Page 93 of Not You Again
“The show—”
“I don’t give a damn about the show!” Her declaration ricochets off the walls of the entryway. Her shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath. She looks me in the eyes. “This is more important.”
“You’ll have a chance to talk on decision day,” Cassidy says, holding the apartment door open.
Andie looks at me again. “Kit, please.”
I don’t know what else there is to say to each other at this point. She wants me to stay in Atlanta. She knows I can’t. Not if I’m going to take care of my mom the way she needs me to.
Andie said she loves me, but when I asked her point blank about decision day, she couldn’t admit she wanted to stay with me. What’s left to say?
Quietly, I tell her, “You should go.”
The noise that leaves her can only be described as a squeak. Her face is sheet white as Cassidy ushers her into the hallway. My heart sinks to the floorboards, and the air in my lungs comes out in a whoosh.
At Dr. Leon’s questioning look, I say, “We had a bit of a disagreement last night. Time apart might help.”
He nods knowingly. Both he and Petra shift in their seats before getting down to business, asking their probing questions I don’t have answers for.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINEANDIE
I’m not exactly sure how I ended up here, standing outside the door to Maureen’s hospital room. After Kit dismissed me from our apartment after I begged him to buck the show and talk to me, Cassidy led me to my car, reminding me that I’m not allowed to contact Kit. At all. No texts. No phone calls. No emails. No goddamn carrier pigeons, either.
But he’s busy at the apartment filming, and my sleep-deprived brain led me here.
“Hey, Andie,” the man from yesterday—he’s a nurse, his name tag says Cody—smiles as he greets me. “It’s good to see you back.”
“Yeah.” I choke on the word, wringing my purse strap in my hands.
“Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
“I will.” I force a smile as he heads down the hall. Because I don’t want another nurse to recognize me, I knock on the doorframe to Maureen’s room.
She looks at me, and a smile nearly splits her face in two. I don’t deserve it. She clicks off the TV. “Andie! How are you?”
I shrug and pull up a chair. “How are you? How’s your hip?”
“I had a rod put in it.” She pats the offending hip. “Hurts like hell right now, but they assure me it will be good as new in a few weeks.”
“Good.” I nod, swallowing the emotion I can’t keep from rising in my throat.
“What’s eating you?” Maureen asks, her brows furrowing.
I sniff and wipe my nose with my sweatshirt sleeve. “I probably shouldn’t be here, but I wanted to see you and make sure you were okay.” It’s partially true, at least.
“I know you and Kit fought last night.” She rests her hand on mine.
“You do?”
“Even if he hadn’t come in here sulking, the nurses gossip like it’s what they’re paid for.” She offers me a smile.
“I’m sorry.” I can’t look her in the eye. “I shouldn’t have left without saying goodbye last night. I was just … overwhelmed, and Kit didn’t want me here.”
She shakes her head. “An utter nincompoop.”
That makes me smile. “He can be, definitely.”
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Maureen shifts in bed to face me, “what did you two fight about?”