She heard the smile in his voice. “I hope that’s a good thing?”
She closed her eyes and pictured his sweet brown eyes and playful smile.
And delicious cock. “A very good thing. How are you feeling this morning?”
“I’m okay.”
“Ellis just stopped by and told me about the seizure.”
“Oh.” He sighed. “Yeah, I’m an idiot. It’s no big deal. It’s why I’m not supposed to miss any doses.”
Incredulous, she asked, “How can you say a seizure isn’t a big deal?”
“Because I know why it happened and it didn’t last very long. Seriously, it’s okay. If I’d thought it was a bad one, I would have let Ellis call the ambulance.”
She was the one avoiding the issue now and she knew it. “We need to talk.”
“I thought we were.” She loved how she could pretty much hear him smiling from his tone of voice.
“It happened again.”
“What happened?”
“With him. With Ellis this morning.”
“What…oh.”
She felt fifty shades of crappy. “Yeah.”
His next question, however, surprised her. More, the tone with which he asked it. Hopefully. “Did you give him a blow job?”
“No!”
“Why not?”
“Wh…” Her jaw flapped open and closed a few times. She imagined she looked like a goldfish. “What?”
“I’m not jealous.”
From fifty shades of crappy to fifty shades of confused. “What?”
He laughed. “You are fun to tease, you know that? But seriously, it’d be okay.”
She took a deep breath and blew it out. “Let’s back up. No, it didn’t go that far with him. It was like the first time with you and me, where it felt like he grabbed me and kissed me, but his phone rang and woke us out of…whatever it was.”
“Aw.” He sounded disappointed.
“Aw?”
“Mandaline, you and I know something is going on. Poor Ellis is probably sitting in his office and practically shitting himself, worried that he’s losing his mind and trying to figure out a rational explanation for it. If it’d gone all the way, at least he couldn’t deny what happened.”
“Oh. I guess I should walk over there and talk to him.”
“I wouldn’t.”
“Why?”
“He’ll get defensive and even more entrenched in his belief that nothing happened. Let him stew.” He laughed. “And I’m hoping that something else happens tonight.”
She felt her face heat to supernova proportions. “I feel like you’re pimping me out.”
“Let me ask you a question, and do me the favor of giving me an honest answer. Or you can tell me to go to hell if you want. Are you attracted to me?”
“Yes,” she mumbled. “I should have thought that was obvious.”
“Okay. Are you attracted to Ellis?”
She didn’t want to answer that.
“Mandaline?”
“Okay, yes. Fine. I’m attracted to him, too.”
That answer seemed to please him. “Good. Then what’s the problem?”
“What’s the…seriously? Seriously?”
His tone did, in fact, turn serious. “I’m lonely. He’s lonely. I’m not going to deny the thought of the two of us being able to love the same woman instead of trying to find two women to put up not only with us, but with each other as well, turns me on.”
“I…” Her jaw snapped closed. “Love? We barely know each other!”
“We’ll see you tonight,” he said, the smile back in his tone. He ended the call, leaving her staring at the phone as her heart raced and she tried to make sense of what had just happened.
Maybe I’m the one ready for a padded room at the VA.
Chapter Nine
Mandaline found it impossible to work. Sachi didn’t have readings until later in the day, and both Mina and Paige were there to work the morning shift.
She grabbed her purse and a blank check from the checkbook and waved Sachi into the office. “I need you to drive me over to the mechanic.”
Sachi looked at her quizzically. “What? Your car’s out back. What’s wrong?”
She cocked her head and stared at Sachi, knowing her friend would eventually think of it.
A few seconds later, Sachi winced as she boarded Mandaline’s train of thought. “Sorry. I’ll get my purse and keys.”
They rode over in companionable silence. When they rounded the final corner and Mandaline spotted the kiwi green Element parked in the shop’s side lot, she had to swallow back a fresh bout of hot tears that threatened to fall.
The last time she’d seen it was the last time she’d seen Julie alive.
Sachi pulled in and parked in front of the office. “Do you want me to wait with you?” she quietly asked. Sometimes, Sachi could be a pill. But when times were rough, Sachi always knew exactly what her friends needed from her and came through for them. It was one of the things they loved most about her.
“No, I’ll be okay, thanks. I need to do this.”
Sachi leaned over and gave her a hug before Mandaline got out and walked into the office.
A harried woman worked the phone, apparently arguing with someone over the cost of something. She gave Mandaline a smile when she walked in and held up a friendly finger, not that finger, to indicate she’d be right with Mandaline. Out in the shop area, she heard the loud zzzzip of an air ratchet being used over the even louder throb of an air compressor. The smell of shop chemicals, of transmission fluid and used motor oil and brake cleaner, made her nose sting. One of her exes had run a repair shop, over in Spring Hill. Ever since her nasty breakup with him a few years earlier, it made going into other repair shops an exercise in restraint not to run the other way.
And now, this.
It certainly didn’t help.
The woman finally finished and gave Mandaline a tired smile. “Sorry about that. Thanks for waiting. How can I help you?”
“I’m Mandaline Royce. I’m here for the green Honda Element. Um, Julie Prescott’s Element.”
The woman’s face immediately fell. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She stood and rounded the counter to give Mandaline a hug. “Julie was such a sweetie. We’re going to miss her.”
Mandaline forced a smile and struggled to hold back tears. “Thank you. How much was the repair bill?”
The woman pulled a ticket from a rack behind the counter. A paper tag holding the key and door fob was stapled to the ticket. The sheriff’s office had brought the rest of Julie’s keys back after having the Element towed from the Coreys’ house.
“Just twenty even for a quarter-hour labor. Diagnosis and reconnecting the ignition wire. That’s all it was. No parts, the wire was right there. Just had to be reconnected.”
“But the towing fee.”
“Nope. Jack told me not to charge you for that. Just the twenty.” She pulled the keys off the ticket and handed them to Mandaline.
With a trembling hand, Mandaline made out the check and handed it to the woman. She quickly wrote the check number on the invoice and marked it paid before handing Mandaline a copy. “There you go. You’re all set. Did you see where it’s parked?” She pointed over her shoulder out toward the back.
Mandaline stared at the key in her hand. “Yeah, thanks. I really appreciate it.” She’d started to walk out, then turned and grabbed a handful of business cards from the holder on the counter. “I’ll put these out at the shop for you. Thank you again. And please tell Jack thanks for me.”
“I will, sweetie. I’m sorry we couldn’t make the memorial for her.”