong.

Rosalie shook her head and stepped away from Nick. ”Isn't it Tuesday? Don't you have to work?”

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