And for Dex and Maximus, I was sure the city was bringing about a whole flood of memories that neither one of them wanted to deal with.
Ada came back into the room and slid into her seat with a sigh, looking like your quintessential disaffected youth. “Bad news, guys.”
My pulse picked up the pace. I was certain Dex could feel it against his hand. “What?” What now?
She raised her eyes to me and gave me a dry half-smile. “Our parents are coming.”
I let go of Dex’s hand and let my own fly up into the air like a stereotypical Italian. “What? Why the hell are they coming here? They can’t do that.”
“They can and they are,” she said, repeatedly stabbing the ice cubes in her drink with her straw. “They just called, said they’d booked a flight tonight, a red eye, and will be here in the morning.”
“That’s insane,” I cried out. “Why would they do that?’
“I don’t mean to play Devil’s Advocate here,” Dex said, drumming his fingers on the table. “But you can’t really blame them, Perry.”
I shot him a look. “What?”
He shrugged. “You came after me. It’s only fair they’d come after you. I mean, maybe not if it was just you…” I glared at him but he continued quickly, “because they trust you and all. But you have their teenage daughter. And she does have things like school and stuff. Parents are big on school and stuff.”
I put my head into my hands and groaned, then looked to Ada. “You did tell them that we found Dex and are about to head home, right?”
She nodded. “I did. Didn’t make a lick of difference. So I guess we have to stay right here.”
“We don’t really have a choice,” Dex said. “No wallet, no ID. Rebecca will have to mail out my passport if I want to fly anywhere.”
I looked to Maximus. “What about you? Going to head on home to the Big Easy? I bet Rose is worried.”
Dex raised his brow, not entirely caught up on the Rose and Maximus situation. Maximus shook his head. “I’m sure you’d all love that but actually, I’m going to hang around here for a few days, until you leave.”
“I don’t believe I requested a chaperone from District Ginge,” Dex pointed out warily.
“I know you didn’t,” he said. “But I’m going to hang around all the same, if that’s okay.”
“Is there something you’re not telling us?” I asked. I briefly slid my knowing gaze over to Dex and back. “Along with all those other things you didn’t tell us?”
Maximus exchanged a look with Dex. The look said, she knows I’m an ex-supernatural babysitter man, sorry. He said to me, “No, there isn’t. But we all know that what just happened was a little too easy. One minute you’re certain you’ll never see Dex here again, the next he’s walking along the bridge in a right daze, unsure how he got there. Now, you can sweep all that under the rug and pretend that this shit is all over and believe me, I want to too. But for everyone’s sake, I’m just going to stick around and make sure you guys are all right before you fly home.”
“That’s thoughtful,” Ada spoke up. She actually sounded relieved. Or maybe she didn’t want to end up the third wheel until our parents got here.
“Just one thing though,” he said, now looking a bit sheepish. “I didn’t book a room and funds are a little tight since I flew out here and all. Think you guys could help spring for a hotel room?”
I rolled my eyes and sighed loudly. “Fine, you can stay with Ada.”
“What?” she cried out. “No way am I sleeping with Ginger Rogers.”
Dex snorted, appreciating that.
“You will sleep in separate beds, Ada,” I admonished her. “Ew.” I looked to Maximus. “No offence. But obviously Dex and I will be in the other room.”
“We’ll be just like Lucy and Ricky, Fred and Ethel,” Dex said, wiggling his finger at Ada and Maximus. “Of course, like Fred and Ethel, I’m going to assume you won’t be touching each other.”
Both Ada and Maximus grimaced simultaneously. “Lordy,” Maximus said, exasperated. “Forget I said anything.”
“It’s fine,” I said, whether it was fine to Ada or not. The truth was, even though Maximus seemed to have put on his detective hat, I was a bit relieved he’d be there with Ada. I knew he looked at her like a sister too and that he’d keep her safe. Though he may have no longer had any cosmic ties to Dex, I also knew that he was acting in his best interest, the best interest of all of us.