Love Takes Time (13 page)

A
lyssa slept like a baby.

When the sun's early-morning rays warmed her face, she stretched out on the bed with a soft smile curling her lips. After she opened her eyes and remembered where she was and the events of the past week that warm feeling that she had disappeared. She moved to get up and was startled when the cordless phone slipped from the crook of her neck.

She picked it up and placed it back against her ear. At the sound of soft, even snoring she asked, “Sterling?”

There was a low grumbling and then, “Yeah. Yeah. I'm still here.”

Alyssa laughed. “Oh my God. I can't believe it. We both fell asleep on the phone.”

“Uh, really?” He still sounded confused. “What time is it?”

She searched around and found a clock on the nightstand. “About eleven-thirty.” She laughed again. “The whole morning is almost gone.”

Sterling moaned again. “Who fell asleep first?”

She stretched again as she tried to think. “You know I honestly don't know.”

“Then I guess that's a good thing. That means we both bored each other to sleep.”

“Hey!”

“Just joking.”

Alyssa shrugged. “Yeah, but it's kind of true.” She paused. “Look. I really appreciate you being there for me last night. I feel a lot better. Thanks.”

“Don't mention it.” He coughed and the line went silent.

“Hello, Sterling. Are you still there?” She glanced at the phone, and then listened again. “Sterling.”

Another cough. “Yeah. Yeah. I'm still here. I just hit the mute button for a minute.”

His voice sounded odd. It was deeper and almost hoarse.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Fine. You know how it is in the morning.” He coughed again.

She frowned but shook off the concern. “Well, I
guess I better let you go. I probably should check on Estelle and Jessica.”

“All right.”

“Again. Thanks for getting me through the night.”

“Anytime. That's what friends are for.”

Friends.
Alyssa smiled. She and Sterling rarely saw each other, but it felt good to know that when they did, there was a strong bond of friendship. “Bye.”

“Bye.”

Still smiling, she disconnected the call and climbed out of bed. Truthfully, she didn't know what to make of a man who'd spend an entire night on the phone with her. Men didn't do that sort of thing. But in an odd way she was glad it was him and not Tangie. She just couldn't put her finger on why.

After a quick shower, Alyssa dressed and then wondered whether it was time to pack her bags and head for home. It really was getting to be about that time. She left the guest room and quickly discovered that she was the only one in the house.

On the refrigerator was a note: “Be back by one.”

Alyssa glanced around and then made herself some coffee and grabbed a grapefruit for breakfast. As she sat at the kitchen table listening to the quiet house, she realized that it really was time to go back home. As much as she wanted it, this house wasn't going to fill the hole her father left inside her heart.

After she finished her breakfast, she returned to the guest room and started packing. By the time Estelle and Jessica returned, Alyssa had lugged her
bags out to the rental car and was on the phone with the airlines. Because of the holiday season, her only option was to fly standby.

It would have to do.

“Ally! Ally!” Jessica hollered, running into the house. “Guess where we went.”

Alyssa beamed a big smile at her little sister and opened her arms in time to catch her when she launched up into her lap. “I give up, where did you go?”

“We went to the mall, and we saw Santa Claus!”

“Oh really?” Alyssa widened her eyes in feigned surprise. “That sounds like fun!”

“It was.” Jessica nodded. “You should have seen him. He's a reaaally big guy.”

Alyssa laughed as her heart tightened. She remembered her father taking her numerous times to see Santa Claus when she was a little girl. Christmas was in a couple of weeks and it pained her to think of what the holidays would be like this year.

Estelle smiled from the bedroom doorway. “It was on the calendar to take her today. I figured it was best to keep up tradition.”

Alyssa nodded. Life goes on. “So what did you ask Santa for?”

Jessica joyfully raced through her long laundry list—even the items she wanted to give
Daddy
when he woke up.

Meanwhile, Estelle's studious gaze took in the scene. “Are you leaving us?”

Alyssa's eyes dropped. “Yeah. I figured it was time.”

Estelle didn't argue. “I think Jessica and I are going to visit my mother in Florida for Christmas,” she said, frankly. “I just need…to get away.”

Alyssa truly understood. “We'll get together next year.”

“Absolutely. And every Christmas after that.”

“Great.”

“Momma, I'm hungry,” Jessica complained.

“All right. C'mon. I'll fix you some lunch.”

Alyssa quickly said her goodbyes and made her way out to the car. Once she was behind the wheel, she briefly entertained the notion of just driving all the way back to California.
It would definitely be an adventure.

She started the car and glanced up at the house one last time before pulling out of the driveway. Once she hit the open road, she had every intention of going to the airport, but instead she headed out to Alpharetta to say goodbye to her friend.

 

Despite the stuffy head, the uncontrollable coughs and a temperature that just wouldn't break, Sterling still tried to convince himself that he was feeling much better. At least today he managed to cook his own soup. It was either prepare it himself or perish. He hit the shower, changed the bedding and then promptly crawled back into it.

If only this damn fever would break.

But there was something about his butt hitting the sheets that made his phone begin to ring. “Hello.”

“Sterling?” Alyssa's now-familiar voice drifted over the line.

A smile instantly caressed Sterling's lips. “Hey, you.”

“Hey. You'll never guess where I am.”

What was with everyone wanting him to play a guessing game?
“I give up. Where are you?”

“At your gate,” she said.

He popped up.
“My gate?”

“Yeah. Surprise!”

He didn't say anything.

“I—I hope this isn't a bad time. I was headed to the airport and I figured I'd drop by before I go.”

Sterling sprang out of bed in a panic. His place was a wreck. “You're here
right now?
”

“Um, yeah. I…if it's not a good time, I understand.”

“No. No. It's all right.” He shuffled around his bedroom, trying to find something to put on. “Come right on in.” He punched in the gate's code, hung up and transformed into a Tasmanian devil, whipping about the room as fast as he could. When he reached the stairs he nearly tumbled down them.

The living room wasn't too bad, the kitchen was a wreck and…did he have his shirt on backward?

No. Inside out.

No. Backward.

How in the hell did this damn thing go?

The doorbell rang.

“Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.” As he raced to the
door, he saw that he had one blue sock and one black sock on. Why had he bothered with socks? He bent over and tried to pull them off, which resulted in him hopping on one leg and then the other. He ran his hand down his face and frowned at the sharp stubble.

Good Lord, why didn't I shave this morning?

The doorbell rang again.

“Coming!” He continued to hop his way to the door. It was too late to do anything else about his appearance. He just had to hope that he didn't scare her off. When he finally reached the front door, he drew a couple of deep breaths. Of course, his head was spinning now, but he'd think about that later.

He unlocked and opened the door. “Hey,” he said with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm.

She stepped back and blinked up at him.

Uh-oh. Something must be wrong.

“Um.” Her gaze traveled over him. “Are you sure this isn't a bad time?”

Sterling glanced down and saw that he'd put his inside out
and
backward shirt over his pajama top and the latter was sticking out. And since when did he own striped pants. “No. Um, I just kind of threw this on.”

“I gathered that.” She laughed. “Can I come in?”

“Oh, sure.” He stepped back. “Come on in.”

Alyssa entered the house while Sterling gave himself a firm mental kick. At last he closed the door and turned to face her with a wide smile. Only he wobbled on his feet. “Sooo…hey!” he said awkwardly. “Welcome to my place.”

“Thanks.” She stood there smiling, not knowing what else to say.

“Well, why don't you come on in and sit down.” He gestured her toward the living room.

Alyssa turned and walked, taking her time to assess the surroundings. “Nice place you got here.”

“Thanks. I've only had the place for a year.”

She nodded. “I remember Dad telling me when you moved from New York.”

“Well, Jonas and I used to share a penthouse some years back.”

“Yeah. I remember.”

Sterling coughed.

“Did you decorate the place yourself?” she asked, taking in the classic black-and-white furnishings. Typical bachelor.

“No. I hired someone. Of course at the moment, I'm in between maid service, so please excuse any dust you might see.”

She bobbed her head while the room filled with another awkward silence. What happened to that easy comfort they'd always had with each other?

Sterling coughed again. Only this time, he couldn't seem to stop.

Alyssa's expression collapsed in concern. “Are you sure that you're okay?” she asked. “You look…sick.”

“No. I'm fine.” He launched into more coughing.

Her eyebrows rose with her open disbelief.

Now his coughing turned into hacking.

“Sterling, you're sick as a dog,” she admonished. “Why didn't you say something?” She rushed over to him and placed her hand against his forehead. “You're burning up.” Alyssa quickly set her purse down and wrapped her arm around his waist. “C'mon. Let's get you in bed. I can't believe you.”

“No. It's okay,” he protested weakly.

“I'm not taking ‘no' for an answer,” she told him, leading him out of the living room. “Now which way?”

“Upstairs.” He limped along, coughing the whole way.

It took some time, but she finally got him to his bedroom and then helped him tumble into his bed.

“I can't believe you didn't say anything,” she fussed. “At least now that ridiculous outfit makes sense.”

“Hey,” he moaned. “This is the hottest trend.”

“Now I know you're delirious.”

“Humph. And you call yourself a fashion model.” He lapsed into another coughing frenzy.

“Have you been taking anything?”

Sterling gestured to a nightstand that looked like a mini pharmacy. His headache was now a full-blown migraine, and his throat felt as if he'd spent the last twenty minutes chomping on sharp glass. In the distance he heard Alyssa rummaging around. In quick succession, he was handed pill after pill and capfuls of medicine.

And just when he was starting to feel better, his new wonderful nurse placed a cool compress against his head.
Now this is what I'm talking about.

“Get some rest,” she ordered. “I'll be right here when you wake up.” She kissed his fevered brow.

That was all Sterling needed to hear before promptly falling asleep.

A
lyssa smiled down at the handsome giant nestled beneath the heavy blankets and bedspread. To her surprise, she actually liked taking care of him. It was the least she could do, given how he'd been there for her last night…and a few other times in her life. Being this close up, she took full advantage of really looking at Sterling as a man and not simply as…well, her old friend.

Sterling Hinton. Mr. No Nonsense. Mr. Independent.

In truth, this was the first time she'd ever known him to
need
help, to
need
somebody. She'd always viewed him as being such a strong man, a formidable man who had a secret soft side—but this vulnerable
side was a different thing entirely. Was it so strange to be attracted to this vulnerable side of him?

Resigned that she would not be going home today after all, Alyssa returned to the living room and grabbed her cell phone and called Tangie. She reached her voice mail again and left another message. She went to the kitchen, saw the mess it was in and rolled up her sleeves and got busy. When she was through, she checked in on Sterling and saw that he'd kicked his way out of the blankets and his feet were dangling over the edge while his arms were wildly sprawled out over the bed.

Alyssa moved over to the bed and tucked his feet back in. She checked his temperature and frowned at how hot he still was. “Poor thing.” Sighing, she glanced around to see if there was anything else she could do for him. There wasn't, but surely Sterling wouldn't mind if she gave herself a tour of the place.

And what a big place it was. Not as large as his parents' estate, but it was majestic and homey at the same time. It easily had eighteen-foot ceilings, including the upper floor, a two-story foyer, and hardwood floors throughout. She counted six bedrooms, each with its own bath, a huge wine cellar, theater room, exercise room and an impressive walnut gentleman's study. Not bad for a bachelor.

When Alyssa entered the study, she realized that it, like his bedroom, most closely reflected Sterling's personality. It was warm and inviting, yet erudite—just like its owner. Slowly she moved about and absorbed every detail, but it was the floor-to-ceiling
bookcases that drew her like a magnet. Sure, there were a large number of law and economics books, but there was also a wide array of literary and popular fiction crowding the shelves.

She ran her finger along the hardback spines, seeking something she could delve into. She stopped at Chinua Achebe's
Things Fall Apart,
her father's favorite book. Alyssa smiled and pulled it off the shelf. When she cracked open the cover, she noticed the inscription:

Alyssa's eyes misted as she closed the cover and pressed the book up against her bosom.

In one corner, two huge leather chairs sat on opposite ends of a large walnut table with a beautiful marble chessboard in the center. Clearly he was in the middle of a game with someone. One quick glance at the pieces told her that the black king was just three moves from a checkmate.

She eased into one of the leather chairs to get ready for a long night's read.

Then there was a loud
thump.

Her heart stopped. “Sterling?”

She strained to hear, but there was nothing. She
uncurled out of the chair and set down her book to go and investigate. The moment Alyssa stepped out into the hallway, she heard it again.

Thump.

Concerned, she rushed down the long hallway and made it back to the master bedroom. There, sitting on the edge of the bed sat Sterling. Head low, shoulders hunched.

“Is everything all right?” She rushed over to him. “What are you doing out of bed?”

He frowned up at her. There was no sign of recognition. “Cold. Needed to turn up the heat.”

Was he kidding? It was like an oven in this room. “I'll take care of it for you,” she assured him. “Now you get back into bed.” Alyssa pulled back the blankets and directed him to return there.

Lacking the strength to argue, Sterling slowly rolled back, and she quickly pulled the covers over him.

“Thermostat. Thermostat,” she mumbled as she roamed back through the house. It was like going on a scavenger hunt. She finally found it at the other end of the hallway. After fumbling with the digital controls, she returned to the bedroom. “The heat should kick in soon,” she told him.

“Fire,” he moaned.

Alyssa frowned and then glanced around. She eyed the fireplace across the room. She quickly opened the grate, and in a few seconds had a nice little fire going. Of course at this rate, they were going to be boiled alive.

“All right. I'll have you all fixed up here now.” She returned to the bed and felt his forehead. He still had a fever, but he shivered beneath the blankets.

“I-it's cold,” he complained.

He looked so childlike that her heart broke for him. Without a second thought, Alyssa kicked off her shoes and slid underneath the blankets.

Who knows? Maybe a little body heat was just what he needed.