“That was a nightmare?” Jerry shifted his sympathetic eyes to me. “I thought you and Griffin were playing a game of Marco Polo and he was winning.”
Griffin adopted a stance that worried me, as if perhaps he might punch Jerry in the face. I positioned myself between them to make sure Jerry would be safe and rested my hand on his chest. “Jerry, how did you think killing Katherine with my cooking would help?”
“I have no intention of letting you cook for her, Bug,” Jerry replied, dragging his eyes from Griffin and focusing on me. “I’m going to cook and let you take credit for it.”
“Oh.” I brightened considerably. “That’s an awesome plan.”
“That’s an awesome plan?” Griffin was perplexed. “He’s trying to get you to lie to my mother.”
“So?”
Griffin opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut, holding his hands up as he took a step back. “You know what? Knock yourselves out. I think you two spending some time together will be good for Aisling. I want her to relax. If pretending to cook together does it for her, I’m all for it.”
“Really?” Jerry remained unconvinced. “I’m going to cook Cornish hens. How does that sound?”
“Delightful.” Griffin slung an arm over my shoulders. “You two can argue about menu preferences later. I need to drive Aisling back to Grimlock Manor to get her car.”
“We need to argue about the menu right now,” Jerry countered. “I’ll take Bug to her car. It’s fine.”
Griffin stilled. “Are you sure?”
Jerry nodded. “It’s fine. I’ll keep her safe.”
Griffin licked his lips and flicked his eyes to me. “Are you okay with that?”
I didn’t bother to hide my mirth. “Do you think Jerry is going to do something dastardly to me behind your back?”
“No, but … I guess I’m not ready to be away from you for the day quite yet.”
I blew out a frustrated sigh. “I only have two jobs today. They’re both easy. Dad wanted to be sure I didn’t have anything to tire me out after my run-in with the wraith yesterday, so I’m pretty much coasting.”
“And I have put someone else in control of the bakery for the day,” Jerry added. “I’ll go with Bug to her jobs and then we’ll shop for dinner. It will be easy-peasy.”
Griffin tilted his head to the side, considering. “Okay.” He kissed my forehead, and then moved his lips to mine and gave me a proper goodbye. “Be good, and text me every few hours so I know you’re safe.”
“I’ll be cooking with Jerry,” I pointed out. “What’s safer?”
“I can think of a few things,” Griffin replied, gracing me with another kiss before separating. “Be careful. And don’t set the townhouse on fire while you’re cooking.”
“I resent that,” Jerry barked.
“Good. I was talking to you.”
Jerry rolled his eyes as he slipped an arm around my shoulders. “I don’t know how you put up with him.”
“That’s funny, I was just thinking I didn’t know what I did before I had him in my life.”
Jerry’s expression softened. “Do you want to stop at the day spa for a massage before cooking?”
I grinned, happy for the first time in what felt like hours. “You had me at massage.”
9
Nine
“You got enough food to feed an army.”
I stared at the overflowing shopping cart as Jerry pushed it toward the parking lot. Both my charges were morning jobs, and Jerry drove to them so we could work before spending two hours at the day spa. Then we swung by Grimlock Manor so I could dispose of the souls and pick up my car before we met at the grocery store. Jerry swore up and down that shopping would be easy before returning to the townhouse for cooking. In my head that meant I could nap and catch up on the sleep I missed thanks to the nightmare while Jerry put in the hard work.
“I want to make sure that Katherine has choices,” Jerry said, staring into each bag as he loaded it into the hatchback of his car. He looked to be running through a mental list. “I also bought a lot of wine, so you can lull her with alcohol if the food doesn’t work.”
“Smart thinking.” I mustered a wan smile, which must’ve tipped Jerry off that I wasn’t feeling great, because he instantly sobered.
“What was your dream about?”
It always freaks me out when Jerry turns serious. He’s the happiest guy I know. Even when he’s unhappy he does it in a manner that makes most people smile, so it’s generally an entertaining meltdown when it occurs.
“It’s not important.” I patted his hand. The simple fact that he cared made me feel better. “Griffin is worked up about it, but it was a normal dream. I was in a dark room and the floor opened up to swallow me.”
“I hate dreams like that.” Jerry twisted his features into something out of a horror novel. “Do you know what makes it worse? When there are sharks in the hole.”
I snorted, some of the tension from the past twenty-four hours easing. “That’s exactly what I told Griffin.”
“It doesn’t seem to have calmed him much. He’s still manic about the dream.”
“It’s not the dream. It’s the scream. I don’t know why I did it, but … he’s convinced the pressure is getting to me and I’m about to crack.”
“Are you?” Jerry furrowed his brow, causing his handsome face to darken. “No one would blame you if everything coming together like this was too much for you to bear. I mean … you did save a little girl and fight off a wraith yesterday. That’s on top of your live-in lover’s mother coming to visit and staying with your father, which is just weird if you ask me. It’s also on top of the fact that your mother is running around trying to eat people.”
He wasn’t wrong, but still … . “I’m okay.” I honestly meant it. “If I’d thought before I opened my mouth yesterday, everything would be okay.”
Jerry didn’t look convinced. “Bug, Katherine seems like a really nice woman. She’s funny, open and gregarious. She’ll like you because you’re you. You’re the smartest and funniest person I know. People can’t stop themselves from loving you.”
“You forgot how hot I am.”
“You’re definitely hot.” Jerry gave me a playful swat on the behind. “You know, fathers are always most protective of daughters, and mothers are that way with their sons. She can’t help but look at you harder than she does Cillian. It’s human nature.”
“Is that true?” I searched my memory for instances of my mother fawning over my brothers rather than me and came up empty. “I would like to blame it on genetics or something, but I honestly think I tend to rub people the wrong way.”
“Why do you think that?”
“You’ve met me.” My mind drifted to when I first met Angelina and we glared at each other before either of us said a word.
“Angelina doesn’t count,” Jerry chided, almost as if reading my mind. “She’s an evil hell beast who needs to be run over by a slow-moving train.”
I cracked a legitimate smile. “Tell me how you really feel.”
“I feel that you’re selling yourself short and that Katherine Taylor is going to fall in love with you,” Jerry said, his tone even and stern. “No one can know you and not love you.”
“Angelina doesn’t love me.”
“She doesn’t count because she’s evil. We’ve already covered her. You can’t keep using her as an answer.”
“I’m pretty sure my mother isn’t fond of me right now,” I added.
Jerry stilled. “I love your mother. I’ve always loved her. I’ll never forget that she was the first one who never made me feel self-conscious when I was a kid. I didn’t know I was gay back then. I didn’t know what being gay really meant. I think your mother recognized it, but she always encouraged me to be myself.”
“Yeah, I think she knew, too.” That wasn’t an exaggeration. Looking back on that time gave me a new appreciation for my mother. “The woman who came back isn’t the same perso
n. You know that, right?”
“I do know that.” Jerry bobbed his head. “I still see parts of the old Lily Grimlock when I look at her, though. I can’t help it.”
I saw those parts, too, and they haunted me. “You can’t go soft where she’s concerned,” I ordered, pinning Jerry with a harsh gaze. “It’s important that you’re never alone with her.”
“I know that. Believe it or not, Bug, I don’t want to die.”
“I believe it.”
“I’m far too pretty to die.”
That elicited a smile and caused me to giggle. “You’re definitely too pretty to die.”
“I’m not sure how we got off on a tangent, but to bring things full circle, I promise that Katherine will like you,” Jerry said, sincere. “She won’t be able to help herself. I know it, because I love you more than anyone else.”
“I’m sure Griffin will love to hear that.”
“Screw Griffin,” Jerry muttered. “He was a mean pain in the butt this morning.”
“He didn’t mean to be. He was worried about me.”
“That’s the only reason I will forgive him his trespasses.” Jerry slammed the hatchback shut. “So, are you ready to follow me home and learn how to cook?”
“Yeah, I was thinking that you could do the cooking and I could take a nap.”
Instead of being offended, Jerry broke out in a wide grin. “Oh, thank the super model, Bug. I was trying to think of ways to distract you so you wouldn’t ruin the food, and you came up with your own solution.”
I grinned. “I’ll put the cart away and meet you at home.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
I paid little heed to Jerry as he pulled out of the parking lot, humming to myself as I pushed the cart to a corral. I was lost in thought, hoping that I’d be able to forge a new start with Katherine this evening, when I noticed a figure pacing me one aisle over. I glanced in that direction, expecting to see a disinterested mother walking toward the store or a teenager staring at a cell phone as he texted friends. Instead I found a tall, slender man matching me step for step.
My heart stuttered as I looked him up and down, although I couldn’t say why until my eyes reached his face. There was no face there. The spot where eyes, a nose and a mouth should’ve been reflected back as a distorted flat surface, a two-dimensional slate, if you will. I rubbed my eyes, ignoring the way my keys scratched my cheek. Nothing changed, though, and when the man – and it was a man, I could tell that by the lack of breasts and hips – shifted in my direction I could almost see him smiling even though he didn’t have a mouth.
I stumbled backward, plowing into a woman as she walked behind me with a cart full of bags.
“Watch where you’re going,” she barked.
I jerked my head in her direction, flustered. “What?”
“Are you high or something?” The woman looked annoyed, so I jerked away from her cart, working overtime to catch my breath. I risked a glance back at the next aisle and felt my heart skip a beat when I realized the man – or whatever – was gone. I raced in that direction, scouring up and down the aisle. I even risked a trip back into the store, but couldn’t find anyone without a face to focus my attention on. Finally I trudged back to my car, resigned.
I’d imagined it. There could be no other explanation. I was exhausted from my antics the previous day and lack of sleep the previous night. A nap would fix me right up.
I kept telling myself that and hoping it was true. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure I believed it.
“WOW, SOMETHING smells good.”
Griffin graced me with a wide smile as he walked into the townhouse shortly after five. He looked to be in good spirits, and he only brightened when he caught sight of me rubbing my head as I slowly crawled out of my nap to greet him.
“Hi,” I mumbled as he smacked a kiss against my lips. “What time is it?”
“It’s about forty-five minutes before my mother is supposed to arrive,” Griffin replied, pushing my hair out of my face as he sat next to me. “She called twice today to make sure the meal was still on. You look tired, though, so I could cancel if you’re not feeling up to it.”
“I’m up for it,” I shot back, rubbing my hands up and down my face to get the blood circulating. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”
Griffin looked me up and down. “You look a little better than you did this morning,” he conceded. “Still, you’re tired, baby. Maybe we should put it off for a day.”
“You will most certainly not put it off for a day,” Jerry ordered, wheeling around the kitchen as he checked on the entrees and side dishes. “I have the Cornish hens cooking, the potatoes ready to stick in the oven for baking, the Brussels sprouts ready for roasting and a beautiful cake being delivered from my bakery even as we speak.”
“Cake?” I perked up. “You have cake coming?”
“I do.” Jerry bobbed his head, seemingly happy. “I had my workers whip up something that doesn’t look quite perfect so Katherine will believe you made it.”
Griffin barked out a laugh as I scowled.
“That all sounds good,” Griffin said, warily eyeing Jerry. “I’m sorry we fought this morning. I didn’t mean to take out my worry on you. It wasn’t fair.”
“It’s fine.” Jerry isn’t one to hold a grudge and he openly beamed at Griffin. “I enjoyed my day with Bug, and I happen to love cooking. We eat at Grimlock Manor so often for dinner that I don’t get to flex my chef muscles very often unless it’s at work or for breakfast. I enjoyed myself.”
“That’s good.” Griffin rubbed my back. “How are you feeling, honey?”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I knew he was only being a concerned boyfriend – and I loved him for it – but the growing obsession he had with my health was starting to grate. “I’m fine, Griffin. Both of my jobs were ridiculously easy today. Ask Jerry.”
“They were easy,” Jerry agreed. “One was at an apartment that looked rough from the outside but was perfectly clean on the inside. We poofed in, Aisling explained the situation, and then we poofed out.”
“I love a good poof,” Griffin deadpanned.
“Join the club.” Jerry’s smile was wry. “The second case was an elderly woman who outlived her husband and children – I felt a little sorry for her – and she was eager to go. I couldn’t see or hear her, of course, but Aisling gave me a running description of what was happening. All in all we worked for about an hour.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.” Griffin looked relieved. “Then what did you do?”
“We went shopping and came back to cook.”
Griffin narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the kitchen. “That doesn’t sound like an entire day’s worth of events. What else did you do?”
“Nothing.” Jerry averted his eyes and focused on the baking tray in front of him. “You are such a suspicious man. It’s not a very attractive quality.”
Griffin shifted his gaze to me. “What else did you do?”
“We went to the day spa and got a couple’s massage,” I answered without hesitation. “Jerry insisted on a couple’s massage so we could gossip while getting rubbed. It’s his favorite form of multi-tasking.”
Griffin grinned. “That sounds like a nice afternoon.” He extended his lips and pecked my mouth, smiling as he ran his fingers through my hair. “You look much better.”
“I feel better.” It was the truth … other than the guy without a face I saw in the parking lot of the shopping center, of course. There was no way I would admit to hallucinating, and I was certain that’s what happened. Griffin would only worry more if I told him about my near freakout at Holiday Market. “I’m okay, Griffin. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Honey, I’m always going to worry about you. You’re a trouble magnet.” He kissed my mouth and then stood. “As much as I would like to hear the rundown of your gossip session, though, I know my mother. She’ll be early. You might want to get cleaned up.”
I glanced down
at my Harold and Maude T-shirt and shot him a rueful smile. “I probably need to brush my hair, too, huh?”
“And your teeth … and washing your face wouldn’t hurt.”
I narrowed my eyes and glanced at the mirror, frowning at my reflection. “I look like a raccoon!”
“That’s what happens when you sleep in your makeup.” Jerry wasn’t sympathetic in the least. “Go wash your face, Bug. Run a brush through your hair and maybe use that straightener on it to smooth things, too.”
“You’ll make me nervous if you don’t stop poking,” I teased, groaning as I stood. “That nap made me sluggish. I might need some caffeine before Katherine arrives.”
“I’ve got coffee, wine and soda for your big night, so don’t worry about that,” Jerry offered. “I also laid out an outfit for you on your bed.”
I rolled my neck until it cracked, surprised. “When did you do that?”
“You sleep like a log, Bug,” Jerry shot back. “I’ve been all over this place since you passed out. I even rearranged your underwear drawer.”
The news didn’t surprise me, but Griffin was horrified.
“Why would you do that?”
“Because she had everything arranged wrong,” Jerry replied matter-of-factly. “You organize the drawer in the manner you put on the items. So, it goes panties, bras and then garters. Aisling doesn’t have a lot of garters – we’re totally going shopping for those after the holidays, by the way, because they’re back in style – but she had the few that she owns next to the panties. That’s not how it works.”
Griffin pursed his lips as he leaned back on the couch. “How do you know that?”
“I know everything.”
“Yes, but you’re a man.”
“Who loves lingerie.” Jerry’s temper flared. “Are you trying to upset me?”
Griffin chuckled. “No. I’m thankful you spent the day with Aisling and that she had such a good time. I’m also thankful that you let her sleep and took such good care of her. I do not want to upset you.”
“Good.”
Griffin flicked his eyes to me. “Go get ready. I’ll make sure everything is taken care of in here.”
Grim Holiday (Aisling Grimlock Book 6) Page 9
