Intercepting Daisy by Julie Brannagh Page B

According to the doctor, he needed IV fluids and something to bring his fever down. On his way out the door, he’d jammed his cell phone and the charger into his pocket with his wallet. He needed to text Daisy, since he wasn’t going to be able to make their date.
    What if she was as sick as he was?
    L YING IN BED , Daisy heard her cell phone chirp with a new text message. It was probably Catherine wondering if she was still among the living. She reached out to grab the phone.
    It was Grant Parker. Tell me you’re not sick too .

Chapter Ten
    G RANT SPENT THE next day and a half in a hospital bed. He’d had the flu before, but it had been nothing like this. Even his hair hurt. Anything else but Gatorade and water came right back up. The nurse had tried giving him some low-sodium chicken broth last night, which hadn’t worked especially well. The doctor who visited twice a day had already told him he wasn’t playing Sunday afternoon. He’d lost seven pounds and was as weak as a newborn kitten. Worse than the illness was the knowledge that Daisy was sick too. She’d replied to his text, admitting she also had the flu.
    The nurse was a big Sharks fan and had let him keep his smartphone. He clicked on Daisy’s cell number.
    â€œHello?” she said. Her voice sounded a little weak. “Grant, is that you?”
    â€œIt sure is,” he said. He settled back against the pillows in his hospital bed. “How are you doing? Do you feel any better?”
    â€œIt’s nice to talk with you.” He could almost see her smile through the phone. “I feel better than I did yesterday. That’s good, isn’t it?”
    â€œI’m glad you’re feeling a little better.” He pulled in a breath. “Hey. Let’s have dinner next week. What do you think?”
    He was rewarded with the sound of her laughter. “Are you sure? Maybe we should both quit hurling before we have another date.”
    â€œI’m fine,” he assured her. “You pick. El Gaucho or the Space Needle.”
    He could hardly keep his eyes open due to needing yet another nap, but he belatedly remembered that a woman afraid of heights might not be thrilled about having dinner six hundred feet in the air.
    He heard a little snickering laugh from Daisy. He wondered what he could do to make her laugh some more.
    â€œHow about a restaurant on Earth?” she said.
    He laughed out loud. He still felt like shit, but at least she was well enough to make jokes.
    â€œYou’re on,” he said. “I’ll text you.”
    â€œThat’ll be great,” she said. “I hope you’ll feel better soon.”
    â€œI will,” he said. “Are you flying on Sunday?”
    â€œI have to see the doctor before they’ll let me go back to work,” she said.
    He tried to make his voice as casual as possible. His heart was banging around in his chest like the drumline at a Sharks game.
    â€œPerfect. I’m not sure I’ll be playing yet, but how about coming to my game? I’ll leave some suite tickets at Will Call for you and your roommate. If you’re still too sick, don’t worry about it. I’d really like it if you were there, though.” If he got on the field, it would be the biggest day of his life so far, and he wanted her to be a part of it. “If you can’t do it, don’t worry about it.”
    He heard a little gasp. “I’d love to be there. Thank you for asking me.”
    He didn’t want to hang up, but he didn’t want to overstay his welcome, either. Hopefully, he hadn’t scared her off. He fell asleep shortly afterward. He woke up the next morning to see that he must have been texting in his sleep. There was a long string of emojis on his phone’s screen. Maybe he’d fallen asleep with his thumb on the keys or something. Luckily for him, Daisy assured him via text that she found this hilarious.
    He