She nodded and sniffled a little bit. Jason was staring at me with a peculiar smile.
"What?"
He coughed when he realized I'd caught him. "Nothing."
"No. You were smiling about something. What?"
"Just how you take care of everyone around you. You're like supermom."
"Shut up."
Yuki started chuckling.
"Well, it's probably a good idea to get the hell out of here before they start coming to ask me questions I don't have the answers to. Jason, follow me home, make sure I don't crash. Yuki, ride with me."
"I'll do one better and drive you home," he said, leaving little room for argument.
"Okay, but we're taking my car. I'm not riding in yours. My tetanus shots aren't up to date."
"Funny."
"I know."
I opened the door and faceplanted into Doctor Shapiro's chest. We should have left sooner. "Play dumb," he mouthed the words and motioned me back into the little room.
"Dorothea Blackwell," he said out loud, "this is Doctor Materos. He's on the board of directors and wants to ask you a few questions…"
Fuck.
"Is this about Jimmy? Did you figure out what happened to him?" He wanted me to play dumb. I could do that. Until I got pissed off. I might not have enough juice to mindwipe the guy in the suit, but Jason did.
"You have no idea how his fractures miraculously vanished?" Snide didn't even begin to describe his tone. He sounded like a pompous prick as soon as he opened his mouth. This wasn't going to end well. For him.
"I can only assume that your technician screwed up and my boyfriend wasn't really injured."
He blinked. Twice. And opened his mouth. "You're joking," he practically snarled at me, immediately calling my bluff.
"I never joke about gross malpractice. It's a very serious matter."
"I reviewed both the x-rays and the MRIs myself, Miss Blackwell. His back was broken in multiple places."
"Maybe he's a quick healer."
"Or maybe he had a little help."
I had exactly one option left before Dr. Materos ended up forgetting everything and maybe drooling on himself. Mindwipes were tricky…
"If you have questions, you may direct them to my lawyer. I will be contacting him in the morning regarding your incompetence." I walked past him, half-expecting him to grab me by the arm. Make them question what they think they know and be an asshole about it. It worked for my mother the better part of her life. It could work for me, too.
I strode down the corridor, praying I didn't hear their footsteps behind us. We didn't. If there was one thing a board member feared, it was litigation.
"That was fucking hilarious," Jason said when we were out of earshot.
"I saw his face after you were out the door. He looked like he was going to piss himself. I smelled fear. If you want me to go back and eat him, I will…"
"We'll see how it plays out. I'm too tired to care right now. I just want to go home."
"That's the safest idea you've had in a while," Yuki said with a giggle.
Jason put his arm around my shoulders, noticing my unsteady trek toward the elevators. "Thanks," I said and gave him a tired smile. His arm felt good draped around me, comforting and familiar somehow. Almost like it belonged there.
"Just glad you're not driving."
We made it out of the hospital, unhindered by hospital security. It was a small miracle. I just hoped Jimmy made it out of there sometime in the near future. If they decided to make him a lab rat, I'd have to orchestrate a rescue mission. I texted him to keep me posted.
I will. Be safe. Thank you, was his response. I smiled at my phone when we got to the car.
I handed Jason the keys, letting him unlock my door and shove me in the front seat. I put my elbow on the door, holding my head up and staring out at the eerily quiet parking lot. When I looked up, I could see the fine snowflakes falling in front of the yellow-tinted sodium lights illuminating everything in a soft warm glow. None of the snow was sticking, yet, but we were supposed to get a few inches over the next few days.
Jason and Yuki got in, and he started the car, blasting the heat for me. I sighed, trying to tell myself everything would be all right. The off feeling I'd been experiencing over the past few days just wouldn't go away. Hopefully a night in my nice warm bed would chase it away.
Chapter 10
"Dot…"
It wasn't his voice that woke me up, although I did hear it and incorporated it into my dream, a dream that faded away to nothing as he gently shook my shoulder.
I pulled the comforter down, exposing my face and blinking in the bright morning sun pouring through my window. I had forgotten to pull the blackout curtains before collapsing into bed.
"Somebody better be on fire, Jason."
"Jimmy called. He's on his way home. The hospital released him."
"Why didn't he call me?"
"He did, three times. You left your phone in the kitchen."
"Oh. What are you doing here so early?"
"It's almost noon…"
I sat up, the comforter falling away. Jason glanced down at my bare breasts and I saw a bit of color rush to his cheeks. I smiled briefly before the panic really set in. "Shit."
"What?"
"I didn't want to sleep that long. I have five million things to get done."
He cocked an eyebrow at me. "What can I do?"
"First of all, get ahold of Herb while I hop in the shower and get dressed. Actually, make that second. Coffee first. Would you mind grabbing me a cup?"
He nodded and left the room, leaving me a little more comfortable getting out of bed naked. I slipped out from under the blanket and grabbed a T-shirt, throwing it over myself as I walked into the bathroom. I closed the door and relieved my overburdened bladder and brushed my teeth before heading out into the kitchen. I shivered and turned around, deciding pants might not be such a bad idea, either.
I finally made it back into the kitchen. He was holding out my coffee and my phone. Josie got up from the couch, too. "Morning, sunshine."
"Morning yourself," I shot back at her. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Jason told me not to. Should I not have listened to your assistant?"
I shifted my gaze to his guilty looking face. "Should I not have?"
"No. You're fired." I'd meant it as a joke, but his panicked face sucked all the fun out of it. "I'm kidding!"
He cocked an eyebrow at me and gave me a stern look. With his angular face it was quite effective. I blushed and took a sip of my coffee in contrition.
"Herb says he has three houses that might be suitable, depending on her tastes."
"Speaking of the devil, where is she?"
"She said she was going to pack up a few things at home and come back when, and this is a quote, my lackadaisical granddaughter gets her sorry bones out of bed," Josie said and pointed at the portal to Ashville behind her.
I sighed and stared at it, wishing she had at least made it a little more modern looking. It completely clashed with the rest of my living room. I'd hoped it was only temporary, but she assured me it would probably be standing long after my dump of a dwelling collapsed around it. My grandmother was quite the ray of sunshine. At least I wouldn't have to fly in a damn airplane next time I wanted to visit home.
The fear that my house would become a transportation station settled somewhere between my fears that my mother would pop through at any time, or that it would collapse into a black hole, swallowing a greater portion of New York. Since the other end of the portal ended in my grandmother's house, I suppose I didn't have to worry about the station or my mother, but a black hole was a legitimate possibility. I did have to admit, it would be handy when I wanted to visit Virginia…
Moving to the dining room, I sat at the table and opened my phone, checking what I'd missed when I was dead to the world. Jimmy had texted he was going home and taking a shower. He'd see me later. Chief texted wanting to know what
the hell had happened. The only other thing of interest was a couple of missed calls from the Johnson Brothers. They probably needed a check.
"Anything I can do?" Jason settled in the chair next to me.
I slid him my phone. "Call the Johnson Brothers. See what they need, call my grandmother and tell her we're going to look at houses, and then grab your notebook. We need to go to the bank. I'll add you to some of my accounts. That and I need food. I'm going to go take a shower."
I left him there with his list of things to do while I got clean.
By the time I finished, so had he. My grandmother was even at the table next to him, patiently sipping a cup of tea and staring at him as he shifted uncomfortably.
"Hi, Nana."
"Granddaughter."
"You ready to pick a house?"
She nodded, finishing her cup.
"Freddy says they need a payment on the construction. I have the total. Says they need to purchase materials and they should be done in two weeks."
"Holy shit!" I tried not to squeal in excitement, especially with my grandmother sitting there. Decorum and all that. She made a face at my expletive. If I had squealed, it would surely have earned me an eyeroll.
I went to grab my phone and he showed me the underlined number written on the notebook page with the total. I nodded and dialed Jimmy.
"Hey," he answered on the second ring.
"I'm heading downtown in case you were planning on heading over here."
"I was going to after my shower. I need my Dot."
I chuckled softly, turning my back on Jason and Nana, walking away for a bit of privacy. "Well, we're stopping by the bank and then heading to the diner. Meeting Herb and grabbing some food if you want to meet us."
"No. I'm going to take a shower and lie down. Hospital beds suck. I'll have a nap while you're running around."
"Okay," I tried to keep the disappointment out of my voice. "I'll call you when I'm done. Let's grab some dinner."
"Okay."
"Hey."
"What?"
"I'm glad you're okay."
"Me, too. Thank you, Lady."
I let it go. "You're welcome."
"Dinner?"
"Sure. Where?"
"Feel like Italian?" He chuckled sexily.
Heat creeped up my face and I was very grateful I had turned around. "Um. How about something a little less exciting."
"Steak?"
"Yes."
"Let me know when you're on your way. I'll meet you there."
"I'll just pick you up."
"Even better. See you tonight."
"See you tonight. Lo–" I stopped myself. I just couldn't quite say it…yet.
"I know," he said, and I heard the feeling in his voice. And his smile. I hadn't even known you could hear a smile, but you could.
I got a warm and fuzzy feeling when I shut off the phone.
"Let's go," I called over my shoulder. "You want anything to eat, Josie?"
"Go ahead. Candace and I are going to lunch."
"Have fun!"
∞ ∞ ∞
The bank had been almost exhausting. Instead of adding Jason to a bunch of my accounts, I opened a new business account and put him on it, and then gave him a mile-long list of things to get done for the bookstore, paperwork wise. Incorporating was the first thing. I told him to take the new bank card and get a laptop. How he lived his whole life without one was beyond me. For what he probably spent on porn magazines, he could have bought five computers and then streamed all the porn he wanted.
I doubted I would have time to teach him how to use it, and some night classes might be a good idea. He was hesitant at first, until I told him it wasn't an option and that I'd be paying for them. It was time to see exactly how smart he was.
"Brought the whole gang," Marge said jovially as we slid into my booth.
"Yeah. Herb's showing us some houses."
"He told me. How's Jimmy?"
"He's fine."
"That was pretty scary yesterday. Tommy's Glass Repair has been up and down the street all morning. Poor Lou," she said sadly.
I nodded, briefly wondering how they had explained his death. "Yeah."
"Can't believe a bear snuck in the back door. And Ralph, crashing his propane truck when he saw it… I mean what are the odds?" She shot me an accusatory glance.
Apparently, she wasn't buying the cover story.
"Yeah… Weird."
"Be right back with your drinks." She turned around and walked away without taking our drink order.
"A bear?" Jason asked with a smirk.
"Don't ask me, it's probably Chief's explanation."
"He needs to take a creative writing class." Jason toyed with a sugar packet from the holder next to him.
Nana chuckled.
"How would you have explained it?" I smiled at him.
"Freaking ninjas."
"Ninjas?"
"Ninjas. From the Owatatori Village, hidden deep in mountains."
"You're pretty good at this."
"I read a lot of manga."
I blinked in surprise. He didn't strike me as the type. "Really?"
"Really."
"Guess there's a lot more about you I need to learn."
"I look forward to it," he said with a little blush.
"Are you two almost done flirting? I would like to retain what is left of my appetite."
"We're not flirting, Nana."
"He wasn't. You were."
I blinked in surprise, blushing uncontrollably. Jason moved his hand in front of his mouth, stifling his laughter. Thank the goddess, Marge brought our drinks. She set my usual Coke and coffee in front of me, tea for Nana, and a Coke for Jason.
"Know what you want to eat?"
"Burger, well."
She turned to Jason. "The Dot."
Nana just shook her head, not wanting any food. I hardly ever saw her eat other than dinner. She probably drank the blood of her enemies from a skull. Or drank Ensure…
Herb walked out from the kitchen with a file folder and his fingers jangling with keys. "Hey, everybody."
"Hi, Herb," I said and gave him a smile. "Sorry we missed you yesterday."
"That was quite the commotion. Glad it's over. I had a bear-proof lock put on the back door, just in case," he said with a wink. Chief must have filled him in.
"Well, you two enjoy your lunch and flirting. I'll go with the nice man to look at the houses."
"Nana…"
"Hush, Child. I'm perfectly capable of picking out my own damn house. You told me I should trust this man."
"Most definitely. Take care of my Nana, Herb."
"Yeah. I don't think she needs my help, either," he said with a chuckle, clearly afraid of her.
"You were right, Granddaughter. He is a wise man." She strode toward the door, Herb scrambling to catch up.
"I hope we see him again…" I chuckled.
"Is your mother as bad as her?" Jason hadn't met my mother and was trying to get a perspective.
"Sometimes worse, sometimes better. Depends on Nana's mood, I guess."
"You're not going to turn evil and enslave us all one day, are you?"
"Would that be so bad?" I asked, jokingly.
"Not at all," he answered with a little grin.
Marge brought our food and we ate quietly. Since we didn't have to go house shopping with my grandmother, that freed up my day a little. We still needed to run next door and drop off a check for the book store construction, but that was the last thing on the agenda until dinner with Jimmy. I smiled at the thought of that, looking forward to it immensely.
"How's your sandwich?"
He blinked and gave me a little smile. "It's delicious."
"Well, no more jokes about the name."
He chuckled. "Well, I do enjoy eating it."
"Do you?" I smiled slyly as I reached for my Coke, taking a sip, letting the straw drag over my bottom lip as I pulled it away. A move that wasn't lost o
n him, either. He was blatantly staring. Then I realized what I was doing, gave a little cough, and attacked my burger.
Bad Dot. Jimmy Chief. Jimmy Chief.
The chime sounded over the door. I half-expected to see Chief walking into the diner. I sighed when I saw it was Derek. I'd told him I would let him know when I got back into town. Knowing full well that I should have, just to let him know how things stood between us, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
"Dorothea," he said as he passed by, not stopping at our table.
I blinked in shock.
Jason noticed.
"You okay?"
"Just surprised. He must be pissed at me."
"You do seem to have that effect on people…"
"True story. Oh, well." I took another bite of burger, wanting to finish as quickly as possible and leave.
"Want to go?"
I nodded, finishing off my burger and leaving most of the fries. "Just need the check."
"Should have asked for it sooner. He's coming back."
I was facing the door, but I could feel the slow burn of Derek's gaze as his footfalls sounded as he crossed the diner. "Shit."
"Want me to stay?"
"No. Give us a minute."
He nodded, not questioning my decision. That might have been one of Jason's most endearing qualities. I smiled at him as he stood up and headed for the restroom in the back. I'm sure he would be keeping an eye on things from the dark hallway.
Without so much as an invitation, Derek slid into Jason's recently vacated seat, snagging one of the French fries off my abandoned plate and taking a bite from it.
"Was waiting fer you to let me know ye got back yesterday."
"Yeah. There was an explosion and my boyfriend got hurt."
"Which one?"
"Jimmy. The fireman."
"He okay?" He might have been pissed, but it faded away in genuine concern.
"Now. Shrapnel and broke his back in a few places."
"He's okay? With a broken back?'
"I healed him."
"Oh. If I recall correctly, healin' wasn't one of yer many talents."
"I got better."
"Apparently."
"So… What's new with you?"
"I don't know. I had grand plans of settlin' back in Ashville, maybe rekindlin' something between us, if ye wanted. Then yer ma' told me you were here, and I should run after ye. Now, I'm doubtin' her sanity. Ye seem happy."
Third Charm: A Reverse Harem Tale (Lovin' the Coven Book 3) Page 10