He turned to her. “Sorry—is it keeping you up?”
“No, it’s all right. Just wondering.”
Picking up the remote control from his bedside cabinet, he switched it off. The room became almost pitch black.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, eyes now shut. “I don’t mind. Honestly.”
“No, it’s all right. It’s not fair on you. You’re the one who has to work in the morning.”
“Thanks babe,” she said. “Goodnight. Will you close the bedroom door? It’s chilly in here tonight.”
Leaning over, he kissed her forehead. “Will do. Good night, hon. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
As he lay in the darkness, listening to Nicky’s gentle breathing as she slept beside him, he thought about work again. And then the fret of the new website launch returned as he stared up at the ceiling. What if it wasn’t ready on time? How much money would they lose? How was he ever going to relax with such a problem hanging over him? Why did he have to collapse? Couldn’t he have waited just a few more days? At least until the weekend? If he had had his funny turn on Saturday, he could have simply taken the Sunday to recover, and then be back in work by Monday—right as rain.
Damn his awful timing!
Now sleep seemed impossible as the minutes, turning into hours, passed by. All he could do was close his eyes and wait for morning. He hated feeling like this. He desperately wanted to go back to his usual routine, away from his house, away from boredom. God, what’s wrong with me? It’s only been two bloody days. Why can’t I just enjoy my time off? Why can’t I put work to one side and relax like an ordinary person? God! Get a grip, Gardener. Focus!
Turning onto his side to face the door, he noticed that it was still wide open. Groaning, he started to climb out of bed.
The door slammed shut with a loud thud.
Nicky jolted up in fright. “Jesus! What’s wrong with you? I was sleeping.”
“What do you mean?” Richard asked, his body clenched in fright. “It wasn’t me. It just slammed shut on its own.”
Nicky sighed as she lay back down, pulling the quilt up around her, clearly annoyed. “There’s probably a window open somewhere.”
Richard took a breath to steady his running heart, and then lay back down. He glanced at the door for a few seconds until finally closing his eyes.
As the minutes passed, tossing and turning, he tried to think of other things, like Nicky, and what to do tomorrow, or Saturday. But as TSH Computers continued to push its way back in, all he could think was, Only twelve more days to go. Only twelve more days to go. Only twelve more days to go…
Chapter 3
Day 3: Thursday
For the first time all week, Richard had managed to sleep until 9:45 a.m., missing Nicky’s departure for work. He didn’t mind; at least he had shaved off a few hours of another long and tedious day.
After breakfast, he decided to take his coffee outside to drink on the patio since the sun was out and the sky was clear. Placing his cup on the table, he sat, feeling a bit more positive about the day ahead. He loved the springtime, loved the warmth. Summer had been a washout the last two years, but April and May had almost never let him down.
Sipping his coffee, he gazed up at the blue sky. What shall I do today? Watch another movie? No, read a book out here, enjoy the sun. Nicky’ll be jealous, slaving away in her stuffy office. He leaned back on his chair and put his bare feet up onto the table. This is the life. He smirked. I could get used to this.
Closing his eyes, he put his hands behind his head. Maybe I should sunbathe, get a tan. Naaa, too boring. I’ll just sit here and read my book.