Chapter Twenty Three

Elise carefully opened her eyes, bracing for a searing pain in her head.

But it was gone.

She squinted in the dim light of her bedroom, noting that the curtains were still shut, but a faint light glowed through them, indicating it was probably getting on for evening.

She also noted a very solid form against her cheek.

A warm, breathing, muscled form.

Tucker had stayed with her all day long while she fought off the pain of the migraine.

She couldn’t believe it.

A moment later, though, she gasped – she’d completely forgotten about Betsy in the confusion and pain of the onset of the migraine.

She’d ignored her charge, in fact, had left her outside while she collapsed.

Oh god… if something had happened to Betsy while Elise was incapacitated, she would never forgive herself.

Never.

She tensed and prepared to sit up and search for the little girl when Tucker’s arms tightened around her protectively.

“Betsy napped with us here for a while,” he said, his voice thick with sleep. “And then Jed arrived downstairs, and she’s been following him around the last few hours, helping him in the garden. She’s fine. She’s just fine. She didn’t even miss you.”

He’d read her concerned mind, and she was grateful for it.

“Thank you,” she breathed, so glad he’d understood and answered her first concern. “And… thank you.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, shifting slightly so that he could meet her gaze, his eyes full of concern and compassion. “You had me absolutely scared to death – you looked like a ghost when I found you downstairs.”

“I’m okay, I think,” Elise said, sitting up gingerly. “The pain is gone, at least, and more importantly, I can see again.”

“You really couldn’t see?” Tucker asked, also sitting up against the headboard, one of his arms still cradling her to him.

She found she didn’t mind that a bit.

Elise shook her head no. “I really couldn’t. It was more than a little scary, that’s for sure. The world was just – black. Thank you for helping me up here – I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t there.”

“I’m glad I was.”

“You always seem to be taking care of me,” Elise ventured shyly. “Instead of the other way around. That has to stop.”

“Why do you always have to be the one to take care of everyone else?” Tucker asked evenly. “Why can’t we all do our fair share?”

“That’s why you hired me, really,” Elise said evenly. “To take care of everything, and already you’ve had to…”

He cut her off, annoyed. “Don’t be ridiculous. You already take care of so much – I don’t think even my expectations can be so high as to expect you to be baking a cake while the nerve endings in your brain turn your mind to jelly, can they?”

Elise giggled. “I suppose not, but I still feel bad.”

“Well, don’t,” Tucker said summarily. “In fact, I find that I kind of like taking care of you, of being needed by someone.”

“I’m sure you’re needed by lots of people,” Elise argued, and he shrugged.

“Not the right people, I’m afraid. Business people, sure. Employees, yeah. But you and Betsy, Rose and Jed… those are people I like being needed by. But especially you.”

“Yes, I do damsel in distress very well, don’t I?” Elise said with a self deprecating tone, trying to uncut the seriousness of his claim of caring for her.

“No one could ever mistake you for a victim, Annaliese Blake,” Tucker said with conviction. “A victim of asshole ex-friends or a mind-melting migraine, yes, but not a victim of any other kind. So stop fretting – everything is fine.”

Elise looked at him, searching for forgiveness in his eyes at her failing at the day, and finding it easily in his returned gaze. “Thank you.”

“There is one problem, though,” Tucker said softly. “Now that we’ve all slept half the day away, we’re never going to sleep tonight.”

“Hrm,” Elise said, considering. “That’s true, although I swear I could sleep another twelve hours.”

“Nope,” Tucker said declaratively. “I think it’s time we took Betsy on a nighttime adventure. An educational field trip, if you will. At night.”

“Where to?”

“The beach at Eagle River – we can build a fire and roast up some s’mores, and we can have a real live astronomy lesson, and if we’re really, really lucky, we might even see the Northern Lights. Be a good way to combine some science with some energy burning.”

“And marshmallows. Don’t forget combining in some marshmallows,” Elise said with a teasing grin.

“Can’t forget the marshmallows,” Tucker said gravely. “Capital offense.”

“Give me twenty minutes, and we’ll meet you downstairs,” Elise said happily. “And Tucker? Thanks for staying with me. I know you had work to do, and things to get on with, but I really… I really appreciated it. Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” Tucker replied, meaning it.

#

“Are you sure you can manage?” Elise whispered as Tucker turned the truck engine off and turned to glance into the backseat where Betsy lay curled up, asleep.

“I can carry her in, no problem, if you don’t mind bringing in the cooler and bags,” Tucker whispered in reply.

Elise nodded and they quietly opened the truck doors, stepping into a coordinated dance of extricating a sleeping Betsy, removing bags and discarded jackets, and shuffling into the house without waking the sleeping girl.

The night had been perfect – clear and cool, with a zillion stars Elise swore she had never seen, and though Tucker denied it, Elise was sure she’d seen a faint glow of green on the horizon, indicating the Northern Lights.

Not to mention the s’mores had been absolutely fantastic.

They’d only been gone for a few hours, but they all had felt happy, content, intellectually stimulated and now, tired enough for sleep again.

Elise resisted the urge to whistle as she headed into the house, watching as Tucker hefted Betsy up the stairs in his arms, careful not to jostle her.

It was a perfect night, she thought with a jaw cracking yawn.

Perfect.

She was climbing the stairs up when Tucker emerged from Betsy’s bedroom and began walking down. They met in the middle, both grinning but saying nothing.

“Meet me in my study tomorrow morning at sunrise,” Tucker whispered, though Elise was sure Betsy couldn’t hear him. “Please.”

“Your what?”

“My study – Rose calls it the aerie. That locked door at the end of the hall you always try to sneak into when you think I’m not looking.”

Elise gasped, horrified that he knew that. “I do not!”

“You do too,” Tucker teased, smiling to let her know it was okay. “Meet me there, I want you to see it.”

“Will this be before or after your nude swim in Lake Superior?” Elise asked cheekily and he grinned. “I’m very impressionable, you know.”

Tucker snorted at her mischievous tone. “Why do you ask? Want a front and center view of me?”

Elise said nothing, biting her lip instead.

Tucker raised an eyebrow suggestively, but said nothing.

“I’ll be there at sunrise – or else come wake me,” Elise promised. “In case I oversleep. I don’t want to miss… anything,” she said with a raised eyebrow of her own.

Tucker grinned and nodded. “See you then.”

Elise nodded her agreement, and before she could say another word, he was gone.

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