go mad if I had to deal with another witch poking at me. But since I’d already hinted at being something other than just a fox, I could handle the infections myself.
“I’ve already picked up your prescriptions, the physician is already here, and there’s supper simmering on the stove for you. She’ll have a look at you, make sure you take everything properly, and we’ll get you tucked into bed. I opened one of the guest bedrooms for you, as no matter how badly the wife wants grandchildren, you actually do have a say in your relationship with the boy, you may have a wedding should you want one, and there’s absolutely no rush. I made the wife wait a while before she got to enjoy the wares, so don’t make it easy on him.”
“Marco,” Sandro’s mother wailed.
“You’re tired. Do you need me to tuck you in after I’ve taken care of Jade?”
“Yes, please.”
“You’re impossible. Four million, Stephani. You spent four million today. You could have saved me how much if you hadn’t gotten impatient?”
“She’s worth every penny. She’s adorable. Have you seen the pictures? And I was tired of bidding the minimum. It was boring. The whole lot of them were probably laughing at me under their hoods. They would have made me bid the minimum for hours before they stopped taunting me if I hadn’t done something about it.”
“You took about five hundred photos of her at the auction. You almost missed how many bids because you were too busy trying to tell me how cute she is when she’s scowling? Or worse, pretending the auction wasn’t even happening and doing a great job of looking bored out of her mind?”
To be fair, I had been bored out of my mind, especially after the first ten minutes.
“Well, she is. And I didn’t miss a single bid. Not one! I did a bunch of minimum bids because you wanted me to, but I didn’t miss any bids. I just got bored after a while, and at that point, if somebody wanted her, they were paying that much or more for her.”
“You’re insane.”
Well, at least one of the crazy rich people I’d been sold to recognized the truth of the situation. I breathed, seeking the calm I’d embraced to get through the week waiting for the auction. To my surprise, it worked. Somewhat.
“He’ll come to the house. He doesn’t know about this house yet. I need you to take down the name sign and make it look like normal people live there. Then you’ll answer the door, sigh, as sad as you can, and say you’re the mediator. Ooze disappointment you have been brought into this.”
“That’s rather logical for one of your plans,” Sandro’s father admitted. “What happens after that?”
“I put a bow on her head. I even got him one of his favorite kinds of chairs, and I’ll put her on it. And I’ll put a bow on the chair, too, so he knows it is his.”
“And there’s the insanity.”
“Fine. Tell him she’s not for sale, but he can beg his sweet mother for her.”
“So, you just want me to make him stew for a few minutes before telling him this was a very expensive way of making him come home for a while?”
“Yes.”
“Remind me why I married you?”
“My mother recognized my insanity and paid you a ridiculous amount of money to put up with me.”
I recognized an old argument when I heard one, and I wondered if I could somehow escape the limousine.
“While that’s true, couldn’t you come up with something a little nicer?”
“But why? Do you need me to kiss it and make it all better?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. All of this insanity is hard on a man.”
I raised my hand and rubbed my brow. After a few moments of reflection, I understood why Sandro stayed away from home. How long would it take for them to infect me with their insanity?
“I can do that. What’s on the stove?”
“Soup.”
“What kind of soup?”
“The kind you can’t have because it’s Jade’s.”
“Cruel!”
“I’ll make a proper batch tomorrow. Jade, do you like spicy food?”
“Yes,” I replied. “I haven’t had any in a while, though.”
“Of course not. Where are you going to get good peppers in the Alley? Tomorrow, you’ll get something properly spicy, and assuming the tyrant of a doctor allows me, I’ll put some good salsa on the side for you. Stephani, I’ll take care of the sign and make sure the boy’s room is ready. When will