Page 119 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“Jericha, please. Your world is full of magic. I only have this one night.”
“Jericha, it can't hurt to ask.” Raymond stepped over to me.
“Excuse me?” I looked at him. “You’re on her side now?”
“I’m on whatever side allows me to rest soon.” He rubbed the back of his neck, adjusting the weight of his locs. “Reach out to Jackie and see if she's cool with it. If she says no, we go home now.”
“I can’t believe this.” After a deep sigh, I gave in. “Fine, I’ll ask her.”
I grabbed the stone that somehow was still around my neck, despite everything we’d been through. I held it, closed my eyes, and waited. Eventually, that static connection formed, and Jackie appeared in front of me.
“It's about time. Damn, are y’all okay?” A bonnet flopped over her head; I could tell I had just interrupted her sleep.
“Yes, we’re good. Sorry, it feels like I just talked to you.” I smiled because it felt good to hear her voice, even if she was on the verge of cursing me out. “We did what we had to do and got Natalie back. She's with us now.”
“Hell yeah.” She yawned, closing her eyes as if half listening to a phone call. “I knew my girl would kick demon ass!”
“Thanks for the confidence, but I'm actually here to ask you a huge favor. Not for me, but for Natalie.”
“Natalie?” Her eyes popped open. “What does she need? Is she hurt? I can get medical staff here within the hour!”
“No, it’s nothing like that.” I reassured her. “She’s good. Actually…she found a tree demon who she named Keanu, and she is asking if we can stay one more night so she can spend time with him. But of course, one more night here is seven there.”
“Natalie’s getting freaky with a tree demon.” She laughed. “Ain't that some shit? Wait, Keanu? Like the actor?”
“Yes! Now, I can’t confirm if they got freaky, but girl, when I got here, she was throwing it back on him while listening to Meg Thee Stallion!” At that, we both laughed. “She wants to stay. I'm against it and Raymond is playing neutral, so honestly, it's up to you.”
“You know what?” Jackie nodded thoughtfully. “Let her have some fun. Everything'scool here.”
“You know you can say no, right?” I tried to influence her decision. “I mean, you have a business to run yourself. And the other hunters, I know they're looking for you.”
“True, but I have some vacation time built up, and honestly, I'm having fun here in your home. It's so much cozier than mine. Besides, I can run my business from anywhere. No one's missing me. Something's telling me Natalie isn't the only one who needs an extra night in the hellscape.”
“Excuse me?”
“You and Raymond.” Her head tilted, and she narrowed her gaze. “I know how these things go. This whole adventure solidified your relationship with him, hasn't it?”
I chuckled. “Maybe.”
“Maybe means yes, and it also means you need to keep your butt there with that man. Because maybe he isn't ready to rush back to Earth either.” She sucked her teeth. “Did you think about that? I mean, why else wouldn’t he immediately be on your side when you insisted on running back home?”
“Damn, you're right. I didn’t think about that.”
“Of course I am. It’s like you’re new around here.” She sighed. “So, take your time, spend another day there. I'll be here, keeping everything cool.”
“I really appreciate this.”
“I know, and I’m building my sushi order by the day, especially since you have so many pests here. If I wasn’t so fly, I would be traumatized.”
“What pest?” I freaked out. “Did you have to call an exterminator?”
“Not that kind. The kind with two legs and one itty bitty part in between. Men.” She laughed. “First, it was a guy named Deonta. He came by asking for you, started ranting about how you having a new boyfriend wouldn’t be enoughto keep him away. So, I had Miguel drop him off with the pixies. Bet his ass won’t be back now.”
“Jackie!” I gasped.
“And then there was that Mitch bitch who came back here, asking if you were hiring. I slammed the door in his face so damn fast!” She rolled her eyes.
“You’re a trip.”
