Rugged Guard - Jason Collins Page 0,12
think oatmeal can last past its expiration date, but I’m not big on taking chances—” Iris snapped her fingers before she let out a laugh. “Right. Your original query still lingers. Let’s see… I believe I’ve been working for Parker for at least the last five years. Does that answer your question?”
“It does,” I replied. “And I checked the date on the oatmeal box. It’s good for another three months.”
“Ah. You’re perceptive.” Iris smiled. “Very good. That must mean that whatever you were thinking about couldn’t have been something on the surface.” Iris moved closer to me, the smile still on her face. “So, are you going to tell me what you were thinking about or not? It’s rude to ignore an old woman’s questions, you know. We never know how much time I have left.”
“I wasn’t thinking about anything, really.”
“A perceptive liar.” Iris chuckled. “How fun! Have you always kept your emotions to yourself, Mr…?”
“Lavine.”
“Mr. Lavine! Well, your last name is certainly a lot more fun than your first.” She beamed. “So, is that how you go through life? Lying to people? Keeping secrets?”
“I wasn’t lying to you,” I replied. “It’s really not anything that matters.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, that whatever I was thinking about… it’s not like I can do anything about it.”
“You’re alive, aren’t you?” She scoffed. “And it’s in my understanding, Mr. Lavine, that as long as you’re alive, you can still do something about it.” She took another step toward me before she continued, “Which means that you should do something about it. Especially if it’s about Parker.”
“Who said anything about Parker?”
“Not a soul.” She grinned. “But you didn’t have to. Your reaction just told me everything I needed to know.”
“Iris, I don’t know what you think is going on here, but—”
“Don’t waste another lie on me, Mr. Lavine!” Iris waved a hand. “You settle your own affairs, whatever they are. As for me, I need to get back to business, picking up Mr. Williams’ dry cleaning for the party tonight.”
“Party? What party?”
“My God. Do young people tell each other nothing in person anymore?” Iris rolled her eyes. “Not my problem! Take it up with Parker.”
Iris then left the kitchen in a hurry, her footsteps quiet on the marbled floor.
“You didn’t tell me anything about a party,” I said as I walked up to Parker in the lobby. “Don’t you think that’s something I should’ve known about on your calendar?”
“Yes. Absolutely.” Parker nodded before he grimaced. “But… I kind of forgot about the party, too, until Iris reminded me about it this morning.”
“Is it someone’s birthday or something?”
“No.” He shook his head. “It’s for a charity event. A fundraiser, really.”
“For what?”
“To help pay off people’s medical bills at the local hospital,” he answered. “It’s… when Joey was sick, I never forgot how much his mom and dad were stressed out about everything, especially paying off his hospital bills. Back then, I helped raise enough money to pay off Joey’s bills, and after he died, I just kept the fund going.”
“Wait. So, it’s for a charity you run?”
“I don’t run it. I’m just on the board.” Parker smiled. “But yes. It’s very near and dear to me. And if it weren’t for all this stuff with Viv and trying to figure out what happened with my dad, I would’ve remembered that we had a fundraiser tonight and I would’ve told you all about it ahead of time. I promise.”
“Got it.” I nodded. “So, is there a dress code or something I need to know about?”
“Hmm. Not really,” Parker replied. “The people at the fundraiser are pretty casual. Although…”
“Although what?”
“Well, people might notice that they’ve never seen you before,” he murmured. “Sure, we get a lot of tourists up in Park City, but most of those tourists don’t go to our local events, you know? They usually just stick to staying on the slopes or visiting the shops.”
“Is it going to be a problem that I’m not from Park City?”
“No. I just think people are going to… mention it.”
“What’s wrong with them mentioning it?”
“Nothing.” Parker let out a light chuckle. “I guess I just wanted to give you a heads up if people are staring at you for a little too long. They won’t mean anything by it, really. And once I tell them that you’re with me—I mean, once I tell them that you’re my bodyguard—” Parker waved a hand, interrupting his own words. “You know what? Forget everything I just said. It’s