First, brush teeth then floss teeth and then wash face. After that make sure I didn’t look like a fright and then put on something so I was wearing more than just silky, lacy pajama bottoms and a camisole but not something that would make me look like I was embarrassed or a prude because that would show weakness and my father told me (time and again), even if you had a weakness, you should never, never expose it.
Finally find my Ice Princess, click her into place and then… proceed.
I took a deep breath, forced all other thoughts out of my head and I went through my mental morning to-do list.
By the time I walked into the kitchen I was fresh-faced, fresh-breathed, I’d put on my full-length, cream, cotton, waffle-weave robe (but I didn’t close the front because that might show I lacked confidence) and I was certain sure I could handle whatever came at me.
Hector was sitting on a stool at the island, so was Buddy, both of them had a steaming mug of coffee resting in front of them. In the air I could smell the brioche toasting and Ralphie was at the counter manning the toaster.
“Hey there, sweets. Coffee?” Ralphie asked me, twirling a knife in the air.
“I’ll get it,” I replied and moved into the room not looking at Hector.
Hector, by the way, was one of those things I was going to think about later.
I made my coffee (dash of milk, one sugar, just like Hector).
“Double H is staying for brioche this morning,” Ralphie informed me happily, like this was akin to William Shakespeare rising from the dead for the sole purpose of eating brioche with us while reciting a couple of his sonnets.
“That’s nice,” I said but it didn’t sound like I meant it. It sounded cold and uninterested and Ralphie’s head snapped around so he could look at me closely.
I gave him a look that said, “What?”
He gave me a look that said, “You know what!”
“A few things we need to go over,” Hector said into Ralphie and my non-verbal exchange, apparently oblivious to my cold shoulder.
Unable to do anything else, I turned Ice Princess eyes to Hector.
He wasn’t looking at me, he was looking at Ralphie. “From here on in, Sadie goes to and from work with you. She isn’t alone at the store and she doesn’t go anywhere unless she’s with one of you or one of the men. She needs to go somewhere and she doesn’t have someone with her, you call me and I’ll take her or arrange an escort.”
Well maybe it should be said at this juncture that I wasn’t certain sure I could handle whatever came at me.
I stared at Hector.
What was he on about?
“Why?” Buddy asked, also wondering what Hector was on about.
“Sadie got a threatening phone call last night from Marty Balducci,” Hector replied.
“What?” Ralphie screeched.
Buddy stood up, body tense, eyes swinging to me.
My Ice Princess took a hike and now I was staring in horror at Hector.
What was he doing? I wasn’t going to tell them about the call! Telling them about the call would take me one step closer to using them up.
I didn’t want them worried. Or, more worried.
If he told them this, he would use them up. He couldn’t use them up!
“She got a –” Hector started to repeat but I came to and frantically acted to put a stop to his words.
“No!” I shouted, interrupting him and quickly I advanced across the kitchen.
Hector black eyes came to me and he stood as I approached.