Page 57 of Jason
“Oh,” she said.“Which one?”
“Phantom Menace.”
“An excellent reason to miss the birthday,” she said.
“That’s where Jason always was—watching movies.He just buried himself in his room with movies.”
Jason’s phone pinged.“It was a way to cope, Nana.”He glanced at his phone.
“Well, I know that,” Nana said.“It was your aunt and uncle who didn’t understand it.”
Mallory watched curiously as Jason slid the phone back into his pocket.
“I needed the escape after losing Mom and Dad.”
“Me too,” Mallory said.“I mean, I needed the escape.”
“Oh dear, did you lose your parents, too?”Nana asked.
Mallory waved her hand.“No, no—they are very much alive.But they weren’t around much and they weren’t big on parenting.”
“Well that’s odd,” Nana said.
Mallory couldn’t help but laugh.“It was.”She glanced at Jason.He gave her a hint of a smile—he understood.
They finished the meal with more family tales, and when they had finished, Mallory carried the bowls to the kitchen.“Nana, we need to get going,” Jason said.
“Leave that, Mallory,” Nana said.“Gives me something to do.Now you come back to see me, will you?”she asked, taking Mallory’s hands in hers.
“I’d love to,” Mallory said.
Jason had to dip in an odd way to kiss his grandmother’s cheek—his back wouldn’t bend like it should.“I’ll see you in a couple of days,” he said.He held Mallory’s hand to the car.
He drove, claiming his painkillers had kicked in.On the way back to the Bickmore, he put his hand on her knee.“I have an idea what we can do next,” he said.
“Is it forbidden?”Mallory asked.
“So forbidden,” he agreed, and squeezed her knee.
“I’m in,” she said.
“Great.I just have to make a quick phone call first.”He removed his hand from her knee.
“More trouble?”she asked.
“I don’t know.Uncle Graham has been trying to get hold of me.”
When they reached the Bickmore, the valet took the car from Jason.Mallory wrapped her arm around his waist.“I’m not an invalid,” he protested.
“You move like one,” she said.
They were laughing at his zombie-like walk as they eased in through the front door.Mallory didn’t see Cass at first, not until he stood up and blocked their path with his girth.
It was bad enough that seeing the specter of Cass made Mallory’s heart sink.But he was not alone.
Chapter Seventeen
Cass frowned disapprovinglyat Mallory before turning that disapproving glare to Jason.
