Page 104 of Finding Kenna
“Go home,” Kenna ordered.
Carly shook her head. “I don’t have a fever. Promise. I’m good.”
“Yeah, but that cough sounds horrible and you have a killer headache.”
Carly winced. “How can you tell?”
“Because you’re squinting. And instead of turning your head, you turn your whole body. Besides that, you’re pale. Go home,” she repeated.
“I’d feel horrible if I did. It’s Friday night. And there was that marathon today. We’re packed,” Carly protested.
“Charlotte and I can cover your tables until Alani calls someone. You know Justin will probably be happy to come in, especially on a Friday when he knows the tips will be good. Besides, it’s supposed to storm like hell later. Like, crazy high winds and apocalyptic rain. The last thing you need is to be out in that when you feel like crap. You’re allowed to take a day off,” Kenna finished gently.
Carly sighed and looked at the floor. “But Jag’s coming,” she said in a soft voice.
Kenna wanted to do a fist pump and yell, “I knew it!” Instead, she kept her triumph at her friend’s obvious interest in the SEAL to herself. “Yeah, but how do you think he’ll feel if he sees you looking so miserable? He won’t like it,” Kenna continued, answering her own question before Carly could.
She sighed. “I know you’re right. But I haven’t seen him since they got back, and I was looking forward to tonight.”
Kenna had a feeling if her friend didn’t feel so crappy, she never would’ve admitted that out loud. “But you’ve talked to him, right?” she asked.
“Yeah, we’ve been texting. And he called me the other night,” Carly admitted.
“You can text him and let him know that you’re sick and heading home. He’ll understand.”
Carly’s shoulders slumped, but she nodded. “I really do feel like shit,” she said.
“Talk to Alani. Text Jag. Go home. The last thing you want is for this to get worse. Trust me. I had a fever once for ten days and thought I wanted to die. I couldn’t stand up without being dizzy. Being cold one second and hot the next sucked too. You definitely don’t want to get a fever on top of whatever you already have.”
“All right, I’m going. Will you…” Carly’s voice faded.
But Kenna knew what she was going to ask. “I’ll talk to Jag. Tell him that you hated to go without seeing him.”
“Thanks. But don’t make me sound as if I’m on death’s door. The man would probably show up on my doorstep with a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a truckload of medicine.”
“And that would be a bad thing?” Kenna asked, not being sarcastic in the least.
“Yes,” Carly mumbled. “I can’t fall for someone right now. I just can’t.”
Kenna wanted to protest. Convince her friend that Jag was a good guy and nothing like her ex. But she had a feeling she could talk herself blue in the face and Carly would still dig in her heels. She was stubborn like that. She honestly couldn’t blame her, not after the hell Shawn had put her through.
Carly turned to go find Alani before abruptly turning back to Kenna. “Oh, I wanted to mention…I think I saw Luke earlier.”
“Who?” Kenna asked, confused.
“Luke. Shawn’s son. He was out on the beach in front of the restaurant again.”
“What was he doing?”
“Nothing. He was just standing there. He wasn’t watching Duke’s at all. He was staring out at the water. I got distracted by a table and when I looked back, he was gone. I don’t think it means anything, and you know my protection order is for Shawn, not his son, but I’ve been on the lookout for my ex, so it kind of surprised me to see Luke here again.”
“So you think that means Shawn is here too?” Kenna asked. “Or that he’s spying on you for his dad?”
“I don’t know. But I wanted to mention it just in case you see Shawn. He’s not supposed to be anywhere near Duke’s, so if you see him, call the police.”
Kenna was glad Carly was being so diligent, and relieved that she was more than all right with getting the authorities involved if Shawn broke the protection order. Kenna had been half afraid that, after all this time, Carly would just want to forget about the entire drama. “Okay, I will. Be extra careful going home.”
“I will. Especially after the notes he’s been sending me.”
