Page 10 of Wild Cub

“Aggie, I’d heard something from Jeremiah that’s been on my mind. It just seems out of character. He was saying that people are disappearing, being offered jobs but not returning anywhere. Is there a job corporation that somehow appeared overnight? Numbers at the hotline haven’t dropped. Have you seen or heard about people disappearing? Any families or individuals gone missing? I don’t know if I’m overthinking it, but something about it all is just unsettling.” I look at her hopefully as Aggie puts a hand up to stop me. The rambling probably did not help.

“Girl, you’re fixating because it’s something you can’t control. You know if I saw something, I’d tell you. Sugar bean, take a deep breath. I think the Foundation got you overworked.” She rests her hands on mine and I feel like someone has knocked me back down to earth and reality. “Why don’t you see if there’s anything in the kitchen to help out? I bet the chef will give you a cookie,” she smiles, patting my hand.

Maybe she’s right maybe there’s more going on in my own head causing me to flip between fact and fiction. When I get fixated on things, I tend to overreact. I shrug off my thoughts and give a hand in the kitchen to take my mind off things.

Chapter 5

Seth:Ellie wants to see you. She asked ifTessa can come over pleeeeease! Her words, not mine.

I would not mind seeing Ellie, just the thought of her makes me smile. I text Brittany to let out Seamus for me and warn her to not drink all my whiskey. Seeing Seth and the kids beats what I had in mind for the rest of the night, namely a late night boxing session and a pint of ice cream on the couch. I’d much rather see the kids and watch a Hurricanes game.

Me:I’m leaving the center now, should be there in about 20 minutes.

Seth:Cool, mac and cheese on the stove and garage is open if you want to get a beer or something.

Free beer. The decision was practically made for me. Hurricanes game, mac and cheese, Jordan and Ellie, and beer. Count me in. At least the drive won’t take forever; the traffic has eased up since it’s post-rush hour. I’ve made the trip to Seth’s house countless times, so much so that I know the route like the back of my hand.

I make my way down the winding road through the neighborhood to Seth’s house. The garage is open, with a spot for me to park my car near his driveway. I park, wiping the exhaustion from my eyes. I trigger the light in the garage and notice something shiny, almost blinding my eyes. I knew Seth had a bike, but this may be a new one. I don’t think much of it; I’ve learned my lesson this week about thinking too much and being fixated. I go to the beer fridge and pull out a cider.

I twist off the cap, opening the door that leads from the garage to the kitchen. “Seth, hello, hello!” I spot the casserole dish of mac and cheese and practically run to take a plate from the cabinet.

I hear the game blaring in the living room and Seth yelling at the screen. After finding a fork, I take a sip of my drink and turn around to head towards the living room, heavenly mac and cheese in hand.

I suddenly can’t breathe, as if the air had been sucked out of the room. As if I was underwater and reaching for the surface. I spit my drink out. I toss the plate aside, attempting to save it from shattering from my nerves. Shock isn’t the word to fully describe what I see. The hairs stand up on my arm, a cascading effect down my legs.

Sitting on the couch with a beer in hand and Ellie sitting on his lap talking his ear off is Jackson. Coincidence? I think not. What game is he playing at? All eyes are on me. Ellie squeals, jumping off his lap and running straight to me. For a tiny little thing, she has some speed on her. Her arms are outstretched, indicating that she wants me to pick her up.

“Tessie, look, look! He’s here. The knight is here. Jackson was asking about you.” Ellie wiggles in my arms. The little devil in disguise.

“Yes, I see that, Ellie bean,” I sigh as I give her a kiss on the cheek before setting her back down.God, you are truly testing me.

I was beginning to forget about him. I see the smirk on his face. I debate on whether to suffer the tension in the air, or retreat to the kitchen and suffer from afar. I chose the former. I attempt not to look at the giant, gorgeous man sitting on the couch, looking as if he belongs there, easing back with his arms stretched out.

“Hello, Teresa.” The Viking waves at me. I don’t move an inch. The way he says my name, a rush of heat went to my cheeks. Why is this man suddenly appearing everywhere? I didn’t ask for this to happen. I can feel my eyes twitch.

“Tessa, hun, you know you can eat in here.” Seth gestures to the living room, asking me to unfreeze from my spot. I search around for an excuse, any excuse to stay in the kitchen. I notice a box of crayons and a coloring book sitting in a mess of papers, probably from Ellie before I got here.

“You know what? I thought I would color here with Ellie. You knowshewas the one who wanted me to come over,” I start to say, hoping to God that Ellie picks up on the hint and starts coloring.

My smart little Ellie picks up what I’m putting down. “Daddy, can I color in the kitchen with Tessa? Pleeeeeease.”

“Sure, just let Tessa eat, please. Judging by what she did first, she didn’t get anything to eat today,” Seth states. He may have a point. When you’re on the go, you tend to forget about necessities, that and the ADHD. I chug my drink down, hoping the quicker I drink, the faster the buzz.

“Sometimes, I forget to eat during a long day of work, okay? You know me, I can’t stay still long enough,” I say as I devour my food, Ellie humming and coloring at the same time. She hands me a crayon to color in the chicken from Moana.

“Sounds like you have a lot of responsibilities. You’ve been able to handle it?” Jackson asks smugly.

“Sweetie, there isn’t anything I can’t handle,” is my automatic response. Before I can take it back, my mind’s giving me a slap in the back of the head. I stuff my mouth with more mac and cheese. Maybe this’ll prevent me from giving Jackson anymore ammo.

“Darlin’, I’m sure you could handle… a lot,” he sniggers, sipping his beer. Seth looks at me with a question on his face. Seth is innocent, but completely obvious to what is going on.

After another serving of mac and cheese, the Hurricanes game goes into a second intermission when I hear, “Alright, Ellie Belly, it’s time for bed. Let’s get teeth brushed before story time.”

I freeze again. I’m letting my anxiety get to me. What is it with me and not wanting to be alone with Jackson? I’m typically an extrovert, but Jackson is different. He radiates strength and heartache. I feel if I get too close to him, I might implode. He keeps glancing over at me, trying to steal moments of time. I can feel my heart race faster with the thought of him near me. I barely know him, but half of me wants to feed my curiosity and the other half wants to run in the opposite direction.

“Tell Tessa good night,” Seth calls from the living room as he stretches from sitting on the couch so long. Ellie puts down her crayons and gives me a hug goodnight and a kiss on the cheek.

After me, Ellie turns to Jackson. “Goodnight, Mr. Jackson,” she sings as she hugs his leg.

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