Prank Date [✔]

Part 20

My jaw popped as I yawned. I glanced at the alarm clock and realized I had been lying in bed for most of the past forty-eight hours. No matter what Jennie said, I didn't want to stay in bed for one second longer, so I shoved back the covers and got up.

My knees trembled and my muscles felt weak as I trudged down the stairs, but the stuffiness in my head had receded.

The kitchen was spotless—the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher and the rest of the food back in the fridge—and Jennie was nowhere to be seen.

A wave of disappointment swept through me. Had she left while I was upstairs for a nap?

A sound from the living room attracted my attention, and I shuffled across the hallway.

Lego was stretched out on the carpet, belly up. Jennie, now dressed in slacks and a long-sleeved shirt, knelt above him, and Lego's paws jerked in pleasure as she rubbed his belly.

A smile stretched my chapped lips. I propped one shoulder against the doorjamb and watched them.

After a while, Jennie looked up and noticed me. She stood immediately, making Lego jump up too.

"Lisa! What are you doing down here? I really need to handcuff you to the bed." Jennie exclaimed.

"Handcuffs?" I tried not to imagine the scene. I smirked at Jennie. "Does your brother know you're into bondage?"

Cheeks flaming, Jennie couldn't meet my gaze. "Is everything a sexual innuendo for you?"

I sobered. "No," I said. "Not everything." Maybe it was time to express my feelings—at least some of them—instead of hiding behind teasing comments. I walked over and looked at Jennie. "Thank you for taking such good care of me last night and today. I didn't want to admit it, but I felt lousy. It's the first time I've been sick since my parents ..." I swallowed and glanced away. "Since I've been alone in the house."

Despite needing help, I wouldn't have called any of my friends because I couldn't imagine anyone taking such good care of me as my mother had. Jennie had, though. And instead of painfully reminding me of the loving attention I had lost, Jennie's care had felt healing.

Jennie touched my arm and then pulled away. "I'm sorry. You and your parents, you were really close, weren't you?"

I nodded. While my father hadn't always been good at expressing his love with words, I had always felt it.

"I can't imagine what it must feel like to lose one's parents," Jennie said, her voice low and soft.

I gently nudged her. "Want to stay for lunch and keep me and Lego company for a little while longer? If I have to stay in bed for one moment longer, I'll go crazy."

"Sure." Jennie answered without hesitation.

"Great." Despite my wobbly muscles, I felt like skipping all the way to the kitchen. "Then I'll go and see what I can rustle up, and you —"