“Wel ,” Sasha said, settling in the seat. “So much for southerners having manners.
“Keep in mind Beth holds grudges,” I said, thumbing through papers on my desk.
“What do you mean? She’s... southern.” She said the word with disdain. I could see in her eyes that at least five generations of Eastern audacity had blinded her to how tacky she sounded.
I looked up. “Yes, wel …they’re polite. That doesn’t mean you can’t make an enemy out of them.”
“Oh,” Sasha said, looking back to the door nervously. “I…er…Grant wanted me to ask you about the Christmas party.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I have faxes coming out of my ears, and you’re shoving your way into my office to talk about finger foods? Don’t waste my time.”
“No, no….” she fidgeted. “I wanted your permission to chair it this year. I was hoping we could make it into more of a bal .”
“A bal ,” I deadpanned.
Sasha smiled widely. “Yes.”
I waved her away. “Check with Jessica on the second floor about the budget. Stay within parameters, and personal y, Sasha, I couldn’t care less.”
Sasha’s strained smile barely lasted until she reached the hal .
The rest of the day passed without event, or maybe it was because no one dared to approach with me with anything less urgent than my office being on fire. The consequential spunk the insufficient sleep had graced me with was working. I hadn’t enjoyed Titan that much since I moved into Jack’s office.
By the time five o'clock rol ed around, I trudged to the elevator and welcomed Jared’s arm when he offered it. The sluggish, heavy feeling over my body was familiar. I was reverting back to my former zombie days.
“No, you’re getting sleep tonight. Bex wil be there at seven.”
I wondered if I’d said anything aloud, but didn’t have enough energy to ask. Just sitting in the passenger seat, watching trees and pedestrians move past my window was exhausting. If I was coherent, I would feel ridiculous for the permanent shocked expression on my face as I tried to keep both upper lids away from the lowers by pushing my eyebrows as high as they would go—but I wasn’t.
Jared wrapped his arm around my waist, leading me into the house. When the old, heavy door closed behind us, Jared stopped.
“Nina,” Cynthia call ed, appearing from the hal way. “You have a guest waiting for you in the Great Room.”
I puffed.
“Let me take your things, Love,” Agatha said, pul ing my make-shift brief case from my hand.
“Thank you,” I mumbled. I walked down the main hal , into the Great Room, blinking to focus once I recognized that it was Kim sitting alone on our large, green sofa. She sat on the edge of her seat; her hands bal ed tightly together atop her knees. I sat across from her in my mother’s favorite Italian occasional chair.
It was then that I noticed Jared hadn’t joined us, but had gone upstairs to prepare for a night away, instead.
“Kim,” I said, blinking slowly.
“Looks like you need a nap,” she said.
“Nightmares.”
Kim looked to the floor, nodding. “Nigh, you don’t get to hate me. I would understand if the demonic voodoo stuff gave you the heebie-jeebies, but you’re just mad because you think I lied to you.”
The rankling produced a second wind. “You did lie to me. I don’t even know you.”
Her head popped up. “And I know you? Jared’s half-angel, and you’re not exactly your run-of-the-mil Brown co-ed yourself, Miss Merovingian.
Have they told you what that means?”
“They told me,” I grumbled.
“So, I just came to tel you that we’re stil friends. And you can like it, and let me piss you off like I used to without worrying if you’re real y pissed.
Got it?”
“Whatever, I’m pooped,” I said, pushing myself from the chair.
“Real y? We’re good?” she asked.
I turned, and seeing her expectant eyes, I smiled. “Yeah, Kim. We’re good.”
Kim stood, and then held out both of her arms, jutting her lip out. “Hugs?”
“Quit it.”
She let her hands fal to her thighs with a slap. “Wel , thought I’d try.”
I walked her to the door, and she leaned close to my ear. “I’m going with Jared tonight. I’ll try not to make out with him while we’re hunting down your book.”
“You’re a good friend,” I said.
“Kiss noise,” Kim said, jogging down the drive to her Sentra. How had I missed that horrid thing? I was more tired than I thought.
Jared met me at the bottom of the staircase. He held my arm for a few steps, and then gave up, lifting me in his arms, and carrying me up the stairs.
“Shower,” I said.
Jared lowered me to the overstuffed mattress in my room. “In the morning. Bex is here. Sleep.”
I'm not sure when I fel asleep, or how long Jared stayed, because I was unconscious the moment my head hit the pil ow. The nightmares stayed away, even after my previous nightmare of Shax being in that very room. I was so tired, and slept so hard, that I didn’t dream at al .
I peeled my eyes open to see Bex standing at the end of the bed. “Just so you know, that’s creepy,” I said, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
“Not as scary as your hair,” he frowned.
“Wow, you’re grumpy this morning.”
“Cynthia doesn’t trust me in the kitchen.”
Three knocks at the door, and Cynthia backed in to my room, a tray in her hands. “Good morning. I thought I would bring you breakfast.”
“Does Agatha have the day off?” I asked.
“No, she’s downstairs. Why?” Cynthia asked.
I watched my mother for a moment in disbelief, and then shook my head. “Nothing. Thank you.”
Cynthia left as quickly as she came in. “Mind the coffee, Dear, it’s hot,” she call ed back as her heels clicked down the hal .
Bex’s eyebrows were nearly touching as his frown deepened. He had never been to my parents’ home, to my knowledge, and he wasn’t enjoying it at al .
“She warms up,” I said.
“That’s not what I’ve heard,” he grumbled.
“I’m going to hop in the shower. Has Jared call ed?”
“No,” he said, picking up the remote control, switching on the television. “But he’s on his way.”
I thought about that for a moment, and decided I already knew the answer. They could sense each other, and Bex was the most in-tune out of the three Hybrid siblings.
My morning routine finished without event, including Jared's return home. “I thought you said he was coming,” I said, tightening my robe.
“He is,” Bex said, his eyes stationary on the screen.
“Nina, Love?” Agatha call ed from the hal .