Page 91 of Not You Again
With shaking hands, I pull one of the vinyl chairs over to her bedside. “We were about to start filming when Kit called, or I’d have been here sooner.”
“You’re right on time.” Maureen nods her chin toward the door, where someone in a black chef coat is bringing in a tray to set on the table beside her bed. The man who helped me earlier returns with a sandwich and soda for me. Never in my life have I been so grateful for PB&J and a Coke.
Maureen and I chat over our food about how my plans for Fashion Week are coming, and I ask her about the book she’s reading. I’m laughing at how the hero thought he could get rid of the heroine by telling her to shoot him if she didn’t like what he had to say—then she did—when I hear a familiar voice behind me.
“Andie. I didn’t expect you to be here.”
“Of course she came.” Maureen waves off the suggestion that I wouldn’t have come. Maybe she can talk some sense into her son.
I flash Kit a smile, hoping if he sees that Maureen is fine with this, he should be too. “We’ve just been having dinner and catching up. I’ve got some sandwich left if you’re hungry.”
He sets his messenger bag down on a chair in the corner of the room. “I’m not hungry.”
“Is that coffee going to be enough for the night?” I eye the paper cup in his hand.
“I’ll be fine.” He sets the coffee down too. “Andie, can I talk to you for a minute? Privately.”
“Oh.” I put down my sandwich on the table I’m sharing with Maureen. “I’ll be back.”
She waves us out the door. “Take your time.”
Once we’re both in the hallway, Kit drags his hands through his hair. “What are you doing here?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Your mom is in the hospital. Of course I’m here.”
“I told you not to come.” The words grit out lower and angrier than I expect. He balls his hands into fists at his sides.
I frown, unsure why he’s this angry. “You sound upset.”
“I am upset.” He shifts on his feet. “Did you at least stay to film?”
“No.” My brows draw together. I echo what Steve said to get Cassidy to let me go. “This is an emergency. There’s no way I could film instead of being here with you.”
“Dammit, Andie.” He drags his hands down his face and turns away. His shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath before he faces me again. “We could be in breach of contract for this.”
I nod. “I know.”
“Then why did you come here?” he demands, his voice stretched thin with desperation.
“Gee, I don’t know, Kit.” I throw my arms out in frustration. How unbelievably dense is this man? “Maybe because you needed me. Maybe because I care about your mom, too.”
“I told you I had it handled.” He says it through his teeth. Now I’m angry too.
“Right.” I pace on the linoleum, heat rising in my cheeks. “You handle everything. You hire a home nurse for your mom, and you offer Jamie money to help me because I can’t afford to pay him.”
“You need the help,” he insists, hands on his hips. “I can pay him. It’s a win-win.”
“It’s not a win-win.” I whirl around to glare at him. “Aside from the fact that I explicitly told you I didn’t want your help with my business, did it occur to you what you’re doing to us?”
His eyebrows shoot up. “Us?”
“Me and your mom.” I wave an arm back at Maureen’s room.
“What am I doing, Andie?” His voice is loud enough that a couple of heads turn toward us as we argue. That’s nothing new. We’ve had an audience with the camera crew for long enough to be numb to it. “Please, enlighten me.”
“You’re setting yourself up to run away again.” I set my jaw to stop the tears pricking the corners of my eyes. “You say you’re making sure we’re taken care of here while you’re away. But really, you can’t face being here when things get hard and scary. I’m not going to let you do that this time.”
“You won’t let me?” He takes a step closer to me, his arms crossed over his chest.