Chapter 7 #3
Jaxson shakes his head. “Not after what just happened here. The air conditioning on the bus is subpar, and if you’re anything like my wife, you’re going to be struggling for the rest of the day. Let me guess, after the tremors cease, you’ll have one hell of a migraine?”
“How’d you know?” I’m lucky if that’s the only setback.
Saturday, I kept passing out, like my body couldn’t ever recover.
It was the first time I didn’t have a migraine after fainting, but I also had been so preoccupied and fighting with Liam that my blood pressure was probably the highest it’s ever been in my life.
“Ariella is the queen of fainting. She’s doing better, once we got an actual diagnosis for her condition.” Jaxson glances me over. “Let me know when you’re feeling capable of standing, and Izzie and I can help you back down to the car.”
“Mom has a plethora of abbreviations, stuff that’s supposed to be super rare, but it’s crazy how many people she’s met over the past couple years who share the same or similar conditions,” Izzie says.
“Rarely diagnosed,” Jaxson corrects his daughter. “It’s only rare because doctors aren’t knowledgeable on all the latest research and symptoms. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence. Fainting can happen for all sorts of reasons, but maybe you should talk to Ariella about it.”
The door down the hallway opens and a teenage girl in sweatpants and a t-shirt pokes her head out of the hotel room. “Izzie, can we have pizza for dinner?”
Another girl, who looks a little younger, pops her head out next. “With pepperoni, please.”
“Of course,” Jaxson answers for Izzie. “We’ll order it in a few minutes. Go back in the room, and don’t open the door for anyone. Remember?”
The door clicks, and I can’t help but wonder what the hell is going on around here.
“I’m ready to stand.” It’s obvious that I’m just getting in the way. Jaxson and Izzie have work to do, and I don’t want to be a hindrance.
The two of them help me to my feet, and they both keep an arm around me as I sway slightly. Jaxson could probably carry me on his own, but I get the distinct feeling he wants his daughter around to prove that he’s not trying to take advantage of me.
And I feel even more like shit thinking that he’d been trying to hook up with me. Clearly, I was wrong.
There were the receipts from earlier that I’d asked Ariella about.
They walk me to the elevator, but this time there’s more chatter, at least between them. Jaxson hits the down button.
“Oh, Dad, I forgot to tell you. I gave this woman your business card yesterday. Do I get a commission if you book her for private investigative work?” Izzie asks. She wiggles her eyebrows excitedly.
“We’ll discuss it later, but I don’t see why you can’t get a signing bonus for bringing in new clients.”
They keep their arms locked around me as we head into the elevator. Jaxson presses the button for the lobby, and they lean me back against the wall, while both still keeping an arm around me to make sure I don’t hit the ground.
“Oh good. The girl had a little kid. I overheard them at the police station when I had to stop in, and it was about the Ricci crime family.”
Jaxson’s hold on me tightens, and I wince and hiss.
He loosens his grip only slightly. “We are not investigating the Ricci family. They’re off-limits,” Jaxson says. “Absolutely not.”
“But it looked like she might have had evidence, and she had a kid with her,” Izzie says, her voice slightly whiny. “Come on, Dad. If she calls, we can’t just turn her down.”
“We can, and we will.” Jaxson clears his throat.
“The Ricci family?” I repeat, although I thought the words were in my head, I realize I’ve spoken them aloud. “As in Luca Ricci, the hockey player for Evergreen University’s Narwhals?”
I probably wouldn’t even know who he was if my dad hadn’t played hockey. I’ve been following the sport, and since I go to the Predators’ games at Great Falls, I’ve seen Luca play against our team, and he’s good.
“We are not having this discussion here or, quite frankly, anywhere.” Jaxson’s voice is firm and his tone sharp.
The elevator dings, and we step out together, the two of them escorting me to Jaxson’s vehicle. He starts the engine with his key fob as we approach the vehicle. I climb into the front seat, but wait a beat to shut the door. It’s stifling inside the car.
Jaxson gives a hug goodbye to Izzie before he climbs into the car.
“I’m driving you home. It’s your choice whether it’s to your parents’ house or back to campus,” Jaxson says.
“You’re going to drive me all the way back to New York?” I joke.
Jaxson doesn’t laugh. “The cabin your parents bought in town.”
I raise an eyebrow, the world around me spinning. Thankfully, I’m seated on my ass, or I might be on the ground in a few seconds.
“They bought that place?”
News to me.
Thanks, Mom and Dad for keeping secrets once again.
I thought Mom had been renting the cozy little cabin while working in town. I rub at my forehead, a headache coming on. “Why did you bring my mom back to town?” I know it’s not my place to ask, but the question still falls from my lips all the same.
I’d assumed the workload here had been too much, and they needed her help in the short term. But she’d been here nearly a year.
Had I been wrong?