Page 62 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“Thanks,” I said.
She started toward the front door but looked back at me. “I can’t believe you’re going to hell.”
“Seriously?” I held my hand out in disbelief. “I thought you were on my side!”
“Hey, I might protest it, but even I see the obvious outcome here.”
“Goodbye, Jackie!”
“See ya!” She waved, and a minute later, I heard the door shut behind her.
As soon as she was gone, I locked all the doors and shut the windows. None of it mattered, considering the threat, but it made me feel better as I cleaned up my kitchen and made a new cup of tea. I sat down at the table and wished I had those little donuts to pair with my drink.
Then, I felt that familiar chill in the air, the alert that someone was about to pay me a visit. I was seconds from being irritated; I had just asked the man for some time to think, but Raymond knew me well enough. In front of me, on the table, appeared a small package of little pink donuts. And before he could appear to apologize for the intrusion, I’d already forgiven him.
16
Bath time
“Are you going to show your face or just keep dangling donuts in front of me?” I called out.
Raymond appeared, standing opposite the table where I sat. “I had to make sure you were okay with me being here first.”
“So much for giving me time to think.” I snatched the donuts from the table and opened them. Yes, I wanted them, and yes, I’d already forgiven him, but I couldn’t let him know that.
“I know. I’m sorry.” He took a step back, like he was afraid I would hit him.
“Don’t be. But you could have brought more than one pack.”
His hand vanished, and when it reappeared, a plastic bag full of packs of those little donuts appeared.
“I figured you might want more.” He put the bag on the table. “And if you decide to come with me, you’ll have plenty for the trip.”
“You’re going to need a lot more of these to get me through a trip to hell.” I pointed at the bag. “Think semi-truck full!”
“Does that mean you’re considering going?” he askedhopefully.
“You gave me less than an hour to think,” I huffed. “But what I’m considering is everything that will need to be managed while I’m away.IfI go, there’s a lot to consider. Like my business—who will take care of everything? And my home. I have a lot of plants here, in case you haven’t noticed. They need me.”
“Logical frame of mind.” He sat at the table. “I should have expected nothing less.”
“I don’t know how else to be at a time like this.”
“Natalie could handle things for a few weeks,” he suggested. “That would take care of the work stuff.”
“Weeks? What do you mean a few weeks? How long could this possibly take?”
“Honestly, it could take longer than that, but in the Bane, time moves at a different rate. A day there is a week here,” he explained. “So even if we’re only gone less than a week, it would be a month you’re away from work.”
“How do you expect me to stay away from my business for a month?” A searing pain shot through my chest as I tried to inhale, and the constricting feeling left me lightheaded, on the verge of collapse. “Damnit! What am I supposed to do now? I’ve worked so hard to build my business, and now, it’s all just going to fall apart.”
“Just breathe.” Raymond stepped around me and put his hands on my shoulders. He massaged me with just enough pressure to make my head fall back.
I sighed as I felt the tension leaving my body, but my chest still burned with the building anxiety. “You don’t know how much I put into this. I don’t want to lose everything.”
“Do you think you'll lose everything after taking a few weeks away? If that’s the case, your business isn’t as solid as you think it is. Maybe I should reconsider signing all my assets to you.”
“Funny. I didn’t think that was still the plan.”
