Page 39 of Wild Card
Easton lets out a muted laugh. Wren just shakes hers at my dark humor.
“It might not be that bad. It just looks bad now. You have a lot of swelling from the trauma your face took when you hit the car, you know. Gotta give it a chance to recover,” Wren says as she runs a hand over the back of mine. Trying to soothe me. “The important part is you’re going to be okay. You scared us all, you know? You’ve got to be more careful.”
I smile at Wren because my brother’s wife is probably the only one I’m willing to take this lecture from right now. She’s the kindhearted one in a family of assholes. Minus my sister, but she’s crazy as fuck and would just show up, kick my ass, and give me shit. And I’m not ready for that kind of tough love yet either.
“I know,” I agree. Because between the sex tape and the accident, I’m starting to question the immortality I’d always relied on getting me through.
TWENTY-TWO
Scarlett
“Hey, come on in.”Harper welcomes me into her and Xander’s condo. She asked me over to talk and my stomach’s been going rounds on the drive over worrying about what it is she wants to talk about. She takes my coat and then I follow her into the living room where Xander’s already sitting, scrolling through his phone.
He looks up, giving me a smile and a chin tip when I sit down on the couch across from them, putting his phone away a moment later. Xander and Harper exchange glances.
“All right. You guys are making me nervous, like I’m about to get a lecture or something.”
“No. Not at all. Nothing like that. It’s just Xander’s got a big ask for you and we’re nervous about talking with you about it.”
“Oh… Okay.” Now the nerves are worse.
“Well, now you’ve terrified her.”
“I mean… if you think the worst it might sound better in comparison,” Harper jokes.
“Okay, let’s just discuss what it is.” I look back and forth between them.
Xander’s expression clears and something more pensive replaces it.
“It’s about Tobias. He’s refusing to have any sort of nursing service or help come to his house. Easton had to go back, Wren needs to leave too, and his sister can’t come out right now. She’s got a commitment she can’t break, and he doesn’t want her to. But we all play, and the girls all have the nonprofit, and Violet has her business so… he’s alone a lot. His assistant comes and goes but he has other work and can’t be there all the time.”
“That doesn’t sound good given what I’ve heard of his recovery and mental state,” I say softly, staring at the rug on the floor.
“It’s not. He needs someone there right now, for the foreseeable future. Even if they’re just in the house in case he falls or something. Help make sure he gets to PT sessions here soon. That kind of thing.” Xander looks at Harper.
“And we thought we’d ask you,” she takes over where he left off. “Xander would pay you of course, or Tobias might want to. We haven’t said anything to him. We didn’t want to have that fight until we knew if you’d be up for it. But it’ll pay more than your salary at the museum, and it’d be temporary obviously. Just until he gets better.” She looks at me thoughtfully.
“The money part makes me a little uncomfortable. To have you guys or him paying me. I mean, we don’t always get along, but I do think of him as a friend, and I’d be happy to help.”
Harper shakes her head. “You need the money; he needs the care. It makes sense. Don’t think about it like that. Also… to be honest Scar, he’s a nightmare right now. Trust me when I say you’ll want the money to put up with him. He’s miserable, and he’s taking it out on everyone and everything around him. I wouldn’t want someone there who wasn’t getting paid.”
“It still feels awkward.”
“I get that, but you’d be doing us all a favor. Give Xander and the guys peace of mind. Be able to let his family know someone’s there who cares,” Harper adds.
“Also,” Xander says, looking up at me. “Part of his excuses have to do with the fact he doesn’t want someone there he can’t trust. He’s worried nurses or other staff are going to take pictures or talk to sports reporters about his condition. Or worse, another tabloid opportunity. And you’re one of us, we all know you would never do something like that. He knows that. So I think he’d be more likely to agree to it.”
I can understand his paranoia, honestly. With everything that’s happened. The fact that we still don’t know if our tape got leaked. I guess if it does and I’m working there, there’s at least the chance to spin it positively in his favor.
“Right. Obviously, I would never do anything to disrupt his privacy. I just… I’m not his favorite person. Are you sure he’s going to agree to this?” I frown.
“No,” Xander answers immediately. “My guess is he won’t. But I’m not going to give him a choice. I’m going to pay you and give you my key to his house. Tell him when you’re going to be there, and he’ll have to learn to live with it.”
Harper makes a disapproving sound. “I don’t think that’s the way to sell it.”
“He’s stubborn as fuck right now, Saint. It’s gonna be the only way. I just want her to know, so she goes in prepared.” He looks from Harper to me. “I’ll pay you extra, and if he’s an asshole tell me. We’ll get you hazard pay. Okay?”
“I’m not worried. I’ve dealt with plenty of jerks at work before. Harper can tell you that.”
