“Pancakes, you say?” Hailey asked, popping her head out of the hallway with a goofy, intrigued smile.
Grinning, I nodded back at her. “The kind that are stuffed with cookie butter or Nutella.”
Hailey's eyes widened. Omegas were notorious for having a sweet tooth, and judging by the mountains of ice cream I’d seen in her freezer the last time I’d been here, Hailey was no different.
“Sold!” She beamed, rushing over to me. “Let’s go!”
“So excited now, are we?” I laughed.
“When I was just going to the pharmacy, I was dragging my feet, but now that you’ve dangled a sweet treat in front of my face? Well, what can I say? I’m a sucker for sugar!”
Hailey bounded out of the apartment and to my truck at a speed I didn’t think she was capable of, given her shaky state. Despite her eager movements, there was still a sluggishness to them. As much as it made my chest tighten, seeing her happy to get some food helped.
And we’re going to the pharmacy. She’s going to get better.
She clambered into my truck slowly before I could even get there and help her, and the sight of her sitting in my front seat felt right, like she was meant to be there. But we weren’t there yet. As much as I wanted tomaybestart down that lane, Hailey’s health came first.
For now.
“Who comes to a pancake joint that offers them stuffed with chocolate and ordersfruit?” Hailey asked with a scrunch of her nose.
I speared a strawberry with my fork, popping it into my mouth and chewing slowly. There was no way I was going to admit that the fruit reminded me of her scent.
Strawberries and cream filled my dreams, thanks to Hailey Hana, and those dreams haunted my waking hours.
“Fruit is good for you,” I said with a shrug.
There was a certain strawberry-scented something I had a feeling would beverygood for me. I shook my head, rolling my lips between my teeth.
Hailey hadn’t opted for fruit, quite the opposite, in fact. The cookie butter pancakes were gigantic, and she was diving into them with ferocity. It was something else.
She’d even addedice creamto the pancakes.
Ice cream. Forbreakfast.
Though I was concerned about the nutritional value, I was just happy she was eating something. The hollows of her cheeks were beginning to look a bit too sunken for my liking. Not terrible yet, but my mind had a way of imagining the worst.
“God, this is fantastic.”
Hailey went to town on the pancakes, and I nearly forgot to eat mine, watching her with a grin as she demolished them, putting away far more than I thought she’d manage. Sitting across from her, all I could do was smile.
It was easy around Hailey. She was funny, fiercely independent, and had no problem telling you as much. Even more, she was always making time to help other people. She’d been on the phone with Sunny in the truck, scheduling a visit, and I knew she’d gone to see Melody to help out too.
Hailey needed someone to care for her. If she would let me, then I wouldhappilytake the job.
After we finished, I paid the check, making sure Hailey got her leftovers packed in a box to take home. She’d eaten the ice cream, saying, “What? It was just going to melt,” and I held the door open for her as we headed back to my truck.
As we got closer, I unlocked it and opened her door, offering a hand since she’d complained about having to leap into the thing.
“Why, thank you.” She smiled, the color back in her cheeks a bit, and I held on to her fingers for a bit longer.
Hailey’s eyes looked down at where I held her hand, and I had to force myself to let go. She plopped down into the seat, and I reached for her seat belt, pulling it forward for her so she could get situated.
Those green eyes flicked up to me as I stood there. I couldn’t get myself moving, transfixed by being so close to her, and then I noticed the small glint on her cheek by her mouth.
Without thinking, I reached out for it, swiping my thumb through the bit of chocolate. “Got a little something.”
Hailey’s lips parted as she looked up at me, silence creeping in. I could feel my pulse in my throat, hear it in my ears, and still, I wasn’t getting behind the wheel like I was supposed to.