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‘Yep.’
I grab my coat from where I laid it when we walked in.
‘No,’ he says, lifting his head. ‘I can’t possibly let you wander the city streets at this hour for me. Hang on.’ Gently, he makes his way off his couch, walking towards me in a sort of zombie shuffle. A couple of moans later, he opens his front door and stops at the door across the hall. He leans forward, resting his head on the door frame. Piano notes drift from the apartment, stopping suddenly with his knock.
The door swings open, and the neighbor from before appears. ‘Sort of in the middle of entertaining my lady,’ Dylan says to River, giving him a look that says, Get it? Now go away. They seem like friends more than neighbors.
‘I need medical intervention via the pharmacy. Jade here wants to do me a favor and walk there – alone – now. Can you please assist her?’ River asks, never removing his head from the door frame.
‘No assistance necessary,’ I insist. ‘I have mace, and I’m not afraid to use it. I’ve got a plan! First, I mace, right in the eyes. Then, I’ll knee the guy in the balls. While they’re incapacitated, I’ll run to safety; the earlier tap of my emergency call button on my phone, while I maced them will have 911 on the line, and help will already be on the way.’
Dylan and River slide their hands to cover their manhoods like it pains them even to hear that part of the plan.
‘Ouch. I think that’d work,’ River says.
‘You’re a little terrifying,’ Dylan says, his eyebrows raised as though he thinks I’m nuts.
‘I walk these streets nightly; I’m not scared.’ With horror, I realize how that sounds. ‘Because of my job.’ I try to explain myself, but that only makes it worse. ‘As a bartender.’
Jesus, Jade, pull it together.
When I’m done explaining my situation poorly, I notice the grin on River’s face. At least he’s amused, I suppose.
‘Give ya twenty bucks to escort Jade to and from the pharmacy and make sure nothing happens to her.’
‘Who’s going to make sure nothing happens to me?’ Dylan asks.
River lifts a shoulder as though that’s not his problem.
Reluctantly, Dylan nods. ‘Does Cassie need to babysit you while we’re gone?’
‘Nah,’ River says, shuffling across the hall towards his apartment. ‘I’ll be waiting on my couch. I’ll leave the door unlocked.’
‘Please don’t die while I’m gone?’ I request.
‘If the Grim Reaper shows, I’ll ask him to wait – just for you.’ He winks as he closes the door to his apartment, leaving Dylan and me in the hall. Besides my father, I’m not used to having a man worry about me like this. Conner should be treating me this way, but he isn’t that concerned, especially if he asked River to call him only with real issues. That pisses me off. But I don’t have time to think about it; I’ve got a sick man to nurse back to health.
17
JADE
Dylan doesn’t speak much while I shop; he just follows me like my bodyguard, which, in a way, is precisely what River asked him to do. Once I’ve bought everything I think may help River’s symptoms, we exit the store.
‘How’d you and River meet?’ Dylan asks on our walk home.
‘I work at Black Tide Tiki, and we have this ukulele performer, Mercy. She’s friends with him.’
‘Oh, yeah.’ Dylan smiles. ‘Mercy’s my best friend. We work together. I don’t do well in hot, humid conditions, so I never go when she plays Black Tide.’
‘You must be her overly sweaty friend she once referred to.’
He lowers his chin. ‘She said I was her sweaty friend?’
Oops. Clearly, I’ve hit a nerve. I probably shouldn’t have said that part out loud. Walk it back, Jade. Don’t get Mercy into trouble with your incessant talking.
‘No. Noooooo. She just said you hated the heat, so I assumed it’s because you were one of those men who sweat a lot.’
Truthfully, she called him ‘Sir Sweats-A-Lot’, but I swear she said it with love.
