Page 95 of Perfect Distraction
Andrew:I can’t wait.
Lauren: Me neither.
Andrew: The spice aisle, huh? Is it chili in there?
Lauren: A little, but I can dill with it.
Andrew:(you already used that one on me but I’ll let it slide)
Andrew: Good. Curry on.
Lauren:It’s about thyme I found someone who loves puns as much as I do.
Andrew: We’re mint to be.
Lauren: I clove you so much.
Andrew:I clove you, too.
…
On Valentine’s Day, a beautiful bouquet of flowers arrived with Lauren’s name on it. It wasn’t signed but had a terrible hand-drawn picture of what looked like a deer and the words, “I’m so fawned of you.”
She would keep it forever.
She left work early to pick up Andrew and head to the Valentine’s party at Children’s Hospital. She sent him a text message when she pulled in and put the car in park to wait.
A few moments later she watched him come down the stairs, a little slower than she’d have expected. Usually the days before a treatment were when he felt the best…but then again, the toll of chemo could build over time. He wouldn’t want her to mention it or ask if he was all right, so she focused on the rest of him, which looked damn good. He wore fitted jeans and a deep burgundy sweater, and the signature gray hat he seemed to favor. He opened the car door and sat down.
“Sorry I wasn’t ready, I fell asle—”
His voice came to an abrupt halt when he looked at her.
She smiled.
His brown eyes drank her in. “You’re wearing pink.”
“I thought it would be festive. You know, for Valentine’s.”
“You remember pink is my favorite color, right?”
She nodded. “I remember.”
He rubbed the side of his jaw with one hand. “What I remember is you saying you didn’t wear pink well.”
She quirked an eyebrow. She still didn’t think it was the most flattering hue for her, but as Emma and Kiara had confirmed, this particular blush-colored sweater seemed to compliment her auburn hair quite well. She’d thought of Andrew when she bought it and had been waiting for an excuse to wear it for him. “Do you agree?”
“I think it’s a good thing you texted me to come down, because if you’d come up we wouldn’t have left my apartment.”
Lauren couldn’t stop her smile from widening to ridiculous proportions. She reached across and put her hand on his thigh. “You look great.”
He moved her hand away, entwining their fingers and resting both on the console. “We’re going to a place with kids…I need you to keep your hands to yourself for a bit. Okay?”
“Okay, big man.”
The game room at the hospital was filled with heart-shaped balloons and decorations, and upbeat music streamed from a large speaker in the corner. The room was full of patients, their families, and volunteers. Tables were set up for face painting, Valentine’s Day card designs, and jewelry making.
Lauren and Andrew stuck together for a few minutes but eventually separated, visiting with the kids and parents they’d gotten to know. Lauren noticed Jasmine enter the room, wearing Andrew’s red hat, and didn’t miss the small smile on the girl’s face when she saw him. He waved at her enthusiastically and met her in the middle of the room. He pulled a red envelope out of his back pocket and gave it to her, bowing with a flourish. Jasmine blushed and sheepishly handed him a white piece of paper.
