“Oh boy.” Mikki’s face brightened. “What else happened that you’re not saying?”
Ignoring her friend’s question, Charley stared at Blue. “You’re not really going to see him later, are you?”
“Aren’t I?”
“Blue!”
Calmly, he picked up another dainty triangle of sandwich and continued eating.
Lowering the cup, she leaned forward. “You’re not. Are you?” Leaning further forward, she hissed, “Tell me you’re not.”
“I’m not.”
“Tell me and mean it!”
Taking a mouthful of coffee, Blue regarded her steadily over the rim.
Refusing to look away from those piercing eyes, she opened her mouth to speak again, only to have him beat her to the punch.
“He ordered you into the car, Charley. If I’m not mistaken - and I’m not - he ordered you into the damned car.”
“Oh boy,” Izzy said, while Mikki sucked in a breath.
“He was just being a dick,” Charley replied.
“No man talks to one of our women like that.” Blue indicated the three women with a circular motion of his finger.
Having herself included in the circle of women was sweet, but-
“In fact, no man should talk to a woman like that full stop. I’m just going to inform him of that little fact.”
“He’ll twist it to make it seem like a threat.”
“Don’t stress about it.”
“I am stressed. I don’t want you to get into trouble.”
“I won’t,” he said with complete assuredness.
“How can you possibly-”
“I’ve got this, Charley.”
“Blue-”
“I’ve got this.”
“You haven’t-”
“Mikki, tell her I’ve got this.”
“He’s got this,” Mikki said.
Charley looked incredulously at her.
“Izzy,” Blue said mildly.
“He’s a Wells,” Izzy said. “If he says he’s got this, he’s got this.”
Dubiously, Charley switched her gaze to Blue.
He regarded her back with lazy deceptiveness. Deceptive because while his comfortable slouch appeared indolent, his eyes were sharp, bored right into hers, and were anything but concerned. But nor was his expression cocky, instead he exuded a calm, reassuring air that seemed to reach across the table to her.
Charley bit her lip. “I just don’t want you to get into trouble over something so stupid.”
“I won’t,” he said. “And it’s not stupid. I’ve got this, Charley, and I don’t say what I don’t mean, all right?”
What else could she do but say, “all right”? Even when she wasn’t so sure it was all right. But he’d handled everything easily so far without violence, so maybe she should trust that he did know what he was talking about.
“But if it doesn’t go well,” she muttered, “I’ll smack you so hard you’ll hear bells ring.”
He burst into laughter, a deep, rolling sound that filled the air, making several people nearby pause to glance over.
“Oh, them’s fighting words!” Mikki looked at Izzy. “Twenty says she can take him.”
“Are you serious?” Izzy shook her head.
“Women have their ways.” Mikki winked.
Blue’s eyes twinkled at Charley. “I’m so afraid.”
“You’d want to be.” She grinned resignedly. “Just make sure whatever happens, you cover your arse. I know what Gary can be like.”
“Duly noted.”
Not long after, they bid Izzy and Mikki farewell and headed to Wells Security to pick-up Charley’s bag.
Parking out back, Blue stared at one of the three cars parked in the eight car garage. Charley followed his gaze and her jaw dropped.
The green car was packed with balloons. Pink balloons. Every spare inch was packed. Absolutely packed from the back seat to the front seat and squashed against every window. Every one of the pink balloons had I’m 49 Today & Still Kinky! emblazoned on it in thick black letters.
“Wow.” Charley didn’t know what to say.
“You can say that again.” Closing the door behind her, Blue crossed to the car to peer in at the balloons through the windscreen. “Raymond will hit the roof.”
“Hard to do when the balloons are filling the car.”
Blue grinned. “Marietta strikes again.”
“Marietta.” Charley thoughtfully narrowed her eyes. “Is this Aaron’s female security guard slash tough bodyguard who is Aaron’s receptionist’s arch enemy?”
“That’s Aaron’s pair, all right.” Stepping back, Blue propped his hands on his hips as he studied the balloons. “Raymond hasn’t seen it yet.”
“How can you tell?”
“Because the balloons are still in there.”
“Maybe he can’t get them out.”
“He’d just pop them all with a pin.”
“Aw, that’s kind of sad.” Charley was amused. “After all Marietta’s sweet thoughts, too.”
“She does put a lot of work into her mischief. The balloons aren’t even blue.”
“Maybe they didn’t have blue.”
“If she was able to get that saying on every balloon, she could have ordered them in blue.”
“We’ll never know for sure, will we?”
“Are you sticking up for Marietta?”
“I’m just saying…well…” Puffing out her cheeks, Charley thought for a few seconds before exhaling. “Nope, I’ve got nothing.”
Laughing, he gestured to the building. “Shall we?”
They walked along the driveway down the side of the building, coming around to the front door which he swung open. She entered ahead of him, feeling him move in behind her.
The reception had a cool, efficient atmosphere. Sitting behind the desk was a middle-aged man with brown hair greying at the sides and round, black-framed glasses perched on a little pug-like nose. His short-sleeved shirt hung on a lanky frame. He stopped working on the computer to greet them.
“Good to see you again,” he told Blue.
“Same.” Blue shook his hand. “How have you been, Raymond?”
“Surviving. Man dropped off your purse, by the way.” Raymond’s face was serious.
Blue gave him a dry look.
Charley held up a finger. “I think that’d be mine.”
“Probably go better with your outfit anyway.” Reaching under the desk, Raymond pulled out the bag and handed it over to her along with the white clutch. “He said to return this as well.”
“Oh, awesome!” Delight filled her at the sight of the clutch. “Actually, that reminds me.” Opening the bag, she took out the set of keys Ryan had given her and handed them to Raymond. “I have to return these. Ryan loaned them to me after I got locked out.”
“I’ll put them back.”
“Tell him thanks again, won’t you?”
“No need, that’s the job.”
“Regardless, he was kind enough to give them to me.”
“Okay.” Raymond nodded. “I’ll tell him.”
Satisfied, Charley glanced up at Blue to find him looking leisurely around the office.
“Big brother here?” Blue queried.
“Big brother is everywhere.”
Hooking the strap over one shoulder, Charley listened to the exchange with amusement.
“That is scarily true,” Blue acknowledged.
“But if you’re talking about in the physical flesh sense, I’d have to say no,” Raymond replied. “Aaron is out.”
“No worries, I’ll catch him later.” Blue threw him a two-fingered salute to the eyebrow. “By the way, happy birthday.”
“Thanks.” Raymond was surprised. “Wait a minute. How did you know?”
“I have my ways.”
Fighting the grin threatening, Charley managed to look politely curious.
Tipping back his head, Raymond peered at Blue through his glasses. “Y
ou don’t pull off that mysterious stuff the same way Aaron does.”
Blue placed a hand to his chest. “I’m hurt.”
“And Luke pulls off that stuff much better.”
“Way to crush a man, Raymond. What, exactly, do I do better?”
Pursing his lips, Raymond muttered with exaggerated intensity, “Let me think…”
Stepping forward, Charley slid her hand into the crook of Blue’s elbow and smiled up at him. “You rescue damsels in distress better than anyone.”
That startled Raymond.
Blue patted her hand. “Aw, sweet.”
Raymond shook his head. “Aaron is a damsel in distress expert.”
“Trust me,” Charley said earnestly, “I have first hand experience. No one will ever be the damsel in distress rescuer Blue is.” When Raymond opened his mouth, she added with heavy emphasis, “Ever.”
“Oookay.” Raymond gave her a laughingly wary look. “Blue is the rescuer of damsels in distress. Gotcha.”
“You be sure to let Aaron and Luke know that,” Blue instructed.
“Top of my to-do list. Right there above Aaron saving the world and Luke saving the gardens.”
Laughing, Blue started towards the front door.
Charley didn’t miss his hand at the small of her back, gently but firmly guiding her with gentlemanly courtesy. To say it made her feel cared for was putting it mildly.
Waving goodbye to a grinning Raymond, she went out ahead of Blue, knowing he’d follow her. True to form, the door closed behind them and he came up beside her again, big hand at the back of her waist.
She couldn’t help but notice how he automatically placed himself between her and the busy road, ensuring she walked on the inside of the footpath while he took the outside nearest the traffic. The man’s manners were impeccable.
Definitely more-so than Gary’s. Or maybe it was the way Blue did it so effortlessly, so naturally. He certainly didn’t make a show of it or draw her attention to it, he just did it.
Now she was aware of it, she noted the way Blue held the door open for her, saw her settled inside before walking around to the drivers door, checking with a fleeting glance that she had the seatbelt securely fastened before he put the old ute in gear and drove out of the parking area.
Mr Wells had definitely brought his sons up with impeccable manners. A woman could only feel protected when in the company of a Wells man. Actually, now that she thought more about it, Jason Dawson, cousin to the Wells brothers, treated women the same way. She knew he and his mother’s backgrounds weren’t great, so maybe he’d picked up the same manners from his mother or maybe even Mr Wells, after all, he’d spent quite a few years living with the Wells family.
It was nice to be treated with what some would see as old-fashioned courtesy. Some might scoff, but there was something about having a door opened for her, to have her comfort and well-being seen to, that made her feel cherished.
What? No, wait. Protected. Yes, protected.
Cherished? Where the heck had that come from?
Mentally shaking her head, she switched her thoughts to the cat, wondering how she was doing. If she didn’t hear from the vet in the next hour, she’d phone him and find out.
Blue dropped her home, but before she could walk up to the house he crooked a finger at her. When she approached the driver’s door window curiously, he said, “Can I have your mobile?”
“My mobile?”
He nodded.
“Well, sure.” Taking it from her bag, she handed it to him.
He started thumbing in some numbers and names.
Peering in, she noticed that he was entering the numbers of his and Aaron’s mobiles.
Blue handed it back to her. “You have any problems with Dickhead or anyone else, call one of us.”
“I can handle Gary,” she replied. “I-”
“Charley,” he said. When she tried to argue once more, he simply pointed at the mobile. “Call.”
Instinctively knowing she wouldn’t win this argument, she sighed. “Okay.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Okay, I’ll call if I need help.”
“Anytime, anywhere.”
She nodded while thinking, Only if I can’t handle it first myself.
It was like he could read her thoughts. He pointed from her to the mobile to himself in unspoken command.
Amused at his protectiveness, she snapped a salute. “Yes, sir!”
“I’ll know if you don’t,” he warned. “I always find out.”
“I promise I will ring for help if I need it.”
“Good.” He nodded and backed out of the driveway.
Once the ute was out of sight, she went up the veranda step and unlocked the front door. He was so sweet and protective, maybe a little overprotective, but it was nice to have someone worry about her. If it had been someone else who had stopped on that road or if Blue hadn’t happened along… She suppressed an inward shudder.
Only then did she realised she didn’t have a clue what he’d been doing on the back road, where he’d been going or where he’d been. Not that it mattered…well, it did actually, because she hated to think she’d interrupted his day, but she wasn’t sorry that he’d come along.
“Rescuer of damsels and cats in distress.” Smiling, she walked into the house.
~*~
Three days.
Three days since he’d seen Charley on the side of the road with Gary ripping her, ignoring her distress, ordering her to dump the cat and get in the car.
Three days since he’d become the owner of a cat that might or might not make it.
Three days since he’d become the official rescuer of cats and damsels in distress.
Three days that his middle brother and cousin had needled him mercilessly.
Now here he was standing in a pet shop with Luke and Jason, trying to decide on a collar, sleeping basket, litter tray, cushion, food bowls and a carry basket. Kitty was coming home the next day and he needed everything to be in place beforehand, or so Charley had earnestly told him. She’d had the back-up of Mikki, Izzy and Shea.
He’d been out-numbered, as Luke had gleefully pointed out. Jason had been grinning like a Cheshire cat.
In retaliation, Blue had made the bastards accompany him, charging them with helping him pick out girlie colours and shit.
“What about this?” Luke held up a cushion.
Bloody typical. It was green with palm trees printed all over it. Plants. Blue rolled his eyes. Trust a landscaper and plant lover to pick something like that.
Luke rolled his own eyes in reply and put the cushion back.
“What about this?” Jason held up a pale blue silk cushion with tiny red rosebuds all over it.
Blue scratched his head. “Girlie enough?”
“We could go this one instead.” Jason held up another cushion, this one still pale blue silk but the rosebuds were pink.
“Pink and blue. That’s girlie, right?”
“It’s pathetic is what it is.” Luke shook his head. “For crying out loud, it’s just a cushion for a cat.”
“Dog has a royal blue cushion,” Jason pointed out. “Duchess has purple with gold fringe.”
“What’s your point?”
“You chose those colours with Mikki.”
“That’s my point. I had a sheila doing the choosing.”
“Mikki told us you insisted on the gold fringe because it’d amuse Duchess.”
“She’s lying.”
Jason snorted.
“And if you tell Mikki I said that,” Luke continued, “I will deny it to my dying breath.”
“You keep blaming her and that dying breath might be coming sooner than you think.”
Luke flipped him off.
Jason turned back to Blue and held up the cushion. “Well?”
“Okay.” He frowned. “Okay, we’ll go with the pink rosebuds.”
“Ooohhhh, Bluey boy likes the pink rosebuds,” Luke said. “Look at
Bluey getting all fancy-schmancy for his girl.”
“Charley was a little concerned, that’s all,” Blue retorted.
“What?” Luke’s eyes widened. “I meant Cat.”
“Cat?”
“Your girl, Cat.”
“That’s Kitty, you moron.”
“Yet you say it was Charley.”
“Charley’s not Kitty.”
Luke paused, turned to Jason. “My head hurts.”
“You pulled a muscle in your brain; it’s not used to thinking too much.” His cousin held up a basket. “Hey, what about this basket?”
Blue squinted at it. “Kind of dark.”
“You want a paler one?”
“Yeah. Pale is girlie, right?”
“Dunno about that. Izzy likes the dark wood furniture we have.”
“Huh.” Blue stroked his jaw reflectively. “Will Charley like this?”
“Why?” Luke asked. “Is Charley sleeping in it?”
“I meant, will she like the paler colour?”
“Isn’t it your girl we’re trying to impress?”
“What if she doesn’t like it?”
“I don’t think she’ll care.”
“Which she are we talking about?” Jason asked.
“I don’t know,” Luke said. “I’m confused.”
Like that surprised Blue. “Will Charley prefer the paler colour for Kitty?”
Luke’s mouth went a little slack. “My head hurts.”
“Jesus, you’re an idiot.” Blue looked at Jason. “What do you think?”
“Let me just test my feminine side, “ Jason replied.
“Oh my God,” Luke said.
“Yeah.” Jason put the dark basket back onto the shelf. “A paler basket will be better.”
“Well, my goodness me.” Luke flipped his hand limply around. “Whatever colour will we girls pick now?”
“What’s wrong with him?” Blue scrutinized the baskets.
“What’s right with him?” Jason responded.
“Pair of illiterate bastards,” Luke said.
“We’re not in a spelling or reading contest here,” Blue said. “Not that you’d know that.”
“Illiterate bastard,” Jason added.
Blue peered at the variety of baskets. “What kind do we get? What has Duchess got? What has Arnie got?”
“Arnie sleeps in a hammock or on our bed.” Jason surveyed the baskets.
The Wells Brothers: Blue Page 11
