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My lips lifted at her calling me “fairy” again.It didn’t annoy me because she didn’t do it teasingly like some of Jack’s cousins did.I’d noticed she called Delaney “treasure” without thinking about it more often than using her name.It was sweet.
“Do you need anything?”I offered.
Samara frowned.“You’re not going home?”
“Jack said he’s going to be at least an hour since he has to help his dad.He’ll be upset if I walk home.”
She sighed and put her mug down.“He needs to teach you how to drive.”
I shrugged.“I don’t really have a desire to learn.I could take the subway when I lived in New York, and Jack or his dad always drives me now.It makes him happy, and I like to keep him happy.”
“Oh, I have no doubt how happy you like to keep him,” she laughed.“Give me a few minutes to grab my stuff, and I’ll drop you off.I can finish the new plans for that heifer at home.”
I snickered at how she grumbled about Lynn all the way to her office.When she came back out, she had her tote full of blueprints tossed over her shoulder.“We’re heading out, Jos,” she called into our boss’s office.“If Jack stops by, let him know I took Nishia home.”
“Okay, honey.See you both on Monday.”
“You don’t have to do this,” I told her, feeling guilty for pulling her away from work.“It’s only an hour, and you were busy.I could have found something to keep myself occupied until he was able to pick me up.”
“I need a change of scenery anyway,” she dismissed.“Besides, if Elias can leave early on a Friday, so can I.”
“He went to help with an issue at Reid’s site.”I felt the need to defend him.I adored Elias.He was easy to talk to.Kind, and not the fake kind either.He was legitimately a good guy.That wasn’t to say he didn’t have moments of being a total dick, but every time I’d seen him like that, it had seemed like it was warranted.
Or maybe I was biased because I counted him as a friend.Now that I had several, I found that I was very protective of them.
“Meh, he still left the office.”She glared off into the distance.“Fucker didn’t even tell me he was leaving.”
I opened the passenger door when she unlocked her car.“What are you two arguing about now?”
“I don’t argue,” she said with a pout.“Besides, arguing with brainless buffoons like Elias Reid will only give a person a headache.”
I bit back a smile.“You must keep the headache-relief pharmaceutical companies in business, then.”
She burst into giggles.“Smartass.Text your man to let him know you’re going home.”
“I’ll do it after you drop me off.Otherwise, he’ll get all grumpy and leave to come check on me.I don’t want to distract him while he’s busy.”My first day of work, he’d left his motorcycle in Aggie’s parking lot and drove his mom back to Sanctuary before dropping me at work.Except for the previous Wednesday when his dad had had to pick me up, Jack had driven me to and from the construction company.
“You’re not saying you don’t like to distract him any other time,” she snarked.
“No comment.”
Laughing, Samara tossed her long, dark hair over her shoulder and backed out of her parking spot.Looking at her, I noted how similar we were.With her dark hair and blue eyes, we could have passed for relatives.The shapes of our faces were different, and she was significantly taller than me.Her eyes were definitely much brighter than mine.Mysterious.Magical.Full of laughter and mischievousness more often than not.
Whereas, when I saw my eyes in the mirror, I felt like my entire past shone back at me like a neon sign from behind my glasses.I didn’t like seeing it.I wasn’t that lost little girl anymore.Loving Jack had changed me in more ways than one.
“I love how much you and Jack have grown since I first met you, Nishia.I’ve known Jack my entire life.He’s always been so distant.Honestly, I didn’t even think his facial muscles worked correctly until you came around because I can’t even remember him truly smiling until he found you.”
My heart melted, sad that he hadn’t had much to smile about but deliriously happy that it was me who had brought out the smile.I remembered the ghost twitch his lips would make when I was in the hospital.Now, he was always smiling—at least when I was with him.
Once she pulled onto the main road, she reached over and squeezed my arm.At just after five, the road was empty, which was typical for this side of town at this time of day.“I’m thankful you make him happy.It’s not hard to see how much you love each other.But I have to warn you.My sister-in-law will kick my ass if I don’t tell you that no one will ever find your body if you hurt him.”
“I would never—” My vow turned to a scream when an older truck pulled out in front of us.
Samara had the reflexes of a cat, her hands flying over the steering wheel as she tried to turn us so we didn’t collide.But it was too late.There was no way she could have kept us from hitting the truck.
It all happened within a matter of seconds.One minute, we were laughing and teasing; the next, I heard the crunch of metal, and the airbags were deployed.I felt a pain explode in my face and head.For a flash of an instant, I was scared my jaw was broken again, the memory of the pain I’d endured floating through my mind like a slow-moving old black-and-white movie.
But then the world faded to black, taking me away from the pain and fear.
