Ryan sat down on the couch beside her, setting a plate with reheated pizza slices on the table. “Eat.”
She picked up the spoon and ran it through the bowl. There were bite-size chunks of chicken and some veggies and rice in a dark, rich broth. She wished she could smell it. Then she took a bite, flavor exploded in her mouth and her eyes watered a little.
“Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you it has a little more bite than the average chicken soup.”
“What kind of spices does she use?”
“I don’t know, but it’s delicious. And keep those tissues close, because it won’t be long before your sinuses start breaking loose.”
“Oh, that’s sexy,” she muttered.
He eyed the outfit again. “Were you going for that?”
She gave a short laugh and then dug into the soup again. He was right. After the initial shock faded, it really was delicious.
“So how come you didn’t call me? I had no idea you were sick, and you know I would have given Nick a ride home.”
“I know, but you’re trying to get the roof done and I didn’t want to be a bother.”
“That’s pretty lame.”
“You can’t be mean to me right now. I’m sick.”
“Which I found out when your ex-husband showed up in my driveway.”
She winced. “I honestly didn’t think he’d call Dean. After he called me and told me he did, I was going to call and give you a heads-up, but I think I fell asleep. He seemed okay, though. Dean, I mean. He even apologized for acting like a jerk the day he brought Nick home early.”
“We talked a little. Enough.”
That was good. It made things a bit less awkward, at least. “I mostly didn’t call you because I knew you’d come running over, just because you’re that kind of guy, and I didn’t want you to see me like this. Not exactly a fun, sexy look.”
He had the nerve to chuckle at her. “It’s not as fun and sexy a look as the underwear you wore to the wedding, but it takes more than a stuffy nose to run me off. I’m that kind of guy.”
She was surprised when she looked down and her bowl was empty. “That was delicious.”
“There’s more in the tub for tomorrow night if you still feel crappy. Never have seconds, though. Whatever she puts in it will knock the hell out of the cold, but too much will eat up your stomach.”
She could already feel her stuffy nose transitioning to a runny nose, and she curled back up on the couch with her blanket and box of tissues.
When she looked at his plate, she laughed. There was nothing left but a little pile of mushrooms. “Not a fan of mushrooms, huh?”
“No, but I’m a big enough fan of pepperoni to pick the mushrooms off.”
“Oh, it’s almost time for Survivor,” she said, noticing the time. “I have to tell Nick. We never miss it.”
“I’ll get him.”
She watched him walk down the hall and knock on Nick’s door. “Your mom said it’s almost time for Survivor.”
“I’m coming!” he yelled back.
“He’s coming,” Ryan told her as he sat back down on the couch.
When he lifted her feet and set them on his lap so he could lean back, she smiled to herself and dug the remote out from under the blanket so she could put the TV on the right channel.
“Do you watch this?” Nick asked Ryan when he’d dropped into the easy chair.
“When I get a chance. I haven’t seen much of this season because I have a lot of paperwork and stuff to do for my office after I’m done working on the lodge. But I’ve seen a few.”
“Did you see the one where...”
Lauren tuned them out and blinked bleary-eyed at the television. There was less pressure in her sinuses and she wasn’t comfortable, but she wasn’t quite as miserable as she’d been. Especially with Ryan’s thumb rubbing the bottom of her foot.
She managed to stay focused on the first challenge, mostly because Ryan and Nick liked two totally opposing players and there was much shouting and trash-talking in her living room. But eventually their voices blended with the voices on the television and she started drifting in and out.
One of the times she drifted in, she found herself in Ryan’s arms as he carried her toward her bedroom. She smiled and nestled closer to his chest.
“Be still. I’m trying not to drop you or bash your head on the doorjamb.”
He got her to her bed without causing her injury, though, and waited for Nick to turn down the covers. Once he’d gotten her tucked in, he kissed her forehead. “I’ll call you tomorrow and check on you.”
“Okay.”
“’Night, hon,” Ryan said.
“Good night, Mom,” Nick echoed.
Lauren smiled and drifted back out.
*
Rose’s miracle chicken soup must have been exactly that, because by Wednesday she felt better enough to pick Nick up at the lodge herself. She didn’t see Ryan when she got out of the car, so she waved to the guys on the roof and to Nick, who was painting the trim on the barn’s windows and door, and went inside to say hi to Rose.