He headed down the stairs and out of her building, heading back to the bus stop. He leaned against the shelter and sighed deeply, feeling a strange, alien emotion creeping through him. It was confusing, disarming, and uncomfortable. As he inhaled and her scent lingered in his nose, he realized it was also amazing.
Chapter Nine
Heath arrived at the gym early the next morning as he always did to get in some training before opening for business. He also made a habit of making a circuit of the gym to ensure that everything was as he left it from the night before and there hadn't been any break-ins or anything else untoward that had gone down.
As he rounded the corner of the ring past the punching bags, he noticed a small object in the center of the ring. As he got closer, he saw that it was Drew's small prescription bottle of medication. He stepped into the ring and leaned down to scoop it up.
"Shit," he muttered. How had they overlooked that last night? What if something happened to her during the day and she needed them?
He glanced at his watch. It was six-thirty. He figured she might be up this early, but he wasn't sure. He shuffled back to his office and pulled out her file. He dialed the phone number she had listed, but received an automated message that the number he'd dialed was no longer in service.
"Well, shit," he grumbled to himself and tossed his cellphone on the desk. How had getting her phone number escaped him over the past several weeks? He'd have to try and drop them off to her later today; he just hoped she wouldn't need them until then. He figured that if she had an emergency, she would call the gym to check to see if she'd left them there. He decided he'd try to leave at lunchtime and drop them off to her at the café.
***
The day proved to be extremely busy, and his original plan of slipping out during lunch time to drop off Drew's medication went out the window. It seemed that his schedule of private lessons and training had grown exponentially, and he found himself dealing with client after client. He barely had time to stop for a meal himself. However, Drew hadn't called about her medication, so he assumed she was okay for the time being.
He finally left around six and headed for Bloomfield. He figured his first stop should be the café. He wasn't sure what time she usually got off or what time they closed but it seemed like a logical place to start.
When he arrived and pushed through the door, he saw that it was as empty as it had been the last time he'd visited, but this emptiness felt like a "getting ready to close" emptiness versus a midday lull. The bell over the door tinkled and after a moment, Bunz came out from the back.
"Oh, hi," she said. "Sorry. I should have locked the door—we're pretty much closed up for the night." She gestured behind her to the disassembled espresso machines with their various parts spread neatly on towels on the counter, freshly cleaned and drying. "I can't make you a drink or anything."
"No, that's ok," Heath said quickly. "I was wondering if Drew was around?" He pulled the medication bottle from his pocket and held it up. "She left these at the gym last night. I wanted to get them back to her earlier, but the gym was crazy today."
"Oh," Bunz replied, fixing her gaze on the bottle. She met Heath's eyes and a look of understanding passed between them. "Well. No, she's not here. She left a little early to go drop off the deposit at the bank, then she said she was going to the Y."
"She doesn't teach tonight," Heath said, but it came out like a question. "I thought she taught on Wednesdays."
"She does," Bunz confirmed. "She went to work on her piece for the showcase. I know she thinks I don't know she's working on something, but I do. Anyway, she seemed a little stressed out today and said she was going straight to the Y after the bank. You can probably find her there."
"I can just leave these here with you," Heath offered.
"Or you can take them to her at the Y," Bunz said pointedly, smirking. "Just call her and let her know you're coming."
"I don't have her number," Heath replied.
"Haven't you escorted her home like, twice now? And she's at your gym every night," Bunz pointed out, leaning on the counter.
Heath shrugged helplessly. Bunz shook her head and withdrew a piece of paper from underneath the register, jotting a number down and then slid the scrap over the counter across to him.
"Won't she mind that you're giving out her number?" Heath asked, taking the scrap and tucking it into his pocket.
Bunz shrugged. "It's not like you're a perfect stranger," she said. "And frankly, I don't care what she wants. I want you to have her number." She smiled pleasantly.