“No,” I grumbled. “This is nothing like that. I just want to drop by, check on them—I mean her—and see how I can help. He said he couldn’t afford her physical therapy, Kenz. She deserves better.”
“News flash, you’re not a physical therapist. You’re a nursing student, Alexa.”
I tried a sip of the coffee, needing to get the caffeine in my system before my ten-minute break was over. Damn, still too hot. “Close enough. I’ll have to do. That is, if he’ll even accept the help.”
“And this has nothing to do with seeing Cade again?” She cocked an eyebrow up at me suspiciously.
I focused on my coffee, stirring in another spoonful of sugar just for good measure.
“Because all that crap about sleeping with him? I was kidding, babe. You’re sweet and beautiful. You deserve someone freakin’ amazeballs. Not some animal who sells his body for money.”
“Amazeballs?” I questioned, looking up from my coffee.
“Ah-maze-balls,” she confirmed with a straight face.
I giggled at her. “I’ve got to get back to work. Just trust me on this one, okay?” I downed a scalding gulp of the coffee and threw the cup in the trash on my way into the hall.
“It’s your vagina!” she called after me, her voice carrying out into the hallway.
I cringed as the doctor passing by me perked up at the V word being shouted in our direction.
*****
Maybe this was a stupid idea. After sleeping late, I’d showered and dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a simple black tank top, and then after making a stop at a sporting-goods store, I was currently parked in front of Cade’s house once again.
I’d shown up the same time as before, thinking he’d be here to meet his sister off the bus again, but his pickup truck wasn’t in the driveway.
I grabbed the exercise ball and pump from the backseat and made my way to house.
Moments later, an attractive girl answered the door. She looked to be around my age, maybe a year or two younger, and she was pretty with long blonde hair that hung down her back and wide-set gray eyes. My stomach dropped. Was this Cade’s girlfriend?
Shit. Did p**n stars have girlfriends? That would require a lot of trust. I mean, geez, he slept with other women for a living.
“Can I help you?”
I stood there for a second, still thrown off by this girl’s appearance and the question of her relationship with Cade, until I realized I hadn’t answered her yet. “Is Cade home?”
She shook her head. “He’s working. Who are you?”
I swallowed down a lump in my throat. “I’m Alexa, a…friend of his. And I brought this,” I held up the exercise ball, “for Lily. I’m a nurse.” Almost. Friend? Nurse? Geez, the lies were just spewing from my mouth.
“Oh. Okay.” She opened the door wider. “Lily will be home in a few minutes. You can come in and wait. I’m Becca, by the way.”
I followed her in the house, wondering what in the world I was doing and who the heck Becca was.
Chapter 7
Cade
I parked my truck and wondered where the hell Becca’s car had gone. Had she taken Lily somewhere? I didn’t like the idea of Becca driving Lily around in that deathtrap of hers. I grabbed my toolbox from the bed of the truck and stashed it in the garage before heading inside.
I was greeted by sounds of giggling coming from Lily’s room. So Lily was here, but what about Becca? I stopped at the kitchen sink to wash the grime from my hands and then headed down the hall to find out what was going on.
The sight that greeted me wasn’t at all what I was expecting. Lily was lying on a big exercise ball and Alexa was kneeling beside her, helping her to roll across the ball. I watched in stunned fascination for a second trying to understand what she was doing here and where the hell Becca had gone to.
“Caden!” Lily shrieked, spotting me in the doorway. She lifted herself from the ball on shaky legs, crossing the few steps without her walker and throwing herself into my arms.
“Hi baby doll.” I pulled her little body to mine in a brief hug. “What are you guys doing?” I wanted to ask Alexa what the f**k she was doing in my house, but the grin on Lily’s face calmed me.
“Lexa is teaching me some new exercises for my legs!” She returned to the ball, and bounced excitedly while Alexa grinned at her and held it steady. Lily’s cheeks were flushed pink and I had to admit I hadn’t ever seen her this excited to do her stretches. I just hoped she wasn’t overdoing it.
“That’s…nice. Um, Alexa, can I have a word with you in the other room?” I turned for the living room without waiting for her response.
“Stay here while I talk to Cade, okay?” I heard her say to Lily. She followed me into the living room, worry etched on her face.
“What are you doing here? Where’s Becca?”
“I came over to see Lily and then Becca left.”
“She left? The person I’m paying to babysit her just left her, with… you. What are you even doing here?”
“It really isn’t a big deal.”
“It’s a big f**king deal to me.” I turned and faced the window, not wanting to lose my temper on her. Damn, I trusted Becca. How could she just leave Lily alone with a stranger?
“Hey.” Alexa’s hand on my forearm caught my attention. “I told her I was a friend of yours, and a nurse. I think she assumed…”