Page 31 of A Sudden Response

“I was just looking for something to read,” Joe lied, hoping Alice would go back to whatever she was doing so that she could find the backup set of car keys she had lying around somewhere.

She’d already searched through her small desk, the pullout couch, and her bookshelves to no avail. The damn things had to be here. She definitely remembered tossing them in here when she had them made last year.

“If you’re looking for something to read, then why are you dressed?” Alice demanded, arching a brow as she waited for Joe to lie to her.

“I was cold?”

“It’s seventy-five degrees in here, sweetheart,” Alice pointed out the same time that she stepped to the side and gestured for Joe to get her butt back to bed. It was a small gesture, but one she recognized, nonetheless.

There was no point in arguing, Joe decided grumpily. She’d already tried that multiple times over the past five hours and failed miserably every single time. Every time she tried to argue, Alice simply ignored her and shoved more green Jell-O down her throat for “sustenance,” as Alice liked to put it. She’d made damn sure that Jell-O stayed down, knowing that the next step in Alice Parish’s home care treatment was beef broth.

She couldn’t even begin to stress how much she hated beef broth.

“Where are you going?” Alice asked when Joe veered to the left instead of heading to her bedroom.

“I’m going to get a cold drink,” Joe said as she tried to come up with a way to get back at Eric for this. They were supposed to be partners. After all the shit they’d gone through and all the times she’d covered for him, she couldn’t believe he was doing this to her. Granted, he probably knew that without Mom here that she’d find a way to get to the fire station.

Damn him.

“I can get it for you, sweetheart. You should be resting,” Alice offered. “I can make up some broth if you think you can handle it.”

Joe couldn’t help it, she cringed. “No, that’s okay, Mom. Thanks.”

Her stomach growled viciously, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday morning and she sure as hell wasn’t counting the nasty green goop Alice practically shoved down her throat as food.

“You want more Jell-O? I made a big bowl.”

No, she wanted the delicious steak that Eric owed her but probably wasn’t going to get anytime soon, thanks to her babysitting detail.

“No, thanks, Mom,” Joe said, grabbing an ice-cold Coke from the fridge and headed back to her room. “I think I’m just going tolie down and take a nap,” she said, knowing that she didn’t have a choice in the matter.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Alice said, following her as though she didn’t trust her, which would actually hurt if she hadn’t been caught trying to climb out of the bathroom window two hours ago.

“Do you need anything?” Alice asked as she pulled back the covers and fluffed the pillows.

She needed to get to work, but Alice wouldn’t be happy to hear that, so Joe forced a smile and said, “No, I’m going to take my pills and get a little more sleep.”

“Okay,” Alice said, smiling pleasantly as she picked up the pill bottle and held it out to Joe with a look that told her to get on with it. Again with the trust, Joe thought with an inward sigh as she took the bottle and swallowed a pill.

“You don’t have to stick around, Mom. I’m most likely going to sleep well into the night now,” Joe said, hoping Alice would take pity on her and leave. It was bad enough that she was stuck at home, she really didn’t need to add being fussed over on top of that. If she was going to be stuck here, then she’d rather do it in peace and quiet so that she could contemplate all the ways she was going make Eric pay for this.

“Well, I do have a few things that I have to do, but I promised Eric that I’d wait until he got home,” Alice said, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked at her watch. “I guess he got held over.”

Joe absently nodded as she pulled off her sneakers. “It happens, but he’ll probably be here soon,” she said, not knowing if that was the truth or not and not really caring. For all she knew, it could be hours before he got here and she had the pleasure of kicking his ass out.

“I’ll stick around for another half-hour, but then, I have to go before the grocery store closes,” Alice said, making Joe frown.

“Berkley’s doesn’t close until ten,” she pointed out.

“I can’t go there anymore,” Alice admitted after a slight hesitation.

“Why not?”

“Camie,” Alice said as though that would explain everything, and, sadly, it did. She sent another nervous glance down at her watch before she looked back at her, making Joe bite back a sigh.

“Mom, you can go. Don’t worry about it. If anything happens, I’ll call one of the guys.”

“No, I’ll wait around a little while longer,” Alice said with a stubborn nod.

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