Chapter 12 #2
Pops snorts, “Jules refuses to see anyone other than Switch. He’s filling in for someone at Rose Grove Medical, so head down there.”
“Thanks Pops!” I chirp before leaning down and smacking a kiss on his leathery cheek.
“You gonna tell me what the rush was?” he calls after me.
“Maybe later!” I yell back over my shoulder as I make my way out to my car.
Helping Vi with Mom is just the thing I need to settle my heart rate after agreeing to spend time with Fox and Nitro as friends.
Strictly friends. I’m not looking for a relationship with one man, let alone two.
Given that Gavin dumped me for being boring both in and out of bed, the thought of entertaining two men is frankly nuts.
I snort to myself as I park at Rose Grove Medical and make my way inside to support my sister. I’m about to ask the receptionist which room they’re in when I hear non-stop Spanish being yelled at the speed of light.
“Ah, do you mind if I head back and calm my mother down?”
“?No puedo creer que con eso pienses tocar a mi bebé, ni loca!”
The receptionist nods at me wide eyed and I rush toward the sound.
“?Quita las manos de encima!”
“Oh crap,” I whisper as I make my way down the hall, lightly rapping at the door. “Vi? Is Mom with you?”
The door flings open and Vi’s wild eyes meet mine. “You have to take her, please, between her and Jules it’s fucking chaos!”
I nod once, then move into the room, speaking in hushed tones like you would with a wounded animal.
Mom has Switch backed into the corner of the room, poking his large chest with her finger, berating him in Spanish, while Jules has Juno wrapped in his arms, eyes darting everywhere as if looking for escape.
Laughter starts to bubble up inside me, but I swallow it down because any loud noises or sudden movements might set Mom or Jules off.
“Hey Mom? Mama, come on, let’s take a little walk, just you and me,” I soothe, wrapping my arm around her waist and I slowly extricate her from Switch’s personal space.
“Mija? Why are you here?” Mom asks, confused by my sudden appearance.
“I heard this is where everyone is, so figured I’d offer some moral support.”
“Thank you!” Vi mouths as I move past her making our way to the doorway.
“Come on, let’s go wait outside. I’ll get you some water and you can tell me all about how Switch is in there being mean to your nieta.”
I hustle her out of the hall and down to the waiting room, smiling at a small woman slumped in a waiting room chair with her daughter chatting away next to her.
“Sit, Mom, and I’ll grab you something to drink while you settle your nerves.” I roll my eyes once my back is turned and run into the little girl that was with the woman. “Oh, sorry sweetheart, are you alright?” she tips her head back and my eyes widen at the bruise on her face.
She doesn’t say anything, just stares at me with wide eyes and nods.
I move to the water cooler, grabbing a small cup and filling it.
Usually kids with bumps and bruises don’t worry me so much as I see them day in and day out at work.
But there’s something slightly off about the woman and her daughter that has me studying them as I fill Mom’s cup.
The little girl is oddly subdued for her age, which I’m guessing is around 4 or 5, and the woman is sitting awkwardly, as if in pain.
Her hair is down, hiding her face from my prying eyes, but the little girl’s bruise is out for all to see.
My heart clenches when I put all the clues together.
Walking back toward mom, I instead sit next to the woman and offer her the water.
“Are you OK? Do you need any help?” Her wide eyes meet mine and it takes everything in me to not flinch when I see the split lip and dark bruise on the side of her face.
Her eyes dart around the room and her grip on the arm of the chair turns her knuckles white.
“You don’t have to say anything. But if you need me to get you and your little girl in my car and take you to the bus stop or to a friend, I can do that, no questions asked.”
Her eyes dart from my face, to the hall, and her shoulders start to relax when they land on Switch. Standing larger than life with a grin on his face as Jules scowls at him, Juno mirroring his expression.
“I see you have help already. But if you need anything, anything at all,” I rummage in my purse for a pen and paper, which given my job, it’s actually a donut shaped sticky note and a cherry scented pen, and scribble my number on it before handing it over.
She reaches for it, but instead of taking the paper, she lays her hand over mine. “Thank you,” she whispers, “My name is Joy.”
“Jasmine, but my friends call me Jazz.”
“It’s been a long time since I had friends,” she smiles sadly.
“Not anymore, Joy.”
She nods once before looking back at Switch.
I know him well enough to notice the tightness in his jaw when he looks at Joy and her daughter, the steel in his eyes before he hides it, stooping a little as if to make himself appear smaller, less scary.
He even softens his booming voice when he calls her name.
Joy stands slowly, giving me a little wave before taking her daughter’s hand and moving down the hall to Switch’s room. Jules watches them walk past with an even deeper frown on his face as Vi looks fit to burst into laughter over his antics at any moment.
It amuses me how perfect for each other Jules and Vi are. On paper they make no sense, seeing as they’re both a little grumpy. Well, grumpy and grumpier. But it works for them. Not for the first time I wonder if perhaps there is a perfect man out there for me, who will love me warts and all.
“Hey, Jazzy Jazz, what had you tearing into the clubhouse like your booty was on fire?” Vi asks, a smirk on her face as she comes to a stop in front of me and Mom.
“How do you know that?” I ask, face screwed up in confusion.
Vi pops her hip, “Really? You’re going to ask me how I know that when you know for damn sure the clubhouse is full of gossips?”
My head falls back on my shoulders as I groan up at the ceiling.
“Besides, I heard from a little birdy that Fox and Nitro were making their move today,”
“What!?” I screech before slapping a hand over my mouth, giving the people in the waiting room apologetic looks. Once I’m sure I can keep my volume down I cup my mouth around my hand, leaning toward my sister, “Who the hell told you that?!”
She gives a look as if I’m dumb. “They spent over an hour clogging up the main clubhouse bathroom while they shaved and did their hair. Nitro spent longer because he has a thicker beard. Which led to him having an argument with Rider who thinks his beard is more ‘luxurious’.” She says the last part in air quotes.
“Um, so? Maybe they just like to look good?”
“The only place they had to be today was your classroom. So, big sister, did the Hottie Twins make a move?” Vi ignores Jules growl at her calling Fox and Nitro hotties.
My eyes dart to mom who looks fit to damn well burst with her wide grin on her face, hands clasped together like she’s praying to Jesus with all her might. Weird for a mom to want her daughter to date a bi couple.
“Fine, yes, they did but as friends.”
“Friends?” Mom screeches before apologizing to everyone in the waiting room and giving them all my tragic single woman story.
Vi stares at me as she pulls her phone from her back pocket.
“What are you doing, babe?” Jules asks, side eyeing his woman.
“Calling in reinforcements.” she grins, bringing the phone to her ear.
“Not the Love Pres,” Jules groans, Juno copying him in her little voice.
Mom stands next to Vi, both their grins maniacal. Looks like the only date I have in the near future is with the Love Pres.