Page 50 of Handling the CEO

Ihadtoshutthe phone call with DJ down before either of us said something we would regret. It's all too much. I was already home when she managed to get back to me, the whole day—unreal from the excellent start, to getting Tabitha sorted, to the disaster of the afternoon.

My driver picked up my sister as I was in no shape to drive, and she is upstairs now doing her homework, and I was on my second beer sitting on my chair, feeling totally lost. I have no job. My girlfriend is, apparently, with my oldest friend and there is extortion going on. And Mike stabbed me in the back.

I just don’t know what to do. All I can see is that picture of his hand on her hair, and I want to go punch him in the face. And I am so mad at her for gallivanting off without finding me and telling me what is happening.

The doorbell rings and as I look through the glass pane in the door, my heart flutters as there is a brunette standing there and, for a millisecond, I think it’s DJ. But I deflate when I realize this woman is taller, and the red streaks in her shoulder length hair give her away.

“Laura, what are you doing here? Can I help you with anything? Your sister is not here,” I ask as I open the door for her. She gives me a once over and shakes her head, then struts right in.

“I know. She texted me to come over to make sure if you are OK, you big lug! Here!” She plants a plastic box in my hands and says, “Bought dinner as instructed. I hear you are just as hopeless in the kitchen as lil D, which I would have thought impossible. She only had the firefighters called two times on her—though the second time she may have done it on purpose to hit on one of them.”

DJ sent her sister to bring me food? Firefighters?

“By the confused face you are displaying, I suspect she said nothing about it, huh?” she continues as she helps herself to a beer from my fridge, puts her cane on the side and sits down on a chair by the island. I am a tad stunned how I justgrewa Jara sister in my kitchen.

“No, she didn’t. I got a text saying she’s in Colorado and then we had a phone call fight. She then sent another text which—frankly made me even more upset,” I admit, taking another beer for myself and sitting across from Laura, hoping she can shed some light on whatever is happening.

“Ah, what you got is myhermanitain ‘fixer’ mode, basically—welcome to the family!” she grins. “DJ does not ask for permission, nor take any advice before she is off to fight her battles. Saving maidens, killing dragons, investigating whatever she’s off now with… she just goes and does it for the people she cares for. Has been doing it since we were little—my mum was mad with her running off to save the cat-of-the-day and not telling anyone. Once she went to our brother’s preschool to punch a kid in the nose for bullying Marcus. She was nine, we had to call the police as she just walked all the way there from her own classes by herself and her teachers—rightfully panicked.”

Saving maidens? Shit—that’s what she did with Tae—just dropped everything and ran after her. Same with the fax!

“Ah, I see you now realize you have experienced this before. It's just who she is… she sees a wrong, she is going to right it. I hope you can hack it, big man.” Laura eyes me with interest.

“I…” I struggle to find my words, “thank you for telling me all this. I have seen her do that before, I just didn’t associate it.”

“Don’t sweat it, Jon. My sister without a map is really like one of her video games on ‘hard mode’. You are doing pretty good, you know—she doesn’t pick up that sword out for just anyone—well, unless it’s animals and children, of course.”

“You think?” All the insecurities revealed in the past day come to life.

“Oh dear, you are lucky she thinks you’re pretty,” she mocks as she rolls her eyes at me. “Dahlia sent me with food over for you and your sister. She is basically living here with YOU or working with YOU. Where is she tonight? On the other side of the country trying to help YOU. Congrats again, big lug, don’t fuck it up!” She polishes her beer in record time, as I can only look at the patterns of marble on my island countertop.

“Laura,” I start unsure how to continue without digging myself in with the sister, but after the pictures, I have to ask. “Do you think DJ will ever want to get back together with Richard? They were married, after all.”

“HAHAHA” the brunette bursts into laughter and I have to shush her to not get Tabitha interested. “That is funny, Jon, I have to say! ‘Not in a million years’ is the answer. They were never right for each other and without the accidental wedding, they would have broken things off a long time ago. And after the Janine incident… no way! What is triggering this burst of concern?”

“I got shown some pictures with him at her house earlier today. DJ says he was there to blackmail her.”

“Richard? At DJ’s house? Trust me, big man, she wouldn’t have let him in unless she had no choice. He definitely had something on her to allow him anywhere near her person. Have a little faith, she hasn’t stopped thinking about your Thor-like ass ever since the shop ‘event’,” she winks at me.

“Now—one thing we ask in the Jara household is… are we drinking or are we...Drinking? You look like you could use the second version tonight. My son is at my brother's, and I have nothing better to do than babysit you; so, come on, bring two more beers over and I will tell you what DJ’s weakness really is.” Laura smiles at me and despite her poking at me, I appreciate her being here a lot. Her walking me off a ledge when it comes to the ex.

“OK Ms. Laura, let’sDrink! I think I know what her weakness is already, by the way. Starts with a ‘c’.”

“Yeah, yeah. Not talking about your penis just yet, maybe next time.” She snickers at me, and the weight lifts off my shoulders a bit, with a friend to joke with me and a couple of cold ones.

“We know it’s not THAT—well, hopefully not just THAT,” I laugh back and sit down. “And we both know it’s cronuts!” I get confirmation that I answered correctly with another nod of approval from a Jara sibling, as we start theDrinking.

***

My head is pounding, and my mouth is dry as I roll my blanket over my shoulders, trying to settle on the relatively uncomfortable couch I had the honor of sleeping on. After the alcoholic coma I almost got in while struggling to match Laura’s penchant for spirits, I told her to take the main bedroom as I wanted to wait for DJ anyway. I was in no shape to climb the stairs, but I was not going to admit to that.

I get up to drink some water and rinse my teeth with mouthwash in the downstairs bathroom before I hear the key turning in the front door and I jump up. But this time I exhale freely as it is my warrior, back from whatever quest she was on.

Stopping two feet from her, I say nothing—she looks tired, her hair a mess, dressed in loose jeans and a black shirt with an old leather jacket. Yet she is still beautiful as ever to me, grasping my spare key from under the pot outside. When she glances at me with red-rimmed eyes, the worry in them makes me move and put my arms around her, holding my woman with no words.

She hugs me back and burrows her face in my chest, breathing against my t-shirt and as easy as that, all is right in the world.

“Hey Avril,” I say against her hair, inhaling her scent.

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