Page 308 of Bride of Choice

Settling back down, I took my tea to the kiddie table and shouted out as we colored our little hearts out. “Take your time washing clothes! We’re fine in here!”

“Missed you, Aunie Jojo-me,” Kehko purred, hugging my arm with all four of hers until I had to wiggle it to get more blood flow back to it.

“I missed you, too, baby girl,” I told her.

She leaned her head on my shoulder, and I leaned mine on hers, and promised myself and her then and there to never get that far gone I forgot what matters most, ever again.

Chapter 40

I could do this. One make up with a mate down, a bajillion to go.

Seeing as Tor was MIA, possibly playing wildman with his beastliest side out by his treehouse, and Celuk was gone fishing, that left my little kumquat headed Odix to contend with.

A knot formed in my gut as I shuffled my way to his front door. My palms were sweating profusely at this point. The grip on the basket in my hand kept slipping.

My free hand kept going to my hair self-consciously every time I lifted it to knock.

When I finally did knock there was no answer.

Smoke puffed from his smokestack but he could have stepped out for a minute or left heating rocks on.

Waiting a few more minutes, I tried again.

Nothing.

Absolute silence.

Biting at my lip, my gaze darted around.

What to do… What to do…

Staring down at the freshly cooked, sliced up roast from the meat Rosa and her mates had given me in thanks for babysitting the kids on the fly, roasted potatoes, half a loaf of that thick, dark bread he loves, all his favorites, down to those stinky berries he likes that make me think of gherkin pickles, baked up into a nauseating pie of nastiness and everything, just like he loved, lord help me, I had no idea what to do at this point. Did I leave the food here for him? What if he was on a hunt? Who wants to come home to moldy food?

Crap-sicles.

Waiting a few more minutes, I had to concede that if he was home and choosing not to answer the door to me, he had every right to and I had to respect that. Then, you know, corner him once he left his fortress of solitude and ambush him at the earliest opportunity.

Following down the main path that would lead back to my place, I’d just reached the fork in the road when Lukar popped out of a hut a few down.

“Jo,” he greeted warmly, looking pleased to find me out and about.

“Uhm, have you seen Odix, by any chance?” I mumbled as I waved at him in returned greeting.

“Odix?” He gave a short sniff and nodded. It was the puke berry pie. Had to be. Who the hell liked gherkin pie? My crazy fool, that’s who. Blech to that. “No see him today.”

Hefting the basket a little higher, a feast for five and then some because Odix could put it away, I gave it a little waggle. “You all wouldn’t happen to want a human deterring pie and some roast veggies, bread, meat, would you? I can’t eat all of this by myself and I don’t want it to go to waste.”

Leaning forward, he lifted the cloth covering the contents, let out a rumble of appreciation, making me wonder if he liked puke berry pie, too, and garbled out, “We eat. We go.” Clasping my arm, he steered me back around and led me towards his place.

“Uhm… I meant-” I mumbled.

“We go. Rothy miss her Jo,” he rumbled out quickly, making sure I understood, not the other way around.

“Alright,” I mumbled as he kept pace with me. I supposed I had more than my cousin and fellas to make up with.

“Rothy sorry. No mean stick nose in it. Jo come see. My Rothy misses her Jo, the terribles, she say,” he went on.

“She misses her Jo the terribles, she says, huh?” My lips quirked at that.

---