“I am not staying here,” Jinx insisted.
The nurse shrugged. “I’m afraid that’s really up to your doctor, sweetie. If you want, I can send him by as soon as possible to check on you. If he thinks you’re strong enough to go home, then we can discuss it. In the meantime, here’s your medication.”
“What is this?” Jinx asked suspiciously.
“Just a painkiller. I promise, I’m not going to poison you.”
“I don’t need it.”
“Sweetie...”
Jinx glowered at the nurse. “Don’t you call me sweetie again. I said I don’t need it and I’m not going to take it.”
The nurse glanced from Jinx to her chart and back again. “Well, I suppose I can’t make you take it. But understand, hon, you’re going to be in for a doozy of a headache without it.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Jinx snapped, watching the nurse retreat from the room. She turned to Leilani. “I don’t care what they say I need, you are not to let them give me any medication. Do you understand me?”
“Jinx, they’re trying to...”
“Just promise me,” Jinx interrupted, grabbing Leilani’s arm with her good hand. “Don’t let them give me anything. Anything.”
Leilani looked like she wanted to argue, but Butch stepped forward. “We promise Jinx. No medication unless you feel you need it. I understand.”
Normally Jinx would have argued with him about it, purely on principle. But looking at the seriousness in his eyes, she realized he did get it. Without her saying a word, he’d understood why she feared the painkillers so much. She also knew he would keep his word. For the first time in a very long while, Jinx felt simple trust in a friend. She relaxed against her pillows and let go of Leilani’s arm. “Okay. Now, your second assignment is to convince these quacks to let me go home today.”
Shaking her head with a slight laugh, Leilani said, “I don’t know that we can do that much, Jinx. But I promise, as soon as they give the okay, we’ll go home. Promise.”
Allowing herself a tiny smile, Jinx said, “Thank you.”
“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask, who’s Aaron Jordan?” Leilani asked, holding out her cell phone. “I have about six missed calls from him. I didn’t want to answer until I’d talked to you about it, just in case.”
Jinx took the phone. “Oh my gosh, he must think I died or something. Aaron was the friend I met at the mall that first day. I was feeling jumpy after work, so I called him just so I could listen to a friendly voice. The line went dead and I think I put the phone in my pocket after that? I’m not sure, my memory gets a little fuzzy at that point. How did you get the phone?”
“It was in your bag of personal belongings. I had quite the time of trying to convince the nurse that the buzzing phone was actually mine.”
Giggling, Jinx said, “I’ll bet. Do you mind if I call him?”
“Please do,” Leilani said. “I’m sure he’s worried about you.”
Jinx pushed the numbers to call Aaron. Nervous butterflies danced in her midsection. “Hi, Aaron?” she said as he answered.
“Jinx! What happened to you? I’ve been trying to call you since last night. Are you okay?”
His genuine concern was so foreign to her. Yet, warmth filled the quiet recesses of her heart. “Well, I will be,” she replied. “There was an incident last night, and I’m at the hospital. But I’ll be fine.”
“The hospital? Which one, I can be there in twenty minutes or less.”
“That’s really sweet of you, but you don’t need to,” Jinx said.
“You suddenly disappear during a phone conversation and you think I’m not going to come check on you? Where are you at?”
Jinx thought for a minute. “That’s a good question, actually. Leilani, where am I?”
“St. Joe.”
After giving the information to Aaron, Jinx resigned herself to having another visitor. But somehow, the fact that Aaron was concerned enough to need to see her in person gave her some much-needed comfort. She smiled to herself before leaning against the pillows and dozing off.
Chapter 21
Leilani and Butch went down to the cafeteria while Aaron visited Jinx. It had been wonderful to see Jinx connect with a good friend, though Leilani couldn’t quite suppress a giggle when Butch glowered at the newcomer. She’d seen that look before on her brothers’ faces when she brought a date home. She admired this protective side of Butch, though she hoped he wouldn’t take it too far. Girls didn’t much appreciate older brothers scaring their dates off, which she knew all too well. As she sat across from Butch in the cafeteria, she noticed how he kept glancing at the door. “Relax, Butch. Aaron seems like a pretty nice guy,” she said.
“Sure.”
“Why are you so worried?”
“You don’t think it’s a little too convenient that this guy suddenly popped into her life?”
Leilani shook her head. “No, I don’t. Considering how difficult their situations have been in life, I think it’s a blessing for both of them to be reunited. You can’t always believe the worst in people, Butch. People are generally good, and just because someone arrives at what seems like a convenient time, doesn’t mean they came with bad intentions.”
“Easy for you to say,” Butch muttered.
“No, actually, it’s not,” Leilani snapped. “And I’m tired of you and Jinx acting like I’ve gone through life with my head in the clouds. Just because things appear to have been easier on me than they have been on you, doesn’t mean they actually were. I’ve had my share of problems too. I choose to remain positive.”
“Or maybe you’re just choosing to be blind to the fact that the world is a cruel, ugly place.”
Leilani stood. “You’re wrong, Butch. And I’m not going to waste my breath trying to prove it to you. I hope you come to understand that sometimes fighting fire with fire doesn’t solve the problem. It just ends with a desolate waste. Goodbye.” Despite her heart aching, Leilani continued walking away from the table. She ignored Butch calling after her. After all that had happened, she needed space. She walked to the gift shop and ordered a bouquet of flowers to be taken to Jinx’s room. She put a note explaining that she’d gone home and how glad she was Jinx would be okay. She also left her phone number on the card and told Jinx to call from the hospital phone if she needed anything. Hoping Jinx would understand, Leilani walked out of the hospital and hailed a cab.
When she arrived home, Leilani got busy checking her emails and responding to messages from her clients. Three were willing to give an extension on her deadline and the other sent a message expressing sympathy for the loss, but also retracting the commission. As much as she wanted to blame him, she really couldn’t. Even the art world had deadlines and schedules to keep. He’d been hoping to use her piece as a promotional bit with a book release. His book would be out long before she’d be able to recreate the piece he’d wanted.
She sighed and got out her vacuum cleaner. Listening to the device suck up the grains of sand which had once been waiting patiently their turn to shine in her art physically pained her. Leilani finally turned off the vacuum long enough to get her headphones, plug them into her phone, and turn on her music as loud as she could before starting to clean again. Tears coursed down her cheeks as the colorful grains disappeared into the body of the vacuum. Each time she emptied the canister into the trash bin, she wept. It took several times going over the carpets before they looked mostly clean.
Leilani looked over the ruined canvases, hoping to find pieces that could be salvaged, if not for their original purpose, to at least be pieced together into something new. Something which would prove light could overcome any darkness. She carefully collected pieces she thought could work for her next project, and forced herself to throw away the pieces which were too badly damaged to be of use. Once she had finished cleaning her apartment, Leilani set up her work desk. She made a list of materials she would need before setting the pieces on the desk. She was about
to walk out the door when the doorknob jiggled. Her heart raced as she grabbed the nearest item to her, which happened to be her hairbrush. She raised it above her head as the door opened.
“Yeesh, Leilani, are you really going to attack me after last night?” Jinx asked. “Not cool.” She looked quizzically at Leilani’s hand. “What is that?”
Releasing a long breath, Leilani smiled. “A hairbrush probably isn’t going to do much damage.”
“Maybe on a normal person, but on me that might just be fatal,” Jinx teased.
“How did you get here? And why did they let you go?”
“I told the doctor I didn’t want to be poked and prodded anymore. Guess the nurses were complaining about me being difficult too. Since my blood counts are kind of normal and I could do all the things they said I had to, they let me go. I’m supposed to eat iron-rich foods over the next little while, and take it easy.” She rolled her eyes. “So with the doc giving me the okay, I called Butch.”
Leilani frowned. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“I did. Three times. I figured you were either in trouble, or you were busy with something. I’m glad you were just busy.”
Peering past Jinx’s shoulder, Leilani asked, “Where is Butch?”
Jinx shrugged. “Said he had some errands to run. Whatever you said to him earlier must’ve stung bad.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I mean, Butch is always rather stoic, but he was downright icy. Told me I was to come get him if you weren’t here, but if you were here to leave him the blank alone.”
Leilani blushed. “Somehow I don’t think he said blank.”
“Nope, but I’m not going to share what he did say. I’ve had enough nasty stuff in my mouth today and I don’t want you giving me a soap bar.”
Sighing, Leilani sank down onto the couch. “I don’t know what I was thinking, trying to have a relationship with him.”
Tilting her head, Jinx said, “You shouldn’t give up that easily, Leilani. You guys are cute together.”
“Relationships don’t survive on cute alone, Jinx,” Leilani replied. “Even I know that.”
Jinx shrugged again and sat next to Leilani. “I didn’t say they did. But I think Butch needs you, and you need him. You’ve got all the starry-eyed optimism he needs, and he can keep you grounded. I’m not saying you can’t do that yourself,” she continued when Leilani frowned at her. “But you two make an awesome team. I think the trouble is, you both allowed yesterday’s stress to get the better of you. I get it, what happened was downright awful. I don’t know that I’ll be sleeping well until the police have Clint behind bars.”
“So you did talk to them?”
Nodding, Jinx said, “After talking to you and Butch, I realized both of you were right. He is hurting others, and I won’t feel safe until I know he can’t come after me. Running away from here won’t solve that. Even running all the way to Hawaii wouldn’t solve that. No, I need to be here. And I need to be safe here.”
“I bet Aaron would be willing to help with that,” Leilani said with a wink.
Jinx smirked. “Whether he would or wouldn’t isn’t part of this conversation. For now, maybe you and Butch can talk things out.”
Leilani sighed. “I think it would be best if I give him a little space just now. Are you feeling up to a trip to the art store?”
“No offense, but I’d just as soon take a nap. I hurt everywhere, and don’t even think about telling me to take an aspirin.”
“I wasn’t going to. But if you’d rather stay here, that’s probably better for you anyway. You get some rest, I’ll be back just as soon as I can be. Is there anything I can get for you while I’m out?”
“I wouldn’t say no to a decent hamburger. What they were feeding me ought to be criminal.”
Leilani giggled. “Well, yes, cafeteria food is never amazing. I’m feeling pretty hungry myself, so I’ll just pick us up some dinner on the way home. Hamburger and fries and a chocolate shake?”
“Sounds absolutely perfect.”
Chapter 22
Butch turned the collar of his jacket up against the cold wind biting him. After snarling at everyone in the office, Butch’s supervisor had told him to go home and get some rest. He grumbled as he walked along. The last thing he wanted to do was go to his apartment where he would no doubt run into Leilani. Honesty compelled him to admit he’d been wrong. Leilani had every right to be angry with him. No, that wasn’t what hurt. It was watching her walk away without turning back even once. He knew she’d been able to hear him. She hadn’t even given him the opportunity to apologize, or to better explain himself. He grimaced. The honest little voice in his head laughed at the idea that he would admit to being wrong, or that he would apologize.
“I’m an idiot,” Butch mumbled as he walked into the grocery store. He grabbed a cart and pushed it through the aisles, looking for the items he needed for Christmas dinner. His heart lurched. Leilani and Jinx were supposed to come join him for Christmas. Would she still want to? Surely he hadn’t messed up so badly that she’d cancel. Then again, he’d basically told her just how naïve and short-sighted she really was. That didn’t exactly fill a person with warm fuzzies. He tossed a bag of flour into the cart, glowering at the poof of powder rising from it.
“Lady troubles, huh?” an older man asked.
Butch looked up. “I beg your pardon?”
The man shrugged. “Most men I know don’t go tossing around groceries unless they’re having trouble with their lady.”
“Not married.”
“Principles work the same on girlfriends.”
Butch remained silent. He didn’t need, or want, relationship advice from some old geezer he didn’t even know.
“Wrong time of the year to stay mad at each other. Kiss and make up, that’s my motto. Has been for fifty-five years.”
“Good long while to be married,” Butch replied, purposely keeping his attention on the other items in the aisle.
“Not long enough, son,” he said sorrowfully. “Not nearly long enough.” The gentleman patted his shoulder. “Don’t stay mad at her. Talk it out, grovel if you must. But make sure she knows how special she is. Not a day will go by that you regret treating her like a queen. But I promise you will regret every fight you cling to.”
Butch watched the man walk away and considered his words. It made sense, coming from an older man who’d probably forgotten what it was like to be single. He sighed. There you go judging people, again. Have you ever considered maybe that’s what causes people to think you’re a jerk? While he wanted to tell his conscience to go bug someone else, the words rang true. He was quick to judge. Quick to believe the worst. Maybe Leilani was right. Instead of creating a safe haven for himself, perhaps his negativity had burned things to a wasteland.
“Grovel if you must,” echoed in his memory.
He sighed. “All right, Leilani. Time to put things right. But how does one grovel to a mermaid?”
LEILANI WALKED THROUGH the art supply store picking up the items she would need to complete her project as well as some replacement items for the materials she’d lost. Her mind circled around the events of the past several days. It hardly seemed possible that so much had happened in so short a time frame. Had it really only been two weeks since she’d arrived in Minneapolis? In that time her entire life had been turned upside down. Heartache she’d never known possible had infiltrated the quiet peace she was used to. She missed her family more than she ever had before. Even Kimo, though he typically pestered her more than the other boys. She missed his tricks and his quirky sense of humor. Homesickness amplified by the stress she felt settled over her as she walked past a display of Christmas trees. Though she’d told herself a tree wasn’t necessary, she picked out a tall, skinny, artificial tree. Leilani walked down the aisles of Christmas ornaments, picking up any that reminded her of home, the ocean, or mermaids. Only when her cart was too full to add any more, did she finally walk to the check
out lines.
She arrived back at the apartment and carried the bag of food and drink tray from her stop at a drive thru on the way home. After fumbling around with her keys, Jinx opened the door. “That smells amazing!” she squealed.
“Glad you think so,” Leilani replied. “Go ahead and get things set up to eat. I want to bring in the art supplies and Christmas decorations.”
“What Christmas decorations?”
Leilani smiled. “I made the mistake of thinking of my family while I was there. So, we’ve got a Christmas tree and tons of ornaments to put up today. No sense being all Ebeneezer Scrooge over here.”
Jinx quirked an eyebrow. “I don’t think you’ve got what it takes to be Scrooge, Leilani. You’re way too loving and nice to be him.”
“Probably true, but in any case, I need to bring that stuff upstairs. Once we’ve had some dinner, we can start decorating.”
“Awesome! I don’t think I’ve ever actually decorated a Christmas tree before,” Jinx said, her voice small and wistful.
“Then today is the perfect day for a new first.” Leilani unpacked the car, bringing in load after load of art supplies and decorations. Once everything was inside, she sat down at the table where Jinx was waiting for her. They bowed their heads in prayer and then ate, both lost in their own thoughts. When she had finished eating, Leilani excused herself to the living room, where she began putting the tree together. “It’s almost weird to be doing this.”
“Don’t you put up a tree in Hawaii?”
“Some people do, and our family does. The thing is normally my brothers are the ones to put the tree together. Mom and I put the decorations on.”
“Just the way things are, huh?”
A Mermaid Under The Mistletoe Page 9
