Chapter 71

“But why would he ask that?” I wondered. I couldn’t figure it out, so I just replied with a quick, “?”. Hayden didn’t respond. By the time I reached the restaurant, he’d already had breakfast and left for the amusement park.

Overnight, they’d repaired the park’s electrical circuits, and Hayden had immediately begun testing the lights. I essentially served as his quality control, checking the lights as he adjusted them. If something was amiss, he’d tweak it until it was perfect.

It struck me that he was utterly serious about not letting my health impede our work. He was like a machine, barely pausing, which meant I had to keep pace, feeling like I was on a relentless hamster wheel. I could barely manage a few sips of water, afraid to drink too much because of bathroom breaks. If I took too long, he might finish adjusting a set of lights. Every missed inspection meant a delay, prolonging the entire process.

After three days of this grueling schedule, I developed mouth ulcers. Yet, when I looked at Hayden—who also hadn’t been drinking much water—he seemed perfectly fine. I couldn’t help feeling rather weak in comparison.

“Keira, drink some water! If you don’t, you’re going to dry up like an old prune,” Demi said. She’d been sharing a room with me, so she’d noticed my struggle and felt sorry for me.

I laughed. “Even if I dry up, I’ll still be a cute dried-up prune.” I tilted my head back to take a drink, but as I did, I caught Hayden’s gaze from upstairs. Our eyes met for a split second, and I nearly choked on the water.

“Why are you chugging it like that?” Demi said, patting my back to help me catch my breath.

Just then, Hayden came downstairs. He grabbed a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and began drinking. He drank quickly, his Adam’s apple bobbing with each gulp. I couldn’t help but swallow hard myself.

It was purely a reflex—I knew that. But for some reason, I couldn’t stop noticing Hayden’s Adam’s apple. Was it possible I had a thing for them? The thought made me choke on my water again. Demi rushed over, patting my back. “Why do you keep choking? Is your throat inflamed, too?”

As soon as she said that, Hayden looked at me. I quickly shook my head. “No, I just drank too fast.”

“Are you sure you’re not inflamed?” Hayden asked, his eyes lingering on my lips.

I pressed my lips together, shaking my head again. “I’m not.”

“Of course she is! She’s been avoiding water because she didn’t want to slow you down with bathroom breaks. Now her mouth is full of ulcers, and she can’t even eat,” Demi blurted out, revealing all my secrets.

Hayden walked over, standing directly in front of me. “Open your mouth.”

I was too stunned to move, and Demi’s eyes widened in shock. The next second, Hayden reached out, pinched my chin, and forced my mouth open. After a quick glance, he released me and said, “You’ve got ulcers.”

He then turned to the wide-eyed Demi. “Go get some ulcer relief spray and anti-inflammatory medication.”

Demi nodded, mumbling a quick “Oh,” before turning to leave. But then she paused and turned back. “Mr. Hart, aren’t you a lighting engineer? How do you know so much about medicine?”

Still feeling awkward from the chin-pinching incident, I interjected, “He used to be in the military.”

Demi gave me a curious look, about to speak further, when Hayden cut her off. “Aren’t you going?”

As soon as I said that, Demi looked at me, and just as she was about to speak, Hayden cut in, “Aren’t you going?”

“I…” Demi began, but then caught my look and seemed to remember something. She quickly left without another word.

I turned to Hayden. “Next time—”

But before I could finish, Demi’s voice rang out from a distance. “Mr. Johnston, good morning!”

My heart skipped a beat as I thought, ‘Jace’s here?!’