I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 75

At 7:00 AM the next morning, her phone vibrated aggressively on the nightstand. Nora was still deep in sleep, her brow furrowing instinctively at the noise.

She groggily answered the call, and before she could even say hello, Bonnie's ecstatic voice blasted through the speaker,

"Nora, are you awake? I'm all dressed and ready! When are you coming to get me?"

Nora squinted at the time. It was only seven. The amusement park didn't even open until ten.

She let out a helpless chuckle, her voice laced with morning gravel. "Bonnie, just hang out at home for a bit. I need to get ready first."

"Okay," Bonnie said, her energy dipping for exactly one second. "How long is that going to take? I literally can't wait to go to the park with you!"

"Let's say nine. I'll leave exactly at nine to pick you up, and then we can grab breakfast."

"Yay!"

After hanging up, Nora sat on the edge of the bed for two minutes, letting reality seep back into her brain before trudging to the bathroom to wash up.

Her reflection showed a messy bird's nest of hair and faint purplish bags under her eyes. She had been up until 1:00 AM scrutinizing lab data.

Splashing cold water on her face, she tied her hair back and slipped into a light blue coat. She checked the mirror one last time and deemed herself presentable.

She was halfway out the door, hand resting on the knob, when she suddenly remembered something and darted back to her bedroom.

It was the watch for Xander. She had meant to give it to him yesterday, but Gwen's sudden appearance had completely derailed her plans. Snagging the gift box, she shoved it into her bag, zipped it shut, and headed out.

The cab had barely gone two blocks when Felix called.

"Nora, don't forget to get to The Stratosphere early this afternoon. I'm going to grab Professor Caldwell from the airport. Make sure everything is set on your end so we can eat the second he arrives. The man's going to be exhausted from the travel, and we can't keep him waiting."

"Ms. Newman. Have you eaten?"

His tone possessed a husky, morning-rough texture that sent a faint vibration through the air.

Nora walked closer. "No, I'm planning to take Bonnie out for breakfast."

She paused, her gaze flicking over his plate. "Are you not heading to the office yet?"

Xander arched a single brow.

Nora immediately realized she had overstepped. This was his house. Whether he went to work or not was absolutely none of her business.

She quickly pulled the dark gray gift box from her bag, placed it on the dining table, and slid it toward him.