Before I say anything more, Jon pipes up, “Ry, you stay out here with Jane and Nicky while we check the house.”
Ry nods in agreement and asks Jane what she’s making for tomorrow to distract her.
Leaving Ry to watch her, Jon and I enter the house with him going right and me going left. Everything looks normal, I think. I have to chuckle a little when I hear the moment that Tyger realizes Jon is in the house and lets out a big string of barks. Damn dog. Nothing looks out of the norm in the kitchen and laundry room. Walking back into the living room, Jon’s already there, having checked out the bedroom and bathroom. It’s a small cottage, so it doesn’t have a lot of room to check out.
Of course Jon has Tyger on the couch in front of him.
“What the hell is up with all the blankets? Does she sleep out here?”
“No, I don’t. I’ve got blankets in different thicknesses to curl up on the couch with and Tyger likes to nap on them while I’m gone, thank you very much. You’ve got to have a variety so you have the right thickness for the temperature that day. I don’t collect much and they all get used.”
“Dude, don’t question her throw blanket addiction. I’ve seen her deny a second date from some guy once because he suggested she should get rid of all but one.” I almost laugh at Nicky, then I realize that fuck, he’s serious.
Jon, in a rare move from him, holds his hands up in surrender.
“Babe, it was just a question. If they make you happy, that’s all that matters.” Yep, he’s a goner. Jane looks at both of us.
“Everything looks right in here. Did you guys see anything?” Both of us shake our heads.
“You want me to get my shift covered and stay with you tonight, darlin’?” Nicky pipes up.
“No, don’t do that. I’ll be fine. I’m going to just do what I planned and bake some goodies for tomorrow, have some wine, and maybe order some food. I really think someone got the wrong address. I’ve got locks on my door, Tyger and my gun. I’m fine.”
“Jon and I were planning on staying a bit to talk, so she won’t be alone.” Looking at Nicky, I can see his sigh of relief and nods in my direction.
“Well then, I’ll get on and head home to get ready for work. Call me if you need me for anything, babe.” He bends down and kisses Jane on the cheek and says his goodbyes.
“I’m gonna head out, too. But Jane, know you can call me anytime too, sweetheart. I’ll see you two fools later.”
Looking like she wants to be anywhere but the center of attention, Jane moves toward the front door.
“We can talk, but I’ve got groceries I need to bring in and I need to start baking. I—”
“Baby, this is the same as the door thing. If there’s one of us around, you won’t be bringing in the groceries. Ma hasn’t brought in a bag of groceries in more than thirty years.”
She rolls her eyes in a way that makes me question how much time she’s spent with Ry. “Well, fine then. Please go get them so I can get to work. We can talk while I mix up the first batch.”
Jane
Making myself busy by getting out the bowls and other things I’ll need tonight, I realize my hands are shaking a bit. I don’t think it has anything to do with that weird doll from earlier. Could they have really been interested in me this whole time? Me with dimples in my thighs, a muffin top that’s as big as a Costco muffin, and a double chin that can never be hidden. They’re gorgeous men who can have any woman. All three of them are a woman’s dream and spank-bank material. I mean, Jon has dark eyes and mocha skin covered in tattoos and muscles a woman could run her tongue over for hours. Juan has those chocolate eyes a woman could eat up and that grin could make any woman lose her panties. He has dark hair you could grab to keep him where you want him. Being tall myself, I love that I have to look up at both. My guess is Juan is about six foot three and Jon a couple inches taller. From the pics I’ve seen, Rory is in between them somewhere.
“Baby, are there any more groceries in the car?”
Turning around from the oven, I shake my head at Juan and look at him setting the last of the bags on the counter.
“No, I was getting it in one trip when I dropped them. Can you give me like five minutes to get the first batch of cupcakes in the oven and then we can sit down and talk?”
“We’ve got all the time in the world. Want us to order some dinner while you're busy? How about pizza and wings?” Jon suggests.
“Sure, that works for me.”
I busy myself for the next few minutes, mixing up a couple of batches of lemon, chocolate, and vanilla cupcakes. Just as the first batch is coming out of the oven so I can put in the next, I hear my doorbell ring and Juan goes to answer it.
“Darlin’, the pizza is here. Come eat.”
I grab my glass of wine and two more beers for them. Juan sets down three pizzas, and what looks like a couple of containers of wings and something else.
“What did you get? It all smells amazing.”
