Ananda made a tsking sound, but from the way her eyes sparkled merrily Scarlett could tell the sarcastically muttered suggestion amused her.
“At least this Jackson sounds like a nice enough young man,” observed Ananda. “He obviously cares a great deal about his niece, since it seems like he’s been the one making all of the arrangements.”
“And left to do all the dirty work my father doesn’t have the stomach for,” Scarlett replied dryly. “Yeah, he’s okay. I mean, for a privileged rich boy, that is. He doesn’t act all stuck up and prissy like my father did. And given that Jackson was born into that sort of wealth, while dear old Dad just sort of stumbled into it when he married well, that makes my father’s attitude even more nauseating.”
Ananda smiled serenely and gave Scarlett an affectionate pat on the cheek. “It sounds to me that you might like this Jackson a bit more than you let on, darling.”
Scarlett shook her head emphatically, desperate not to betray just how accurate her boss’s half-teasing words really were. “I don’t like him at all,” she protested. “I mean, not in the way you’re implying. But then, I don’t like very many people, do I? Just you and Isaiah, Margie and Roz, and maybe two or three other people in the whole world.”
Ananda laughed merrily. “I think it’s more a case of you not trusting people rather than disliking them, Scarlett. And believe me, I understand why letting people get close is so difficult for you. But from what you’ve told me about him, I truly think Jackson likes you very much. He’s been nothing but nice to you throughout this process so far.”
“Hmmph.” Scarlett flicked her fingers in the air. “He has to be nice to me in order to get what he wants. And when he realized I couldn’t be bought off, that just meant he had to be even nicer. And while I suppose we get along okay, I would definitely call us more like friendly adversaries than actual friends.”
“You’re sure there’s nothing more than that?” pressed Ananda. “Are you sure you don’t have any romantic feelings for him?”
“Wouldn’t do a damn bit of good if I did,” said Scarlett dismissively. “Not only is he not my type, but I’m really, really not his type. In any way, shape, or form. Plus, there’s that whole scenario where his father would destroy my father’s family - my family, even though I’m forbidden from ever meeting them. So even if I was stupid enough to fall for a smooth talker like Jackson Gilmore, and if he was desperate enough to ask me out or take me to bed, nothing more would ever come of it. It’s like one of those classic forbidden love stories. Without the love part, that is.”
Ananda shook her head. “Once again, you insist on cutting yourself down, darling. You never think you’re good enough for anyone, when just the opposite is true. That’s why you kept going out with those awful boys during your freshman year at college - the ones who needed the combined efforts of a shaman, an energy healer, and an exorcist to rid them of all the emotional baggage they were carrying around. Thank goodness you stopped letting them leech off of you emotionally.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes. “If you’ll recall, half of them also tried to leech off of me financially as well. At least until they realized I had even less money than they did. But you’re right, I’m better off without a pack of losers. Even if that means I haven’t had a date - much less sex, much less good sex - in over a year.”
Ananda nudged her in the ribs slyly. “I’ll bet your Jackson would give you very, very good sex,” she whispered, her eyes twinkling again.
Scarlett scowled. “He is definitely not my Jackson. In fact, he’s not my anything, except maybe for a giant pain in my ass. And there’s zero point in imagining how good sex with him would or wouldn’t be, because ain’t ever going to happen between us. Not unless I suddenly develop boobs and an ass, acquire a designer wardrobe, dye my hair blonde, lose the bad attitude, and - oh, yeah - assume a false identity so his family won’t guess who I really am. And since none of those things, much less all of them, are ever going to happen, neither is a romp in the sack with Mr. Gilmore.”
“But a girl can dream, can’t she?” teased Ananda. “Now, you’re finished here for the day, Scarlett. Go on, now. I’ll close up so you can get home and finish packing.”
“Seriously? It will take me less than ten minutes to pack. Don’t forget I’ll be spending the better part of this trip in bed, either wearing a hospital gown or pajamas, so I think I can leave the cocktail dresses and high heels at home. Not that I own any, of course. But I guess I’ll head out, if you insist. It’s been a hell of a week with finals and all. And these next few days aren’t exactly going to be a vacation. I’ll see you in a week or so.”
“Two weeks,” corrected Ananda, holding up the corresponding number of fingers. “You’re to take two full weeks off, darling. And before you can offer up an argument to the contrary, I’ll remind you that - number one - you included the amount of the wages you’d be foregoing for two weeks in that list of expenses you gave your father. And two, now that spring semester is through at the university, things are bound to get a little slow around here, so I will not need your help. Besides, you said the nurse you spoke with on the phone cautioned that it might take you longer than a week to recover. So don’t be in such a hurry to get back to work, Scarlett. You deserve some time off. When was the last real break you had was?”
Scarlett shrugged. “Don’t remember. But I don’t need a break, especially with classes finished for the summer. Recuperating in a fancy hotel room in Phoenix for a couple of days is one thing, but hanging out in my attic is a whole different situation.”
“Come and stay with us then,” suggested Ananda. “Our place isn’t very big, as you know, but at least we have a little garden. And the weather is so beautiful at this time of year. I can make you some of my special healing tonics and teas, we can meditate together every morning. And since Isaiah insists on it, we have cable TV with something like five hundred channels.”
Scarlett forced herself not to shudder at the mere mention of her boss’s healing tonics, having gamely sampled some in the past only to sorely regret the move seconds later. “That, uh, sounds great,” she offered. “Let’s wait and see how I’m doing after I get back, okay? But I appreciate the offer, Ananda. Really.”
“I know you do, darling.” Ananda gave her a quick hug. “Now, off with you, hmm? And be sure to let me know how you’re doing, all right?”
“Yes, I promise. And thanks - for everything.”
She headed home somewhat reluctantly after walking out of the café. Now that the semester had ended - she had taken her last final exam this morning - she would admittedly be at loose ends during the summer. Especially since she had already handed in her notice with the catering company, though she’d promised to work two weddings in July as a favor to the owner, an acquaintance of Ananda’s who had always been good to Scarlett. Normally, she’d be relieved at this point, looking forward to a less hectic schedule, with a couple of months to sleep in, relax, and unwind. And this summer should be particularly restful, given that she now had a very healthy bank account courtesy of her father’s promised funds transfer.