Page 37 of Avenging Azalea (California Made Men #2)

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

FAWN

“Here you go, Mitts.”

The orange kitten had come in with a broken leg, but he was recovering well from his surgery. I set the bowls of wet food and water down before moving on to the next patient.

My phone vibrated in my back pocket, and I stupidly hoped it was Titus. Instead, Steph’s name glowed on my screen. I answered and tucked the phone between my ear and shoulder before continuing my rounds.

“Hey, Steph.”

“You still at work?”

“Yeah, for another hour.”

“Hmm,” Steph said, and I cut her off before she could come up with a reason to drag me out.

“The answer is no, but there is something I need to talk to you about.”

“We could do it over drinks. Come on, I have some big news of my own. You can tell me all about the surgery you scrubbed in on with Doc Hottie, and…it feels like forever since I’ve seen my bestie.”

“Fine, I’ll meet you for drinks.” My phone beeped in my ear with another call. “Text me where. Someone else is calling.”

“Eek! Perfect, see you later, girl.”

Steph hung up, and I switched over to the number I didn’t recognize.

“Hello?” No one answered, but I could hear breathing on the other end of the line. The hair stood on the back of my neck. “Hello, is anyone there?”

Click.

That was super weird. Then again, it always seemed like everything was extra strange after one of my nightmares.

Could you call something that really happened a nightmare, or was it a memory in dream form?

Either way, I’d been jumpy as hell all day. So much so that Matt had asked me if I was okay during the surgery earlier. Apparently, my hand had been shaking when I passed him the scalpel.

The last hour of work flew by. Before I knew it, the day was done.

I said goodnight to Doreen and headed home with Sheba and Winston.

My plan was to take them with me everywhere possible, just like Titus did.

Winston was learning fast, but I couldn’t take any of the credit.

Sheba was a heck of a teacher, and I’d been reduced to an assistant who provided the treats.

“Great,” I muttered as I pulled into the driveway and spotted Vera leaning against her car.

She looked like she was posing for a French fashion magazine from the sixties.

Her style was fresh and crisp, complete with large red sunglasses that matched the color of her lips and a red and white scarf tied around her head.

It was a level of elegance that I’d never achieve.

Titus said he didn’t love her, and I believed him, but there was no denying that Vera was the walking embodiment of every man’s wet dream.

Vera smiled as I parked my car and got out. I called out to her before she could move closer.

“Hi, Vera. I have two of the dogs in here with me. Are you going to be okay if I let them out?”

She tensed, her gloved hands gripping her small purse.

“You promise they won’t do anything?”

“They may sniff you, but they won’t bite.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

Sheba and Winston jumped out when I opened the back door of my Jetta. I had to give Vera credit, as it was easy to tell that she was terrified. Despite that, she held still and let Sheba sniff her hand.

The dogs trotted to the front door and sat down as I grabbed my purse and bag from the car.

“Wow, that really worked,” Vera said, walking up to me.

“What worked?”

“I hired a trainer to help get me over my fear. That’s the first time that I haven’t screamed.” She smiled and I smiled back, but my heart sank. Could this woman get any more perfect?

“I’m happy it’s working. Are you waiting for Titus? I’m not sure what time he’s getting home.” Closing my door, I faced her.

“No, I was actually hoping to speak to you,” she said, and a nauseous wave hit me. Getting to know Titus’s fiancée was the last thing I wanted.

“Oh, okay. Come inside and I’ll make us some coffee.”

“I prefer tea, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“None at all.”

It was strange walking into the house with Vera. Titus’s home had always felt like a warm blanket on a cold winter night. Now it felt like it had been washed and given to someone else. It was the same, but the comfort was missing.

Sheba and Winston padded ahead of us.

“Don’t worry, the other dogs are with Titus today. He does that sometimes,” I said, wanting to find something to talk about rather than let the awkward silence hang in the air.

“You know a lot about him,” she said.

It wasn’t a question, so I just nodded as we walked into the kitchen. Vera perched on one of the stools and took off her dark sunglasses.

Busying myself with the kettle and coffee pot, I tried not to think about how weird this was.

“Would you like something to eat?”

Vera shook her head. “No, the tea will be fine.”

“I’m meeting a friend soon. Give me a second to let her know I’m running late,” I said, and turned my back on Vera to text Steph.

This was awkward. There was no denying that. With nothing else to do but wait for the kettle to boil, I sat down and waited for Vera to say something. It was so quiet that I could hear the rhythmic sway and tick of the grandfather clock in the dining room.

Vera finally cleared her throat.

“So, I was hoping to find out a little more about you, Fawn. You live here, and since I’ll be moving in soon, I thought I should get to know the other woman in Titus’s life.”

“I wouldn’t call myself the other woman,” I said.

Vera smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Let’s not be coy. The way that Titus says your name and speaks about you tells me that you’re special to him.

” She flicked her gaze up and down my green scrubs.

Through sheer will alone, I managed not to wiggle under her scrutiny.

“I’m not threatened or anything, but it seemed strange not to get to know you better. ”

There it was—the undertone that put me down without actually coming out and saying it. I’d seen this dance more than once in school when Titus first brought me here. The private school students seemed to sniff out that I wasn’t one of them like a pack of bloodhounds.

“What would you like to know,” I asked, ignoring the dig.

“I understand that you’re in college, and that you’re living here until you decide to move out. When do you think that might be?”

The kettle whistled, saving me from making a snide remark.

Vera was Titus’s fiancée. I had no right to get my nose bent out of shape.

It didn’t matter that he kissed me like he was desperate last night.

It didn’t matter that he came running whenever I needed him and didn’t leave all night.

It didn’t matter that he said he loved me.

All that mattered was that it was Vera’s name on the paperwork, not mine.

“I’m not sure, but I’ve started looking for apartments.”

Avoiding eye contact, I poured the hot water into the infuser filled with loose-leaf tea. Then, I set her cup, along with sugar cubes and milk, down on the table before going back to make my coffee.

“I see. Does that mean you’ll be moved out before the wedding?”

“Like I said, I’m not sure. I just started looking.”

“How many years do you have left at school?”

After adding some creamer to my cup, I sat down and took a sip while dreaming of dumping it over her head.

“At least four if not seven.”

“Seven? Wow, maybe we should just hire you as our nanny,” Vera said, and I choked on my coffee. “Oh my, are you okay?”

“Yup…just ducky. But no. As much fun as that sounds, I’ll have to turn down the offer.”

She giggled and took a sip of her tea. Even though Titus only ever purchased the best, she smacked her lips and huffed as if the tea had offended her.

“So, where are you from? You have a slight accent, but I can’t place it.”

“Louisiana, originally.”

“And your mother and father, what do they do?”

I shifted uncomfortably on my stool. “My father died when I was young, and my mother is a waitress,” I said, omitting Neil and his gambling ways.

“So, how did you end up in Titus’s care? He mentioned that he took you in, kind of like a stray dog, I guess,” she said, laughing at her own joke like a psycho. “He didn’t say that part.”

As if I didn’t know that. Titus wouldn’t be that rude to anyone. I glanced down at my phone and then back at Vera.

“I really should get ready to head out for the night.”

“Ah, so you don’t want to talk about it. I was just wondering if you found some way to con him. Do I need to be wary of him dragging anyone else home, or are you a one-off?”

I stood up from the island.

“Wow…okay. Look, Vera, I was fine with getting to know you. I hope your marriage is long and happy. But I won’t sit here and take your insults.”

She pursed her lips.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I won’t beat around the bush. I’m not blind, Fawn. Titus cares about you, and that means you’re going to interfere in our marriage whether you intend to or not. So, I’m kindly asking you to be moved out before our wedding night.”

Vera stood and stepped toward me. Reaching out, she ran my hair through her gloved fingers. I clenched my teeth to hold firm and not back down.

“If you don’t, then I’ll make it extremely uncomfortable for you here.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No…just stating a fact. I don’t think either of us wants you to hear Titus making me scream his name all night. It’s best that you go and not continue to come between me and what I want. I always get what I want, and I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty. Can you say the same?”

I didn’t respond. Steph would. Steph would take immense pleasure in playing tit for tat with Vera, but it wasn’t in me to be a raging bitch all the time. I’d lived a hard enough life without spending years stressed and on edge because of a battle that I’d already lost.

“Vera, you’re the one with your name on a marriage contract, but if you continue to treat me like an enemy, you’ll need to worry about Titus.

” She narrowed her eyes. “That’s not a threat, just facts.

Let’s go back to your stray dog comment.

Titus sees me as one of his favorite strays and will kill to keep me safe, just like he will for any of his girls.

We are his family. So, maybe don’t go looking for trouble where there isn’t any.

You won’t like the outcome if you try to force a choice. ”

“I see. I’m a little surprised you embraced the dog analogy.”

I smiled wide.

“That’s because you don’t understand Titus the way I do. If you did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Now, if you’ll kindly show yourself out, I have a dinner date.”

Vera grabbed her small purse. “Fine, I’ll go. But remember, the clock is ticking. There are only four months and two weeks left until our big day.”

“Oh, trust me, I know.”

Holding my hand out toward the door, I stood my ground. Vera glanced around like she might argue, but then marched out of the kitchen and left. I locked the front door behind her just to be safe, then leaned back and closed my eyes.

I hadn’t noticed how fast my heart was beating. God, I hated this. Was it better or worse that she was a horrible person?

Titus didn’t deserve to end up with someone cruel. Vera had just shown me the dark, dried-out, and cracked parts of her soul. I might not have her money or looks, but I was a hell of a lot nicer. That had to count for something.

Sheba and Winston were staring at me when I opened my eyes.

“Yeah, I don’t like her either. But killing her isn’t really my style,” I said, shaking my head. “I guess it’s time to get serious about finding us a new home. It’s obvious we’re no longer welcome here.”