“That’s all right.I can understand.This is a lot to take in right now.”She asked him if he was staying for dinner.“If you’d not mind.I don’t know how much I can eat, but it smells delicious.”
He ended up eating two plates of pasta.He’d been right in thinking that she’d made the sauce herself.By the time dinner was over, he helped her clean up.It was the least he could do after she’d invited him to dinner.After Davy had his bath and was ready for bed, she sat him down and told him about the little boy named Toby.
“He might not be back to school for a while yet.He’s been hurt really bad.”He asked if he was going to die.“I don’t think so.He’s in good hands at the hospital, but he’s going to need to be there for a while yet.When he’s better, we’ll go and see him.All right?”
“He took the beating for me.I will love him forever.”She told him that was good and to make sure when he said his prayers tonight, he asked God to keep him safe and to get well.“I will, Mom.I love you.”
“And I love you too, my darling little man.”He thought that she said that to her son a great deal, as he didn’t get embarrassed when she said it to him.After he was put in his bed, telling him good night, too, the two of them went to the living room to talk more.He was willing to do whatever it took to get her to trust him, and that meant showing her his dragon soon so that she’d know he would never harm her.“I have to get up early in the morning, so let’s make this quick.I don’t want to like you, but for some reason, I trust you not to lie to me.I don’t know about any of the other stuff that I’ve said to you.”
“I understand.”The two of them talked for about another hour before he left.He was excited to see her again, but wasn’t going to rush her into anything.As soon as he left, he felt better than he had in a long time.He had a mate, and she was going to be the best thing that had ever happened to him.At least he hoped so.
~*~
Lisa didn’t know what to do with herself.She’d been entertaining a man last night, and now today all she could think about was how stupid she felt.First of all?Where did the wordentertainingcome from?Was she sixty-something years old?They’d had dinner together, and he left.He had helped clean up, which she didn’t think meant entertaining at all.Something was wrong with her today, and shecouldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.
Getting ready for work after dropping her son off at school, she decided that since she had to work later in the day, if it came up for her to work the dinner schedule, she would.Just so she’d have the extra hours.But she’d have to miss Davy, and that always made her day better when she could see him before he went to bed.
Work was busy, and she had enough in tips for the week to make it so she didn’t have to work tonight.It was just as well; she would have had to have Davy at a sitter, and that would eat into whatever profits she made by working extra.Her boss said that she didn’t need anyone extra tonight, and she looked so sad.It worried her that the place would be closing down soon, as it just wasn’t doing that much in the way of business anymore.
She’d been working at the restaurant since she’d had Davy.When she’d first started working, she made good money, enough that she didn’t have to work a second job.But now if she didn’t grade papers for the school, she wouldn’t be able to afford her rent, much less food for the table and all the extras like school fees and babysitting.Some weeks, she about broke even when it came to income and outgoing money.
The insurance policy that her husband had on himself if he were killed didn’t pay all that much.She’d had to share it with his mom as she’d been named on the policy too.That had taken away most of the money that would have gone to buying them a stable home and a good car.As it was now, she was still driving the car that they’d had when they first got married, and the house was a rental.Janice had insisted that she give her half of the only income that she’d had from her husband dying so young, and she wasn’t sure why Janice needed it.She didn’t seem to have a job, nor did she have any other work-related issues when it came to income.She told Lisa it was because he’d named her on it that she deserved it.She supposed that was right, but it didn’t help her with her life and that of Davy.
One of the first things that she paid for monthly was the insurance she had on herself and her son.And as soon as he was married, she was going to insist that they take her name off the policy so that in the event something happened to him, she’d have whatever she needed to get by.It’s what Janice should have done when they were first married.It would have made her life a whole lot better.
Then she was forever bringing up how she was supporting the two of them.The only thing that she’d ever done for them was to cause trouble.Davy didn’t like the way she treated him when she was around, and she couldn’t get it out of her head that Davy was a growing boy and didn’t necessarily like spending the night with her anymore.She wasn’t going to make him spend the night either.That would be just wrong.She was just too needy all the time.
When work was over, she made her way to the grocery store.Davy wanted to have hot dogs for dinner, and she needed to get some buns.Not that he ever ate the bun, but she liked them and was going to pick some up.As soon as she paid and was headed out the door, a woman came in and stopped her.She said her name was Kaida Savage.
“It’s nice to meet you.Do you come here often?”She said that she usually went to the store up the road, as it had more variety, but when she just needed something, she stopped here.“I’m cousin-in-law to Brenin.He said that he met you.”
“We’re working things out.I have my life just the way that I want it, and I’m afraid that he’ll want more of my time than I’m willing to give to him.”She simply nodded but didn’t try to convince her otherwise.“I have to get going.I’m going to pick up Davy, and we’re headed home.”
“Yes, of course.I just wanted to meet you, and I’m glad that I have.I don’t usually shop here, but today, like you, I needed something extra for dinner.It was nice meeting you.”She shook hands with the woman and felt an electrical shock go up her arm.Thinking nothing of it, she went out to her car and started it.Her arms were still buzzing when she put the car into drive and stopped moving.
Something was off.She knew that the daycare was just down the road from her, but she couldn’t make herself go.Just as she was thinking about how ridiculous she was making things out to be, a large SUV pulled into the lot at about fifty miles per hour and would have hit her had she been sitting at the light.As it was, he rolled his car, and it landed on its top.Scared out of her mind, she turned the car offand sat there thinking how she would have been hit had she moved forward when she got into the car.
“Are you all right?”Lisa turned and looked at the woman standing at her door.She couldn’t for the life of her remember who she was.“It’s Kaida Savage.We just met a few minutes ago.Are you all right?Please say something.”
“I would have been there had I not paused.”She looked at the accident where people were gathered now and back at the woman.“I didn’t feel right going ahead, so I waited.I would have been there had I gone forward.”
“Let me get into the car with you.”She nodded and unlocked the door so that she could get in with her.“Just turn off the engine, and we’ll sit here and talk.I gave you something.Unless you had this kind of magic before?”
“I don’t have any magic now.”Nodding once, she reached over and turned off the car.“I would have been there.I can’t get that out of my head.But it just didn’t feel right, and I was getting ready to go again, and it happened.I’m sorry.I don’t know what to think.”
“It saved your life, whatever magic you got from me.”She said she didn’t have any magic.“Then what do you call this near miss that you just had.I saw you.You did hesitate when you got into the car.I saw you about ready to go forward, too.You’re right in thinking that you would have been hurt.”
“What do you mean you gave me something?When we were talking last night, Brenin said that same thing.That he more than likely gave me some of his magic.I don’t believe in magic any more than I do…the next thing you’re going to tell me is that there are vampires and unicorns around.”She said that there were both, and she’d show them to her sometime.“I don’t know what to believe.This is all so…I could be dead if I had gone forward.”
“You’d not be dead, but you’d be in a world of hurt.You’re immortal as of the moment that Brenin found you.Or you found him.I’m not sure how it worked out for the two of you.”Nodding, not sure now if she really would have been hit or not.“Don’t do that.Don’t make it out to be nothing when we both know that it was.I’m going to contact Brenin and let him know that you’re safe.He’ll understand the rest of it.”
“I have to pick up my son.”She said she’d have to wait a moment until things calmed down in her heart.“I’m just fine now.I’ve had time to think about what might have happened, and I feel better.I wouldn’t have been hurt at all.”
But in her mind, she knew that to be a lie.All she would have been able to do is look at the SUV rolled on its top to know that she would have been killed.He’d not just gone through the light that she’d been sitting at, but he took out the stop light as well as hit the little car that she would have been behind when it came at her.Laying her head on the steering wheel, she inhaled slowly and exhaled the same way.Slow breathing was helping her cope.
“Come on and let’s get out of the car.You might feel better if you were to stand up for a few minutes.”Nodding, she not only got out of the car but also made sure that her purse was over her arm.She needed things to be normal for a few minutes, or she was going to go insane thinking about what could have been.“Just breathe.You’ll see, you’re doing fine now.Just breathe in and out for a bit.”
“I’m better now.So long as I don’t think about what could have happened, I’m better.”She nodded but didn’t look convinced.“Really.I’m just going to keep telling myself that I was lucky that I had to put my purse on the seat next to me.That’s what caused me to pause.There wasn’t any kind of feeling like I was going to be hurt or something along those lines.I’m fine, and that’s all I know.Did you get in touch with Brenin?”
