She takes them quicker than she has in the past months and we’re all loaded in the car in short order. The engine gives me some grief but starts on the second try. Before long, we’re buzzing down Main Street toward Ace’s school.
It’s a gorgeous two-story colonial-style building made of red brick and white plaster. Only two other cars are dropping off students, and the rest of the kids are piling out of three yellow buses. Mental math puts it at about a hundred or so students. It’s going to be difficult to break into this small of a crowd, but I’m sure he’ll find someone worth hanging out with.
Plus, this is temporary. We’ll be back home soon, and he can hang out with his friends.
“Have a good day, Little Sprout!” Nai Nai calls.
Ace pulls his black hood down lower and runs for the front door.
“You’re going to ruin his reputation.”
“He’ll be all right,” she says with confidence.
I put the address of the local library into my phone and see it’s only a few blocks away. Within minutes I’m dropping Nai Nai off at the front. I want to walk her in, but she says she doesn’t want me to ruin her reputation.
Damn old lady’s so snarky.
Anticipation swells in my gut as I drive back to the café. There are hours ahead of just Rhazan and me, alone, in the café. The thought I had neatly wrapped away days ago unfurls itself and reminds me this istemporary. I can’t get invested in this ifrit or the business. We’ll be going home soon.
Maybe.
Armhurts did say it could take months before he goes on trial. Maybe even years.
Shit…
That’s a long time to be trapped in a café with an infuriatingly sexy ifrit demon I can’t get involved with.
“So what’s a little fling if you’ve got that much time?” I ask myself as I pull up to the building.
There’s no harm in just fooling around, right?
“But with your virginity?”
I turn off the car.
Virginity doesn’t mean anything. This is the twenty-first century.
“Yeah, but it’s special kinda, right? Would you tell Ace it’s not special?”
No…
“Right so…should we fool around?”
Atap-tap-tapon the driver’s window makes me scream. I clutch my chest as I take in the woman standing outside my door. It’s Lacey. She’s in beat-up jean overalls and a ratty gray T-shirt.
I shake away thoughts of spankings and virginity, and get out of the car.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I ask.
She beams. “Mrs. Feng called and told me you would be painting today.”
That scheming hag.
“Yeah, I am,” I say, smiling. “Come in.”
“Just you?”
“Yeah, Nai Nai decided she wanted to go to the library and Ace is in school.”
