"Seeing as Bambi"s mom was animated, I doubt I killed her," I deadpanned.
"Still," he said and I could just picture him shrugging. "Anyway, I should be at your condo in twenty minutes. Is there anything I should bring you? I can walk to a drugstore if you need me to."
"Rollo, I"m not home," I mumbled.
"What? Are you still at the hospital?" He shrieked.
"Nooooo," I drew out the word.
"Then where are you?" He gasped, "You"re not with that wench of a mother you have, are you?"
"No," I said, still reluctant to tell him.
"Where the h.e.l.l are you, Katy? Stop being evasive," he groaned.
"I"m with Jared," I squeaked. Something crashed on the other end of the line. "Rollo? Rollo? Can you hear me? Rollo?"
A few, m.u.f.fled, seconds later, Rollo said, "I think I need to get my ears checked. You did not just say what I think you did."
"Yes, I did," I mumbled, blushing and desperately wishing Jared wasn"t right behind me, hearing everything.
Another crash and then, "d.a.m.n it, Katy, you owe me a new phone. You keep making me drop mine with all these shocking things coming out of your mouth. It"s all scratched up now."
"I"ll add it to your Christmas list," I laughed.
"So, explain to me how you ended up at Jared"s house? His house, Katy!" Rollo squealed.
"Oh um-" I stammered.
"He"s right there with you, isn"t he?" Rollo asked.
"Yep," I said.
"Okay, I"ll let you go then, but I expect a full explanation when you get home. When will you get home?" He asked.
"Um... at least a week from now," I twisted a strand of hair around my index finger.
Rollo sputtered. "I must have woken up in some parallel universe, because I do not know the person I"m talking to."
"Hey," Jared said, behind me.
"Hang on," I told Rollo, pressing the phone to my shoulder. "Yeah?" I couldn"t help getting a last peek at Jared"s chest as he pulled a sleeveless shirt over his head. At least his beautiful arms were still exposed to my viewing pleasure.
"Would you want Rollo to come over for dinner?" Jared asked me.
"Yes!" I responded immediately, a smile lighting my face. My enthusiasm dampening, I said, "But he doesn"t have a car."
"We"ll go out then, and pick him up. Ask him if five o" clock is good?" Jared said.
"Rollo?" I asked, thinking he might have hung up.
"Yeeeees, baby cakes?" he chortled.
"Jared wants to know if you"d like to go out to dinner, you, me, him and Karlie around five?" I asked.
"You got me all excited for nothing! I thought hot bod was asking me out on a date! Seriously though, that would be great. I miss you and I need to look you over with my own two eyes to make sure you"re okay," Rollo said.
"We"ll pick you up at your dorm, okay?" I continued to play with my hair. I could feel Jared"s eyes boring into my back and it was making me nervous.
"That would be great. See ya later, baby cakes," Rollo cackled before disconnecting.
I turned to find Jared studying me.
"What?" I asked, looking down, a.s.suming there was something wrong with me.
"Nothing," he said. "I just can"t believe you"re standing here, in my room."
I blushed. "I"m here," I said.
A grin spread across his face, making his eyes crinkle at the corners. "Yes, you are. A man could get used to this."
My face colored even more.
He chuckled and ran a hand through his messy brown hair. It had grown longer since I"d met him.
"I better go wake up Karlie so that she doesn"t miss the bus," he headed for the door. "Feel free to use the shower. Just don"t forget to cover your cast," he pointed at me before disappearing.
A shower sounded nice, but taking one in Jared"s shower would be scary. I mean, I"d be naked... in his house.
I put my head in my hands. I was absolutely ridiculous. I"d taken a shower at my house, with him only a few feet away in the living room. It was the same difference.
I shook my head and grabbed a pair of jeans and a loose purple sweater. The late September weather was too nippy to be going around in a t-shirt. Plus, I"d promised Piper that I"d lay off on the tees.
I scampered into the bathroom, dropping my clothes onto the vanity. I could hear the low hum of Jared and Karlie"s voices coming from the kitchen and occasionally the pop and sizzle of bacon.
I locked the door and then opened the vanity cabinet. Jackpot. I pulled out a clean gray towel, very masculine, and threw it over the gla.s.s shower door. Despite the bathroom"s small size, it was nicely done. Gray tile floor, white walls, a black cabinet vanity with a white countertop and vessel sink. Tucked behind a door was the toilet.
I turned the shower on and waited for it to get warm.
I was about to strip when I realized I had forgotten the plastic covering for my cast. Dang.
I went back to the bedroom and found the box. I pulled one out and managed to get it on.
I"d forgotten my toiletries so I grabbed those and headed back to the bathroom, praying that the water was still warm.
I stuck my fingers in and... Yes! Thank you, Jesus! Warm water!
I didn"t take long in the shower. I towel dried my hair, letting it hang down in its loose, natural, waves. I dabbed on mascara and swiped on a streak of violet eyeliner.
I packed up my toiletry bag and grabbed my pajamas. I padded back into Jared"s room and dropped the items in my suitcase before going downstairs.
Downstairs, I found Karlie sitting at the breakfast table eating a piece of bacon while Jared made scrambled eggs.
She patted the empty s.p.a.ce to her left.
I settled on the cushioned, built in bench and rested my elbows on the round wooden table.
"Want some?" Karlie pointed to a full plate of bacon. "You better get some before Jared sits down or it will all be gone."
Jared chuckled and separated the eggs onto three plates. "That"s not true, Karls."
"Oh, it is," she crunched another slice.
"You better hurry," she slid the plate closer to me.
To get her to be quiet, I took a slice. It did smell good. I took a bite and found that it was crispy, my favorite way to eat bacon.
"Yummy," I said.
"Jared"s a great cook," Karlie said.
Jared slid a plate in front of her and then me. I half expected him to be wearing an ap.r.o.n, but he wasn"t.
He came back with gla.s.ses of orange juice. "I don"t know about great, Karls," he said.
"He can make anything," Karlie informed me, devouring another piece of bacon.
Jared smacked her hand. "Save some for me and Katy."
"Sorry," she giggled and dropped the bacon onto her plate.
Jared sat his plate and orange juice down on the table and then grabbed a basket of biscuits.
"They"re not homemade but they"re good," he pointed to them.
I grabbed one, ripping it in half.
"Want some b.u.t.ter?" Karlie asked me.
"Do you have honey?" I asked.
"Yeah," Jared jumped up.
"I can get it," I said, but Jared was already sitting down, handing me the bear shaped bottle.
I squirted some honey onto the biscuit and took a bite. "Mmmm, delicious," I moaned.
"Told ya," Karlie grinned. "I can"t cook to save myself."
Jared laughed. "She burns everything."
I added some honey to my eggs as well and took a bite of those. Sparks of flavor burst across my tongue. "What"s in these? I"ve never tasted scrambled eggs like this before."
"It"s my secret recipe," he winked.
"Jared has a secret for everything he cooks," Karlie commented, sneakily stealing another piece of bacon while Jared wasn"t looking.
"I like to keep people on their toes," Jared chucked, putting b.u.t.ter on his biscuit. He took a bite and a crumb sat adorably in the corner of his mouth.
Oh, how I longed to be that crumb.
My cheeks flamed at my thoughts.
What had gotten into me?
"What?" Jared asked, wiping his mouth. "Why are you blushing?"
"No reason," I said with a shrug of my shoulders. "This is nice," I motioned to the three of us.
Karlie"s brows knitted together. "It"s just breakfast."
Jared looked at me quizzically. "Did you never eat meals as a family?"
"No," I shook my head. "My mother couldn"t be bothered by me. The nanny usually made me dinner but she wasn"t allowed to eat with me and once I got older, I cooked for myself."
"That is... really sad," Karlie looked at me sympathetically. "Like really sad."
"Katy," Jared said, causing me to turn and look at him. "You shouldn"t have been alone like that." He looked at me sadly.
"It is what it is," I shrugged. "It was the only thing I knew."
"But it shouldn"t have been like that," he swallowed a sip of orange juice.
I sighed. "My mom didn"t want me and I don"t know my dad. Family dinners weren"t something I even knew existed... I thought they only happened on TV."
"Katy," Jared said, and he looked like I"d torn his heart in two.
"It"s true," I put my hands up in defense.
"Well," Jared put his fork down, "That"s in the past. What matters is that you"re here, now, with us."
23.