Page 109 of The Woman on the Jury

I yanked a pair of pajama pants up before heading downstairs, finding Lauren already in the kitchen, hair a mess, squinting at the morning sun.

“Fuck you, sun, fuck you,” she grumbled, not realizing she wasn’t alone until the stair creaked as I descended. “Boo. Hiss. Damn you for having that amazing wine on hand,” she grumbled as she ripped the coffee pot out of the machine.

“Here, how about I do that?” I said, taking it from her. “And you take this,” I added, pulling open a cabinet to hand her packets of electrolyte power. “There’s water in the fridge,” I added.

“Oh, thank God,” she said, pulling out two. “I’ll bring one up to Halle-Bear. Is she decent?”

“She’s not,” I said, getting a smile out of Lauren.

“That’s cool. I mean, I was the one who sat with her when she got her hoo-ha waxed the first time,” she said. “You’re welcome, by the way,” she said with a smile before heading upstairs, her steps slow and heavy.

I finished the coffee, ordered breakfast, then briefed Lauren’s first shift guard before the girls finally emerged, Halle wearing my button-up from the day before.

And, fuck, was that a good look.

Even if she looked like she was also silently cursing the sun.

“Oh, great. I wanted another of you suit-wearing hot guys to see me at this, my lowest moment,” Lauren grumbled, squinting at me. “Alright, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Smoldering, we gotta get going,” she said.

“Text me,” Halle demanded. “On the number we talked on yesterday. Once I get my phone back, I will let you know.”

“Sounds good. Love you,” she said, giving Halle a hug. “And you, I’m not forgiving you for the wine,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me as she opened the door.

“She needs a guard?” Halle asked as soon as they were gone.

“I’m just being careful,” I told her as she chugged some of the electrolyte water. “I don’t want anything happening to her.”

“Careful, she’s having fantasies about some sort of six-men-one-woman fantasy about you guys,” Halle warned.

“Hey, that’s their problem,” I said, handing her a cup of coffee. “You want some meds?” I asked.

“I think the electrolytes will do the trick,” she said. “Sorry we were kind of messy last night.”

“It was good seeing you have some fun,” I said.

“Are you leaving?” she asked, glancing at the clock.

“Not yet,” I said. “Breakfast is coming. Figure we can share that before I head out. I’m working on the shop problem today.”

“Oh, good. My grandfather keeps asking. I feel guilty lying to him. Can we go see him today?” she asked.

Fuck.

I wasn’t prepared for how much I liked how that sounded.

We.

“Let me know what time works, and I’ll fit it in.”

“Maybe lunchtime?” she said. “He should still be pretty awake then. They are talking about stepping him down to a rehabilitation facility. I don’t know how that will work out for the guards,” she added, looking worried.

Hospitals, the Family had experience with. Rehab centers, not so much. But we would have to figure it out. Like anywhere else, I was sure money would talk. Actually, maybe even more so in a place like that where the staff was horribly overworked and criminally underpaid. A few grand to mind their businesses about the men in suits being there round-the-clock to protect a little old man.

Hopefully, by the time he was able to leave the rehab facility, I will have some sort of solution to the Myers brothers problem. Because this shit couldn’t go on forever. I had to be able to give Halle some semblance of her former life back. Minus the horrible apartment. Because now that I got to know what it was like to go to sleep and wake up with her, I was pretty sure I never wanted to sleep alone again.

“I’ll figure it out,” I assured her.

“Is that your answer to everything?” she asked, shooting me a soft smile.

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