He hesitated only long enough to search her face with one sweeping glance—maybe proving to himself that she had no doubts. Since there were no doubts for him to see—none she allowed herself to show him, anyway—he smiled and rose, holding out a hand to help her up.
“Don’t get up.” James pressed a hand on Shannon’s shoulder as he leaned fully dressed over the bed to kiss her goodbye. “It’s late. Go back to sleep.”
At least he hadn’t left without letting her know, she thought, blinking up at his silhouette against the dim light from the window behind him. She’d have hated waking up to find herself in an empty bed without having heard him leave.
“What time is it?”
“A little after midnight. I have to be at the hospital early, so I’m going home to get some sleep first.”
Clutching the sheet in front of her, she reached up to kiss him again. “Be careful going home. And have a good day tomorrow.”
“I will, and thanks, you, too. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Peering into the shadows, she watched him leave the room. She listened as the front door closed behind him, then heard his car start and fade down the street. Only then did she close her eyes again, nestling into the sheets that were still warm from his body.
Maybe there would be second thoughts tomorrow, but for tonight, she was too sleepy and satisfied to care.
Devin was waiting in the living room when Shannon stumbled in the next morning, red hair still damp from her shower. She was buttoning the white shirt she wore with her work khakis, and she’d donned just enough makeup to make her presentable for the day. She had about half an hour to make and eat her breakfast and head for the toy store, she thought with a glance at her watch.
She looked up to find her housemate sitting in a chair, slowly waving a white shirt in one hand. It was the shirt Shannon had worn yesterday—the one James had tossed onto the floor the night before.
“So…”
Shannon cleared her throat. “Um, so that’s where I left that.”
“I emptied the dishwasher before I left yesterday. And yet I noticed that there were two plates, two glasses, two forks and two knives in there this morning. And a good portion of our slow-cooker meal was gone—either you were very hungry or you had company last night.”
“James joined me for dinner last night.”
“I have a feeling that’s not all he joined you for,” Devin murmured.
Shannon cocked an eyebrow and sailed past her toward the kitchen, from which the aroma of coffee wafted temptingly. “Have you had anything to eat?”
Devin followed her into the kitchen, tossing the telltale shirt over the back of a chair. “I had a candy bar. I’ll have some of that leftover chicken after I’ve grabbed a few hours of sleep.”
“You should eat something healthier than a candy bar. That’s not exactly good for you.”
“Speaking of things that aren’t good for you…”
Pausing with a box of oatmeal in her hand, Shannon leveled a look at her friend. “Instead of trying to be clever, how about just telling me what’s bugging you?”
Devin shrugged. “I’ve been asking around a little about your new boyfriend.”
“James isn’t my boyfriend,” Shannon denied automatically.
Devin glanced meaningfully at the white shirt, making Shannon flush a little, then turn quickly toward the cabinets to pull out a breakfast bowl. “Why have you been asking about him, anyway?”
“Just curious. I mean, it seemed like you fell kind of hard and fast for the guy. I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t another Philip, you know? Another jerk doctor.”
“Philip was a dentist.”
“You know what I mean.”
Scowling, Shannon slammed a spoon onto the counter. “Since when do we check up on each other’s friends? Despite the disaster with Philip—which I eventually handled on my own, by the way?
??I’m quite capable of deciding who I should spend time with. You of all people know how I feel about others interfering in my life, even if it’s for my own good. Maybe especially if it’s for my own good,” she added in a grumble.
“I know, and I wasn’t trying to check up on him exactly,” Devin assured her hastily. “I was just curious if anyone around the hospital knew anything about him, since I haven’t met him.”