Hannah pointed to the hallway where they’d just been. “On the right. Want me to come with you?”
Bree didn’t have time to speak—she just shook her head and took off before she embarrassed herself again. This time it would have been by throwing up in the middle of the restaurant.
* * *
NICK HAD BEEN keeping an eye on Bree from across the room. And not just because something was obviously wrong with her, though he would never admit that if asked. She’d made it clear on the island that she wasn’t interested in pursuing anything with him. Which made her anger over them living in the same city even more perplexing.
But people didn’t faint for no reason. Now, as she hurried back down the hallway to the restroom, he had a hunch—from her greenish complexion and her hand over her mouth—that she was about to puke her guts out.
He leaned down to whisper in his mom’s ear. “Mom, would you do me a favor and go into the ladies’ room to check on Bree? I don’t think she’s feeling well.” His mom had stayed by his side while they’d sampled the food.
She handed him her nearly empty plate. “Of course.” She gave him a questioning look. “You never answered me before. This woman is someone you know?”
He could hear her matchmaking gears turning. “She’s someone I met recently. I’m just concerned, that’s all.”
His mother nodded and left to check on Bree. She’d continue the interrogation later, he was sure.
“Hey, hero.” His cousin nudged him as he came to stand next to Nick.
He rolled his eyes at Pete’s teasing. “Knock it off.” He noticed Pete was alone. “Where’s your date?”
“She’s around.” Pete shrugged. “She’s just someone I met in line for coffee yesterday.”
Nick slowly shook his head. “You’re such a player.”
Pete chuckled. “Speak for yourself. Hey, I gotta say, that was a great way to get close to Bree. Sweep her off her feet.”
“She passed out, knucklehead.”
“Sure, sure. But now you’ve got an in. She owes you. Play on that when you ask for financial help.”
“Shh!” Nick looked around to see if anyone might have overheard Pete. “Keep your voice down.”
“But you’re gonna do it, right? You need help right away, so running into her tonight must be fate.” Pete urged, “Don’t wait too long. The restaurant’s in real trouble, you know.”
Nick knew it, but he didn’t want to ask Bree for help, period. Nick spoke quietly. “I told you, I have other ideas that I’m working on to bring in more money.”
“Maybe I should ask Bree,” Pete suggested. “You’re obviously too chicken to bring up the subject. Or maybe you’re too tongue-tied when she’s around.” He switched to a singsong tone. “You like her!”
“No!” The word came out louder than Nick had anticipated. He lowered his voice. “No, don’t ask her. I’ll handle it.” Which wouldn’t mean asking Bree for a loan, even if Pete took it that way.
Man, he had enough to worry about with the restaurant, and now his cousin wouldn’t give him a break on this loan idea.
Pete finally left Nick when Pete’s date came to drag him off to show him something. Nick stood by himself for a few minutes until his mom and Bree returned to the dining room. His mom gave him a look that said he’d been right about having her check on Bree, who had lost the green tinge to her complexion but now was beyond pale.
His mom turned Bree over to her friends, who had stepped forward en masse to help. They must not have seen how sickly she’d looked as she’d hurried out of the dining room.
“She’s probably got some kind of stomach bug,” his mother said to him when she returned to his side and retrieved her plate. “We’ll be lucky if we don’t all come down with it, too.”
“Are you blaming her for coming tonight?” That wasn’t like her.
“No, no,” she said as she swallowed her bite of food. “It’s not her fault. She said she was fine before she came, just tired. Smelling the food was what did it to her.” She took another bite of food. “You know, it reminds me of when I was pregnant with you.”
Nick stared at her, his heart suddenly beating at an alarming rate. “What do you mean?”
Mom shrugged. “I don’t know her situation, but with the fainting, nausea and actually losing her lunch, she could be pregnant. She has all the symptoms. I guess I should have asked her, but it’s a pretty personal question to ask a stranger.”
Nick couldn’t speak. His ears were ringing, and his own stomach had started doing somersaults.
Lucky for him, his mom was oblivious to his discomfort. She continued talking. “If she really doesn’t have a stomach bug, I hope it’s not food poisoning because we all might be the next victims. Then again, if she’s pregnant and doesn’t know it, then I hope it’s a nice surprise for her.”
* * *
“THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG with Bree,” Roxie told Amber and Hannah after they practically forced Bree into an Uber to get her home. Trying to get her to agree to one of them accompanying her had been impossible.
They stood on the sidewalk outside the restaurant watching the car drive away. The cold rain had stopped, but everything was wet, and there was a chill in the air.
Hannah nodded, her expression serious as she rubbed her hands on her upper arms. “I know. She hasn’t been right since we got back from vacation.” She cocked her head. “Do you think she might have picked up a tropical virus or something?”
Amber scowled. “I don’t know. I guess that’s possible.”
“We should probably get her to see a doctor,” Hannah added.
Roxie frowned. “Like she’d ever take our advice.”
“True,” Amber agreed.
“But we should still try.” Hannah’s empathetic side was showing. “This has been going on for too long. I’m worried about her.”
“Me, too,” Amber and Roxie said at the same time.
“What if it’s a parasite?” Hannah shivered.
“Ew!” Amber scrunched her face while Roxie shuddered at the idea.
“Let’s go back inside,” Roxie said, feeling the chill through the thin sleeves of her dress. “Bree will want a full rundown of the event later.”
“You’re right,” Amber said as she took a few steps and reached for the door handle.
As Amber was opening it, she saw Nick heading to the exit. Roxie had to admit that he was one fine male specimen. Not that Roxie was interested, but he was perfect for Bree. If only she would stop working so hard and give herself a chance for fun.
“Where’s Bree?” Nick exited the restaurant, and Amber closed the door when none of the women moved to go back inside.
“She went home,” Hannah told him. “She wasn’t feeling well.”
He nodded. “I know. I was there.” His demeanor was no longer calm and confident. “You let her drive herself?”
“No,” Roxie said, annoyed that he’d think they’d allow Bree to do that after she’d fainted. “She went by Uber. I’ll drive her car home.”
“I need to speak with her,” Nick said. He pulled out his phone.