Continuing chapter in this saga... Important to read the previous chapter(s)
*****
Kerri gave her head a bewildered shake.
"I still don't understand why you wouldn't spend the night with Adam," she said. "Especially since you seem to like him so much."
The sisters were taking a few minutes to relax in their spa before going to bed. The rain had stopped falling shortly after Nellie returned home, the sky had cleared, and it had turned out to be a beautiful evening.
"I don't really understand it either," she admitted unhappily. "Adam is wonderful. I mean, he's warm and loving and sexy. God is he sexy! But-damn it, Sis, he's so grubby. You should see the way he dresses. And his cat thinks she's the centerpiece for the kitchen table."
"So?"
"So it turns me off. I can't help how it makes me feel," she snapped in response to Kerri's disgusted look. "Grease and grime turn me off. They always have."
"Did you tell him that?"
"Of course not."
Nellie stared up at the stars.
"I couldn't tell him a thing like that," she said after a moment. "I don't want to hurt bis feelings. I don't want to turn him off."
"Then you must like him a lot. You've never worried about turning a man off before. Look, Sis, why don't you just be honest with the guy? He was honest with you."
"I know you're right," Nellie replied gloomily. "I guess I'm just a coward."
Kerri gave Nellie a sisterly pat on the arm.
"Think about what I said. I'd hate to see you throw away your chance to have a meaningful relationship for a change just because you're afraid to tell the guy you wish he'd wash once in a while."
"And get the cat off the table," Nellie added without enthusiasm.
Nellie went to bed feeling out of sorts and she wasn't in any better spirits the next morning. Her sister's cheery goodbye only served to irritate her all the more. She had just made up her mind to get dressed and try losing her blues at the shopping mall when the doorbell rang. She opened the door to find Charlie standing on her porch.
Looking him in the eyes, she asked sarcastically, "What's the matter? Couldn't you get your son to run your errands for you this morning?"
"Come on, Nellie, don't be like that," he whined. "I just came by to see if you were all right. It's been over a week since I called you and your sister said you'd phone me back."
He stared down at his shoes.
"I miss you," he said. "I thought maybe-would you like to come over this weekend? My boss is having a big party Saturday night, and I thought maybe you'd like to go."
"You mean you're stuck for a date so you thought you'd try me. No thanks. You might be hard up, but I'm not," she snapped, and she slammed the door in his face.
Nellie slipped into a pair of jeans and a tank top and drove to the mall. By noon she was feeling much better. She decided to walk over to a small restaurant across the street and eat lunch before going back home. She stepped through the doorway and promptly fell flat on her ass. Nellie was sitting in the middle of the floor looking extremely embarrassed when a tall, dark, and handsome man in a handsome gray suit and burgundy tie bent over her.
"Are you okay, miss? Did you hurt yourself?" he asked.
"I'm not sure," she stammered.
He reached down to help her to her feet. As soon as she tried to stand she knew she was in trouble.
"I must have twisted my ankle," she groaned. "I can't put any pressure on it."
He immediately wrapped his arms around her and helped her over to a chair.
"I'll call a doctor," he said, and he turned to go.
"No! Please. I don't need a doctor. I might need a ride home, but it's just a simple sprain. I know. This isn't the first time it's happened."
"Would it help if you rested it for a while?" he asked anxiously. "There's a room in the back where you can lie down and put your feet up."
