“Come in,” Jen called.
The door opened and in walked Jacque, Sally, Peri, and some lady in a white lab coat who looked terrified and curious at the same time.
“Who’s that?” Jen asked, pointing at the scared confused lady,SCL for short, she added in her mind.
“She’s someone who can, hopefully, help,” Jacque said. “Can we sit over there and chat?” The redhead pointed to the sitting area where the sofa and chairs were located.
Sally, Peri, the SCL, and Jacque all took seats. Jen and Dec followed the group. Jen noticed her mate kept his body between Jen and the newcomer. If Jen shifted, he shifted with her.Overprotective fur ball, she grumbled mentally.
Decebel took one of the large lounge chairs and tugged her down onto his lap. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against him. Through their bond, she could feel anxiety but also a hint of hope as well. She turned slightly to look at him and frowned.
“You aren’t surprised by this, are you?” she asked, pointing at the SCL.
“Jacque might have mentioned finding a way to help you, and I might have agreed to it,” he said slowly.
“Well, thanks for wanting to help,” she said, feeling a tad stupid.
“Of course I want to help, Jennifer. You’re my beautiful, diabolical mate, and Thia is my amazing, hopefully not-as-twisted-as-her-mother, daughter. I will always try to do what is best for you both.” He brushed her hair back away from her neck and pressed a soft kiss just below her ear.
“Jen,” Jacque said, sounding oddly formal and a bit apprehensive. “This is Kimily.”
“Wait for it,” Sally whispered from her perch on the couch.
A single brow rose on Jen’s face as she looked at SCL. “Were your names in a car accident?”
“And there it is,” Sally whispered again.
Kimily frowned.
“Or was it some terrible lab experiment gone wrong?” Jen continued.
“What are you talking about?” the woman asked.
“You’ve taken two perfectly normal names and squished them together into something…”
“Jennifer…” Decebel growled as his arm tightened around her waist.
“Odd,” she said, turning to glare at her mate. “I was going to say odd. And you have to admit Kimily is odd. Well, her name, I mean…” She staggered along. “I mean, her, as a person, I have no idea if she’s weird. But then again, she is in the company of Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum, and the Cheshire Cat. They say a person is known by the company they keep so… I’m guessing she’s not playing with a full deck of cards.”
The room was completely silent when she finished her monologue, and the SCL’s mouth had dropped open, causing her to resemble one of those baby dolls that comes with the toy bottle to put in its mouth. The woman even had the wide, creepy, baby-doll eyes going on. Jen wondered if she’d coo if someone squeezed her. Then she nearly smacked herself because that was a ridiculous thought, and her weird meter was beginning to shift in her direction.
Finally, Kimily closed her mouth and looked at Jacque. “Is she always like that, or is this just because of post-pregnancy hormones?”
“If you’re referring to her inability to keep her rude, bat-snitch-crazy comments to herself, then I’m afraid she is always like this. And before you ask why we are still friends with her,” she said, holding up a hand. “It’s only because if we left, she’d simply follow us around the world and then torture us for attempting to get away.”
Kimily turned to Peri, her eyes even wider. “Can you take me back?”
Peri patted the woman’s head as though she were a little child. “Soon. But first we need you to help the bat-snitch-crazy milk-producing cow.” She pointed at Jen. “She’s having trouble nursing.”
Jen gasped as she looked at Kimily. “You’re a lactation specialist?”
Kimily nodded, slowly, as if she were trying to keep from provoking a wild animal.
Jen jumped to her feet and nearly lost her balance. Luckily, she didn’t fall on her face, thanks to her mate’s strong hands. She hurried over to Kimily and knelt in front of her. Clasping her hands to her chest, she looked up at her. “I take back everything I said about your name. It’s by far the loveliest name in all the land. None could be fairer.”
“Why is she talking like we live in a storybook?” Jacque muttered.
“Just roll with the crazy,” Peri said. “If not, you’re going to get bowled over.”
