Page 3 of Justus
“Comeon, Tiny Dancer. Don’t be like that.” He drops his voice to a loud whisper.“Besides, if you keep touching me, Sadist is going to get jealous.”
Aydachuckles. “Somehow, I doubt that.”
“I’mjealous of people who don’t know you,” I reply, trying not to smile.
Agrin breaks across his face and he turns to Ayda like I can’t hear him. “Shedoesn’t want to like me, but I’m winning her over.”
“Uh-huh,well, do it from outside.” She escorts him to the door, but he flashes one lastsmile at me before going back to his friends.
Zoe,Ayda’s friend, waits for us in the living room, an open bottle of wine in frontof her on the coffee table. “That man is crazy about you,” she giggles.
“Yougot the crazy part right. How is Landon?”
Zoe’shusband, Landon, has a genetic disease that prevents him from going outdoors inthe sunlight. “He’s good. He’ll be here in a little while. The guys always seemto invade our girl’s night.”
Justus,Landon, Dare, Jeremy, and Tucker are the guys she’s referring to. They’re allclose friends and they work together to track child molesters and onlinepredators, reporting them anonymously to the police. They call themselves InSafe Hands, or ISH. Ayda was a little hesitant to tell me about theirorganization at first, since what they do is technically illegal, but who thehell would argue against saving children from sexual predators?
“Soyou banished them to the porch?”
“Yep,”Ayda replies with a grin. “Pour yourself a glass of wine.”
Wespend the next hour chatting and laughing together before Ayda asks, “Are youstill going to visit your mom next week?”
Myhead falls back to rest against the back of the couch, and my frustrated groanfills the room. “Yes, but I don’t know what to do. You’ll never believe howmuch the escort service wanted.”
Zoe’seyebrows jump up as I continue.
“Fivegrand! They want five grand for a week!” I run my hands through my hair.
“Good.No offense, girl, but you don’t know what kind of psycho you might get. I don’twant you to end up chained to a water heater in some creep’s basement.”
“So,you’re looking for a cheap hooker?” Justus drops beside me on the couch. Great.I’ll never live this down.
“Quitfucking eavesdropping!”
“It’snot eavesdropping if I can hear you from across the room. Where did you learnto whisper? In a helicopter?”
Aydacovers a laugh and I grumble, “Don’t encourage him.” Sighing, I lean back. “Ijust want someone to pretend to be a long term boyfriend. My mom lives halfwayacross the country and I don’t see her often. Her main concern is that I have aman to take care of me.” A huff escapes my chest. “Like I need shit from anyman.”
“So,you lied to your mom and now you’re busted if you don’t show up with a devotedman in tow?”
“Yes,you’ve successfully summed up what I just explained.”
“I’lldo it. I could use a week away,” Justus volunteers.
Yeah,that will happen.
Aydalaughs at the expression on my face, but Zoe shrugs and says, “Justus couldpull it off. He’s good with people.”
“Itcould work,” adds Ayda. “At least you’d be safe.”
You’vegot to be kidding me. Take Justus, the man who hits on anything with a pulse,to meet my mother? I shake my head. “I’ll figure out something.”
“Okay,”Justus sighs, resting his foot on his knee. “I’m just thinking of your poormother when she finds out her daughter is a lonely spinster with too manycats.”
“Idon’t have a cat!”
“It’sonly a matter of time.”
