She bobbed her head. After another spoonful, she swallowed her mother’s soup. Though she couldn’t enjoy the full taste, it warmed her chilled body.
“This says…” Allen picked up the over-the-counter medicine her mother bought. “Two every six hours.” He opened one packet and handed her two liquid gel pills.
Heather grabbed them from his hand, her fingers brushing against his skin. Directly meeting her eyes, Allen stared. Heather swallowed both pills, not breaking eye contact.
“Okay?” He tilted his head to the side.
She gave a faint smile and handed him her bowl. “Thank you.”
He took it just as Tinsel stood on his hind legs and rested his paws Allen’s thigh. He petted the dog and then stood to take her bowl to the kitchen.
“You’ll be okay until your mom gets back?” he asked.
“If not, I can call my sister.”
He walked back over, his eyes widening slightly.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I hate to leave you like this but—”
“Allen if you need to go, go. Thanks for what you did, even though you blackmailed me into it.”
He laughed and once again she stared.
Heather tucked a loose tendril behind her ear. “I should be okay for our next appointment.”
“If not, let me know. We can always reschedule. Get some rest.” He gestured to the door. “I’ll see myself out.”
Heather gave a slight wave, only to cover her face once he left.
Chapter 10
Her mother would kill her, but Heather took her time as she decorated her tree. She wouldn’t do too much. Besides, she recovered from her cold. Wanting another day to rest, she canceled her therapy appointment. Decorating her seven-and-a-half-foot tree in the corner of her living room, gave her something fun to do. Heather hung a Snoopy ornament, loving the green scarf around its neck. She loved the cartoon, It’s Christmastime Charlie Brown.
Then her doorbell rang. Her head jerked to the front door, and she checked her wristwatch. She didn’t plan on having visitors. Then her eyes widened. It couldn’t be, but staring out her window, she saw a familiar truck.
Why was Allen here? What was worse, he had his work bag with him. Though she didn’t enjoy being sick, at least it put some distance between them the last few days. On one hand, her heart perked seeing his face.
Heather opened the door. “What are you doing here?”
His eyebrows squished together. “Our session.”
She shook her head. ”No, I canceled today.” Heather then grabbed her phone to show her request within the app.
Allen leaned over to see, and she ignored the sensation of hair raising on her arms. This was why he needed to leave.
He then grabbed his phone. “No, I didn’t get that. Must be a glitch. We’ve been having some problems with it lately. I’ll inform my supervisor about it.”
Should she turn him away? Heather could keep her thoughts of him in check, right? “It’s fine.”
“What was your reason for canceling?” he asked.
“I… um… just scheduling.”
“You’re busy?”
“I still have a life. I’m not letting a knee sprain slow me down.”