“She better,” I retorted, moving forward and catching the door before he could close it so I could continue to glare at them as they moved down Valentine’s walk in order to be absolutely certain I’d made my point.
He nodded, his lips now just quirking, and I moved my gaze, my face softening, when Josette looked back and said, “’Night, Frannie.”
“Good night, my sweet,” I bid.
She looked ahead as Glover moved them both forward.
I knew he did not intend for me to hear it but I had honed exceptional eavesdropping skills in my lifetime so I heard it when he spoke after he had her halfway down the walk.
“Your sister’s kinda protective, yeah?” he asked.
“Er, well…we’ve been through a lot together,” Josette replied quietly. “And she loves me.”
“Right,” Glover returned, not sounding disgruntled, sounding pleased.
Although I quite liked the fact that Josette understood my feelings for her, and the fact that Glover was not put off by a protective family member, I harrumphed.
“Shut the door, sugarlips,” came from behind me.
I turned to see Noc leaned against the wall at the side of the entry to the hall appearing like he didn’t know whether to come fetch me or let loose his hilarity.
“I’ll see them safe in his car,” I returned.
“Shut the door, baby,” he said softly.
I liked his soft so I stepped out of the door and shut it.
Only then did Noc come to me.
Putting his hands to my hips, he pulled me close and tipped his head down.
“So, my guess, we’re hanging here until you know she’s home all right,” he noted.
“Yes,” I confirmed.
He grinned and murmured, “Momma bear.”
“You say this as a tease you think might get a rise out of me when I have no issue you think this way at all.”
“Just to say, not teaching you how to use a gun considering you’re like this with Josette, it’ll be you and not me the boys will have a problem with when our daughters start dating.”
I could actually feel myself blanch.
Noc burst out laughing, hauling me into his embrace as he did it and putting his mouth to mine.
“Christ, I love you,” he said there through his mirth.
“Thank fuck,” I replied and lost Noc’s dancing, happy eyes.
I did for he was kissing me.
Obviously, I kissed him back.
Chapter Nineteen
Creative
Franka
“We have little time, Josette,” I warned as Josette handed over money to the friendly gentleman with the odd accent he said he had because he was from “Ay-tee.” A gentleman who was the driver of what Josette had told me was a taxi.
A boon.
While I was spending time learning the fullness of my love for Noc, and his love for me, Josette had been watching the television and fiddling with her telephone.
Noc had been correct three days previous. I knew little of this world.
But Josette was a quick study.
“Just a minute, Frannie,” Josette replied, sounding like she was concentrating. “I need to work out the tip.”
“The what?” I queried.
“I’ll explain later,” she muttered.
I looked to the watch on my wrist that I had purchased the day before when Noc had been driving Josette and I to a vacant parking lot where he could safely begin to teach us how to drive, and through the window of his Suburban I’d seen a jewelry store.
Of course, I’d demanded he stop immediately for I had not seen an entire store in that world devoted to jewelry (that wasn’t in a mall displaying paltry offerings) and obviously this was something we needed to experience without delay.
My watch was thin, with a black strap and what the sales lady explained was an “art deco,” white gold and diamond face. Whatever “art deco” meant. I simply thought it elegant.
Josette’s was white and rose gold with a mother of pearl face. It was not trim but quite big, almost like men’s watches, but even so, it was most attractive.
Both watches cost over fifty thousand dollars, at which Noc shook his head and said (not to anyone, certainly not me), “Way she’s going, she’ll be out of treasure in a month.”
“No I won’t,” I declared. “Valentine says the this-world value of my treasure equals nearly half a billion of your American dollars. If this is so, I could buy Josette and me ten watches and not run out of treasure.”
Noc gave me a look that said without words I should cease speaking.
The sales lady made a noise that sounded like she was choking.
I thought my best play at that juncture was to smile at her, and, of course, hand over my credit card.
Our driving lesson was not as successful as our trip to the jewelry store.
It was not me who was having difficulty mastering the controls of the car. In fact, it all seemed quite intuitive. Noc had even given me a pleased kiss after my lesson and declared me a “natural.”
No, Josette was quite erratic, went too fast and her turns, even watching while standing outside the big vehicle and well away, were terrifying.
Noc said I could probably start practicing on real streets after a few more goes “behind the wheel.”
“Sorry, Jo, but it’s gonna be the parking lot for you for a while,” he’d told her.
She didn’t seem to mind. She was just happy to be learning.
And regardless, her head was in the clouds due to the fact that Glover was attentive and amusing and “oh so clever, Frannie, you wouldn’t believe!”
I didn’t believe.