Chapter 14
Karly
I woke up with Alexis curled up next to me. She must’ve seen the reading lamp on when she’d gotten up in the middle of the night. Her arms hugged my waist, and I could hear that her chest wasn’t totally clear by listening to her breathing. There was a crackle in her lungs.
There was no way I could get up without waking her. Her hair was strewn around my neck, and her grip was quite tight. I would need to wake her so I could get up and set the day in motion.
“Alexis. Hey, sweetie, I need to get up now and make some breakfast.” I paused. There was a little groan. “Alexis, wakey-wakey, sweetie.”
She gripped me tighter, and then she rolled backward. “Is it kindy today?” she asked, spluttering a phlegm-filled cough.
“No, sweetie. You still need a few more days to get better.” I hopped up and gave her a warm smile. I needed to go to the bathroom and make myself look half decent. “I’m going to be back in a minute. I just need to go to the bathroom, and then we’ll get you sorted.”
“Okay.”
Her cute little eyes looked puffy and swollen. It seemed she was worse today than the day before, and I was definitely feeling for her. I didn’t like that she was sick. I grabbed my bag and made myself look as presentable as possible in the bathroom mirror. I finger-brushed my teeth, added a hint of mascara, a quick addition of blush and rouge, and some lip gloss to finish it all off. I brushed my hair and then went to get the cough syrup for Alexis.
As I measured the cup in the kitchen, she sat with Clara on the living room couch. She quickly turned her sitting position into a lying down one, and I knew the cold was really taking its toll.
“Here you go. Have this, and then I’ll make you some toast with butter and honey. My mom used to do that for me when I had a cold. She said there was magic in the honey.”
Alexis sat up slowly. “From the bees?” she asked curiously.
“I guess so. I think they know just how to make it perfect so it can fix us.”
“Well, I want to be fixed up real quick. Clara said she’s unhappy about my coughing.”
“Did she?”
“Uh-huh. She said the other dolls in my room caught it too. Some of them can’t even count to ten anymore, and that’s not good. Numbers are portant.”
“Tell Clara that the word she wants is important. Numbers are important.”
“I will. I wanna watch Dora now, please.”
I made her toast and brewed the coffee. I knew Damon would be up soon enough, so I got breakfast ready. He liked his eggs with a runny yolk. He also liked some parsley and pepper on them with French toast underneath.
As he walked into the kitchen, he gave me a perfect smile. His eyes were doing that thing they did when he looked at my body in awe. He had a way of doing that, devouring me with his wild eyes. I blushed as he winked at me. God, he looked so good in his crisp white shirt. His tie had a paisley pattern set in blue hues, and his suit pants sat well on his gorgeous physique. My mind wandered as I cooked our breakfast.
“How is Alexis?” he asked, sitting at the table with his fresh cup of coffee.
“She’s actually worse today. I woke up with her in the guest room.”
“Oh, really?” He smiled. “I think it would have been a lot worse if you weren’t here, Karly. Thank you. Would you mind staying again tonight?”
“No. Of course not. I’m happy to. She’s at the worst part of it at the moment. She needs loads of rest and lots of cuddles.”
He smiled as I placed his breakfast down in front of him. Mine was ready, too, so we sat and watched Alexis, who was lying down with Clara and watching cartoons on the TV.
“Um, I might need to ask my friend to drop some clothes and toiletries here. Would that be all right with you?”
“Sure. Anything you need. I really appreciate you helping us out. Alexis really looks up to you. Thank you.”
After Damon left with a wink and a kind smile, I found myself checking on Alexis. She was half-playing with Clara and the other dolls.
I called Sarah. “Hey, you! How’s my favorite girlfriend?” she asked.
“Not too bad. I need a huge favor when you get a chance. Can you please go to my apartment and bring me some pajamas, toiletries, and two pairs of casual clothes? Alexis is really unwell, and I can’t leave here at the moment.”
“Of course. I can take a half day off today. Hank owes me some time anyway. I’ve been doing some crazy hours over the past month.”