“All right. I’m sorry to bother you.” I turned away and nearly smacked into Devon.
His brows dipped into a concerned frown. “You all right, Boss? You seem out of it.”
I laughed at his phrase. “You mean since I vanished for almost two weeks? Yeah, I’m fine. Mostly. I think. Hell, I don’t know.”
“That was about as clear as mud. Wanna talk about it?”
“Yes. No. Honestly, I don’t even know what to talk about, or how to begin talking about it.”
Devon nodded sagely. “Does it have anything to do with Pippa’s ongoing bug and frequent trips to the bathroom? The way she holds her breath in the kitchen or breathes through her mouth when she thinks no one is paying attention?”
I frowned, because I didn’t know what the hell any of that meant.
Devon let out a low, half-amused laugh. “Morning sickness, Ryan.”
Oh. Right. “Yeah then, I guess maybe it does.” I looked back at the closed door and shook my head. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’d better talk to her before I talk to anyone else.”
“I’m here if you want to talk, but it seems to me as if your brothers and sister already know.”
“What? How?”
Devon flashed a sympathetic smile that made me feel like a pathetic old man. “You should talk to them. After you talk to Pippa.” Devon gave my shoulder a supportive squeeze and then walked away, leaving me alone with my thoughts which was a bad place to be.
I waited around all shift, chatting with customers who seemed to appreciate having an aging rock star pour their wine, catching up with people around town who dropped in for a steak and a beer, all the while just waiting for Pippa to give me the time of day. All through the closing procedures, she ran around checking and double checking every little detail before allowing servers, busboys, the bartender and kitchen staff leave for the night.
The restaurant had been empty for twenty minutes and still there was no sign of Pippa, and my efforts to respect her need for space went out the window. I unlocked the front door and went in search of the woman, promising myself I would give her a good talking to if she’d exited from the back door in an effort to avoid me. But I came to a stop just inside her office when I found her head resting on folded arms. She was sound asleep.
“Stubborn woman,” I grumbled and went around the desk to shut her laptop and gather her in my arms. If I let her, she would run herself into the ground out of spite alone.
She stirred in my arms while I locked up the restaurant and pushed at my chest. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m driving you home.”
“I can drive myself and I walked to work today.”
I balked at her words. “Are you out of your damn mind, woman? It’s late as hell, even in a small town that’s too late to walk home on your own.” Despite her sleepy, uncoordinated movements, I managed to get Pippa settled in the passenger seat with the belt locked at her hip. “You’re so exhausted you’d fall over before The Old Country House was out of sight.” I slammed the door and jogged around to the driver’s side with a smile because she was too tired to fight me.
“Yeah, I’m exhausted, but I haven’t lost all my senses,” she growled in my direction as I fired up the engine. “And the last thing I want or need is for you to carry me around like some stupid cave man.”
“Some might just see it as a man concerned about a woman he’s known his whole life, a pregnant woman working more hours than she should, I might add.”
She folded her arms and jutted her chin out defensively. “I work as long as needed to get the job done.”
“Well maybe I’ll have to force you to cut back.”
“Don’t even think of interfering in my job that way, Ryan. I mean it.”
I smiled at the sound of Pippa all riled up.
“What’s so damn funny?”
“You,” I answered and turned off the engine in front of her house. “You’re still sexy as hell when you’re fired up, angry and ready to argue.” Before she could say another word, I jumped from the truck and went around to grab her in my arms.
“Don’t say that and put me down, damn you.” She didn’t fight me on the walk up to the front door, just shoved the key in the lock and turned, allowing me to set her on the sofa.
“Why shouldn’t I say that? Nobody is sexier than you when you’re upset.”
Pippa let out an exhausted sigh and let herself sink into the sofa, propping her feet up on the coffee table. “Whatever, Ryan. You don’t have to stay, I’m tired and going to bed so you can…go.”