“Stupid. A registered nurse who doesn’t have the sense to use ice on an injury. How dumb can anybody get? Look at you.” I leaned closer to the bathroom mirror to get a better look at the large bruise on the right side of my face. “That’s going to be tough to hide,” I muttered.
I looked in the medicine cabinet hoping to find some acetaminophen for my persistent headache. The throbbing pain was the only reason that I’d left Nicole’s warm bed so early. I quietly closed the bedroom door and headed to the kitchen to make a strong pot of coffee. Nicole hadn’t mentioned what time she expected her mother, but I wanted to be ready. Looking around at the recently cleaned house, I had to admit with great relief that Maria did a spectacular job and everything was sparkling.
I headed down to the gues
