“Okay, but I’m not taking your bed. I’ll be fine here on the couch.”
“Like I’m some kind of mook that makes you sleep on the couch? I have a spare bed upstairs. Come on, I’ll set you up with fresh sheets.”
“You do?” I blinked, wondering why that had been left off the tour. I soon found out it was because the floor was covered in paper, the walls taped off for painting, the supplies piled in a corner. The bed was covered in a plastic drop cloth, but it didn’t take long to get it made up in pristine white sheets and a spare comforter.
“The bathroom down the hall works, but it’s not pretty, so you can use mine if you want to.” Parker scratched at the back of his head tiredly once the room was settled. “Other than that…”
“Thanks, Parker. I think I’ve got everything I need to get through the night.”
“How about you, little guy?” He patted my stomach. “Need anything else for the night?”
“I think we’re both fine, thanks,” I smiled at the thought. “Are you alright in there, Bunny?” I rubbed my belly and felt a flutter of movement. “Oh… feel that.” I grabbed his hand and placed it on the swell of my abdomen, holding my breath as I waited for it to repeat.
“What am I supposed to be feeling?” Parker’s brows drew together in concentration as he strained to feel something. “It just feels like you want a sandwich.”
“That’s because it’s not… oh, there, did you feel that?” I moved his hand over a couple of inches, smiling at the silly grin that stretched across his face.
“Holy shit… there’s really something kicking around in there.”
“Of course there is.” What did he think I had growing inside me?
“He’s a natural kicker… I’m gonna get him a soccer ball. Or maybe a football. He’ll need to develop defensive skills if you keep calling him Bunny,” he teased.
“Maybe
she
won’t mind so much,” I laughed as another flurry of movement seemed to support my statement.
“Amazing,” Parker breathed, and I glanced up to find him looking at me with undisguised longing. For just an instant I wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Not a hurried, sloppy kiss to convince a cop we were an item, but a real kiss. Slow… lingering… I drifted closer to him, feeling that pull, before I realized what was happening and I turned away.
“It’s, um… it’s late.”
“Yeah,” he said, letting go of me abruptly. “Yeah, I should let you rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight, Parker. Thanks for everything.”
“Anytime, angel.”
Chapter Thirteen
“You’ve gotta help me.” My brother Matt brushed right past me to flop onto my sofa the moment I opened my door.
“Nice to see you too, Matty.” I shut the door, following him back inside. “How’s married life treating you?” I hadn’t seen much of him since the wedding, but I figured the last thing a newlywed wanted to do was hang out with his sister.
“Oriana’s driving me nuts.”
I bit back the
I told you so
that leapt to the tip of my tongue, sensing it wouldn’t be appreciated. “What do you expect me to do about it? You married her in sickness and in health for as long as there are stars in the sky, remember?”
“I know, I said it and I meant it. But I need your help.”
“With what?” If he wanted marriage counseling, he was barking up the wrong tree.
“I can’t keep bringing her to work with me, my boss is giving me looks every time he stops by and she’s there.”
I waited for him to say something else, but he didn’t elaborate. “Then don’t take her to work with you. Problem solved.”
“Yeah, but I can’t leave her home alone without her getting into everything. You know how she is, she hasn’t lived in the world for… I’m not exactly sure how long. I came home the other night and she’d shaved a hole in the carpet because she wanted to see what was under it. I caught her just in time the other day before she drank the nasty old Windex under the sink because she loved the pretty blue color. She’s set the microwave on fire twice now putting random things in there to see what would happen. I’m afraid I’m gonna come home and find the building burnt to the ground one of these nights.”
It sounded worse than leaving a two year old alone at night. I could see where he was going and I didn’t like the direction. “She can’t stay here, you know I work most nights.” Technically Nelo could chaperone, but I preferred not to go that route unless absolutely necessary. His common sense skills were sometimes iffy themselves.
“No, what she needs is something to occupy her time when I’m not around. Like a job or something.”
Personally, I was skeptical of Oriana’s employment skill set, not to mention her people skills, but I wasn’t sure what he wanted from me. “What do you expect me to do about it, buy her a newspaper? They advertise new jobs every day.”
“Yeah, but Oriana is… special, you know that.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” I agreed. “What did you have in mind then?” Because it was obvious he’d formed a plan in that head of his.
“Do you think you could get her a job at Eden?” Matty gave me his ‘pretty please’ face, the one designed to wangle an extra cookie or scoop of ice cream when we were younger.
“Are you high? You think a night club is the best place for Oriana to spend her nights?”
“Not just any club, your club. That way you can sort of watch out for her and make sure she stays out of trouble.”
It was obvious he had no idea what was involved in being a bartender. Most nights I barely had time to think, let alone watch over a problem waiting to happen like Oriana. “It’s not
my
club. Why aren’t you asking Parker about this?” Probably because Matty knew he’d say no in a heartbeat.
“Yeah, but Parker will do whatever you ask. Come on, sis, please? For me? For my sanity?”
I let out a long breath, knowing he’d never let up until I caved. “Alright, I’ll ask him, but that’s all. If he says no, you’re on your own.”
Of course, that was easier said that done. Business was booming that night, and it was almost closing time by the time I found a good opportunity to get Parker alone, buttering him up by bringing him a drink in his office.
“Parker, do you have a minute?”
“Always,” he looked up with a smile. “What’s up, darlin’?”
“I don’t suppose you could do me the teensiest little favor…” I slid the drink across the desk towards him, perching on the inside corner.
“Uh oh… should I get out my wallet or my car keys?”
“Oh, neither. This is more a generosity of spirit.”
“You’re out of luck then.” He leaned back in his seat with the drink, and I think he might have been checking out my legs before his eyes swung back up to me.
“Come on, you don’t even know what I’m going to ask you for yet.”
“True. What is it then?”
“Give Oriana a job.”
“No dice.” He sat up straight in the chair, turning away from me to face his computer again.
“Please…? You can fire her if she doesn’t work out, like any other new hire, but give her a chance.”
“Oh, I can, can I? It’s that easy, is it?” he snorted. “Does she have ID? A social security number? A food handler’s license?”
“Um…”
“I’m running a legitimate business here, Merce. I need those things for any new hire.”
“What if I could get them?” Finch said I could call him if I wanted anything like that, I was sure he could get Oriana what she needed if the price was right.
“Do I even want to ask?”
“No, it’s probably for the best if you don’t.”
“Alright,
if
you get those things, and if she comes in and applies like anyone else, I’ll give her a shot. But if she flips out on any of the customers she’s out the door.”
“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” I threw my arms around his shoulders in an excited hug, delivering a noisy kiss to his raspy cheek. “You are the best boss in the universe, you know that?”
“Not so fast.” He pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around my hips. “You’re in charge of training her then. Jilly and Kara have too much on their plates to break in a new girl with zero experience.”
“I can do that, no problem.”
“And if she doesn’t work out, you are the one to show her to the door, not me.”
“Okay.” I was a little less thrilled about that, but I went with it. “Anything else?”
“You know, I couldn’t help but notice…” Parker’s voice became a seductive purr, his hand curving over the flare of my hip, leaving tingles in its wake.
“Yeah?” I breathed, leaning into that touch just a little, even knowing it was a bad idea.
“Is it just me or do you weigh like a ton now? How many kids you got in there, anyway?” Fingers poked at my sensitive sides and I squealed, throwing in a punch to his shoulder for good measure.
“Oh, you’re gonna get it for that.”
“Ow, you already got me,” he groaned. “You pack quite a punch for a pregnant chick.” He let go of me to rub at his shoulder. I had to remember how much stronger I was after the last burst of Grace or I’d end up really hurting someone without meaning to.
“Maybe that’ll teach you a lesson in how to treat a lady, pregnant or not.”
“Hey, I only kid because I love.” His hands came up in a supplicating gesture.
“You have a funny way of showing it.”
“You won’t let me show you the fun way.” He waggled his eyebrows playfully and we shared a laugh. It felt nice to flirt with him, both of us knowing there might be a little more to it lingering just beneath the surface, but with no pressure to expose it from either side.
Aware that I still sat across his lap, I pushed myself to my feet with less poise than I’d have liked. I stuck my tongue out at him from a safe distance across the room. “Love you too, boss.” I grinned, ducking out of there before I started to wonder what it would be like to let him show me the fun way for a change.
* * *
Oriana as a waitress was a complete bust.
Parker held up his end of the bargain when I brought her in complete with shiny new documents thanks to Mr. Finch. For some reason I didn’t mind using Adam’s money to pay for Finch’s services, which were considerably expensive, seeing as how Oriana never would have followed us out of Midian if he hadn’t made the idiotic deal with Raum in the first place.
Oriana grasped the concept of waiting tables easily enough. Take people’s orders, bring their drinks, collect the money. Even if she didn’t recognize many of the drinks, she proved to have an incredible memory for even the most complicated of orders. The trouble was… she was a little light on follow through (if a little light meant hopeless).
Anytime the music caught her fancy, she’d abandon her job mid task to join the throng of people on the dance floor, swaying with her own particular style of dance. No matter how close an eye I kept on her, she had a habit of losing her shoes too, preferring to remain barefoot. Plus, we had complaints about some of her inappropriate comments (I personally had to pour one woman a free drink when Oriana declared she didn’t serve harlots).
Parker was as understanding as he could be. In fact, he kept her a full night longer than I would have before pulling the plug and I had to give her “the talk”.
“Oriana, I need to talk to you.” I approached her out on the floor and she smiled wide.
“I welcome your thoughts, sister.”
“Oriana, when we hired you here, it was on a trial basis to see how it works out,” I began, trying to remember all the things I hated about being fired so I was sure not to repeat them. It wasn’t her fault she was so easily distracted.
“Yes, I know,” she nodded earnestly. “I wasn’t at all certain I would enjoy working, but I find it very stimulating. Especially the colors.” Her eyes went to the swirl of lights on the dance floor, and I could tell she wasn’t listening to me anymore.
“Oriana… How about we go into Parker’s office so we can talk in private?” She followed me dutifully to his office, her face open and friendly, making me feel about an inch high for giving her the sack. Parker flashed me a thumbs up on the way and I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him again.
Once inside the office with the door closed, I found it easier to hold her attention. “Like I was saying, we wanted to try and see if it would work out, but I don’t think it’s a good fit.”
“I think I fit very well.” Oriana twirled around, the black skirt she wore as part of the club uniform fanning out in a circle of fabric. “Though I don’t care much for the color.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.” I caught hold of her elbows before she pirouetted again. “Oriana, I don’t think being a waitress is the best job for you.”
“No?” Her eyes widened, and I wasn’t sure how she took that statement.
“No. In fact, I think maybe I should try to help you find a different job.”
“Then… I wouldn’t work here with you anymore?”
“No, I’m afraid not.” I waited for the weepy tears from the sensitive girl, but instead she threw her arms around my neck in a brief hug before dancing a jig of happiness. “So you, um… you’re okay with not working here then?”
“In truth I’m quite relieved, sister,” she replied confidentially.
“You are?”
“Oh yes. When Matty explained how much you needed me to work here I was willing to set aside my reservations in order to do my part, as he said, but I confess, I dread each night of my servitude to Eden.”
“Servitude?” What exactly had Matty said to her? “Oriana, we don’t want to force you to work here. I had no idea you hated it so much, you always looked like you were having a good time.”
“I enjoy some of the music and the colors that paint the walls and floor, but I dislike binding my feet, and the voices get so loud I am easily confused,” she admitted.
“It can get pretty loud out there,” I agreed. “Why don’t you relax in here for the rest of the shift? I’ll drive you home tonight and we’ll see if we can’t figure out something else for you to do that you might be better suited for.” Parker might not like her hanging out in there, but he’d made me the boss for the night, I made an executive decision.