AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jess’s phone was as crappy as her car. It was one of those pay-as-you-go types and old as shit.
“Besides,” she added, “it’s not like I was walking in the hood. The streets are well lit and it was only a few blocks.”
Tony was aware of Jess’s tendency to downplay things in an attempt to soothe him. “Define ‘a few blocks.’ Specifically.”
She shot him a look that proved he was right. “Eleven blocks.”
“Goddammit, Jess!”
“You said you were going to call us from the office,” Rhys interjected before Tony could properly lose his shit. “Why didn’t you?”
Jess looked in his direction nervously, and Tony’s Spidey senses went on the alert. “Jess,” he prompted.
“I was walking in as…someone was walking out, and they offered me a ride.”
Tony’s eyes narrowed. “Who gave you a ride home?”
“Listen, Tony—” she started, clearly hedging.
Tony raised his hands in exasperation. “Don’t tell me you accepted a ride home with one of the Russos.”
“Fine, then. I won’t.”
She was purposely trying to put him off.
“Which one?” he demanded.
Jess looked at Rhys. “Is there any answer I can give that will make him less pissed off?”
Rhys shook his head. “Nope.”
“Matt Russo. And he was a perfect gentleman. Though I’ll admit, he seemed pretty surprised when he found out I was living here. Asked me if you knew I was working for him.”
Tony lifted his gaze heavenward. “I bet he did.” He sighed and tried to shove his annoyance down. It was either that or raise holy hell, which wouldn’t be rational. Primarily because it wasn’t Jess he was mad at. He and Matt had a history, one that ensured he saw red every time he heard the fucker’s name.
Once he managed to calm down, Tony said, “I’m glad you’re home safe and sound. I have a couple extra cell phones downstairs in my office. Gio is hell on his phones. Breaks a couple a year, usually when we’re out at construction sites. I’ll grab one tomorrow and get it set up for you.”
She shook her head, but Tony was tired of losing fights.
“I mean it, Jess. You’re taking the damn phone. We were worried sick tonight.”
“You were?”
Jess and Jasper had been living at the apartment for five weeks, and she still struggled with accepting their help, completely out of practice when it came to unconditional friendship. Hell, he wasn’t sure she’d ever had any practice to begin with.
“Of course we were,” Rhys answered.
While Jess had initially been apprehensive about she and Jasper invading their space or overstaying their welcome, she couldn’t have been more wrong.
Having them here had been great. Amazing. Fun.
Jasper was hands-down the best kid Tony had ever known. He didn’t whine or pout or act like a little shit when he didn’t get his way. He had seen the occasional bouts of crankiness whenever he was overtired, but those were normal. Jess had raised a kid who was grateful for the little things, polite, and so damn smart, he’d actually taught Tony a few things.
And Jess was incredible. He and Rhys were no slouches when it came to hard work, but Jess left them in the dust. The woman never stopped, determined to pull her weight, to pay her own way.
While he admired that, it also drove Tony crazy. Because the truth was, he didn’t want her money. He loved having her here, and as far as he was concerned, she was using a space neither he nor Rhys needed.
Regardless of that, she gave them money each week for rent and groceries, always apologizing that it wasn’t what she considered “enough.” She’d also paid him back for the tank of gas he put in her car, though he’d fought her on that. It was the first fight he’d lost to her about money, but it sure as hell hadn’t been the last.
