“Eat it. It’s good for you,” Cade said, popping a stalk of it in his own mouth.
“I hate it.”
After Cade dropped a dollop of butter on the vegetable she hated, Jane looked at it for a second. The butter did make it seem more appetizing. She lifted one to her mouth and took a small bite, chewing it thoughtfully before eating the rest of it. Cade smiled, eating the rest of his while Jane ignored him.
Cade had to repeatedly smack the cat away from him, finally giving up and ignoring it.
“You can have him if you want him.” Cade almost choked on a bite of his steak at Crazy Bitch’s offer. “I’ll even pack his litter box and cat food to the clubhouse for you.”
“No, thanks,” Cade managed to get out.
“He’s free. You can take him with you tonight.”
“Crazy Bitch, that’s my cat,” Jane said, laughing at Cade’s expression.
“No, he’s not. He’s Bailey’s. You got stuck with him when she wanted to put him down.”
“He’s mine now. He didn’t like Bailey, but he likes me,” Jane lied.
“That mean fucker don’t like anyone, and if he doesn’t quit shedding, I’m going to cough up a hairball.”
Jane finished eating, curling her legs under her on the couch. She petted her cat, ignoring the constant swatting.
After they all were finished eating, Cade dumped the trash into the empty bags while Crazy Bitch took the dirty plates to the kitchen.
“I thought we could watch some television, if you’re not too tired,” Cade suggested.
Jane stood up from the couch, barely holding on to her squirming cat. “You can watch it with Crazy Bitch. I’m going back to bed. I have to be up early for work in the morning.” Without giving him a chance to say anything, she went into her bedroom and closed the door.
Jane was determined not to give him another chance. He had been the one who decided he didn’t want her. Just because he was feeling bad she’d had a miscarriage was no reason to begin a relationship that wasn’t going to last.
Cade was never going to be happy in Jamestown, and she wasn’t going to spend the rest of her life pining for a man she couldn’t have like her mother. Jane was convinced she would get over him. After all, they’d had sex only one time. How hard could it be?
Jane sat down on her bed glumly, hearing Cade and Crazy Bitch’s voices from the other room. Maybe it wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d thought.
* * *
Jane rushed out her door, not wanting to keep Rock waiting. Killyama used to drive her to work, but Rock had taken over during the last two weeks. She came down her apartment stairs, seeing Cade sitting there, instead.
“Why are you here?”
“Rock couldn’t find his keys.”
Jane stared at Cade angrily.
“Get on. I’ll drive you to work.”
Jane looked down at her watch. She didn’t have time to argue with him; as a result, she got on behind him and clutched his waist as he pulled out of the parking lot.
Her apartment wasn’t far from the hospital; Jane could have walked it if she had to. In fact, she had done so many times. However, the early morning was dark, and she had promised her friends never to walk this early.
He swung into a fast food restaurant, going through the drive-thru and ordering an oatmeal and orange juice. At the window, he told her to take the bag.
“Make sure you eat it before it gets cold.”
“I hate oatmeal.”
He took off again, ignoring her words while Jane sat fuming. If he hadn’t been driving, she would have dumped the contents of the bag over his head.
As soon as he came to a stop in front of the hospital, she climbed off.
“I don’t need you to take care of me. I’ve taken care of myself since I was sixteen.”
“Eat your breakfast. You can bitch at me later.” With that, he took off, leaving her standing in the parking lot.
She went inside the building, going to her small cubicle. She had a few minutes until they would start sending patients back to be checked in; therefore, she opened the orange juice and drank it as she opened the oatmeal.
When she was younger, she had loved oatmeal, dumping copious amounts of sugar into the sticky goo. Even now, she would fix herself a bowl whenever she needed a warm comfort food. She had told him she hated oatmeal to be annoying. If he wanted to treat her like a child, then she would act like one. She didn’t need him to act all protective and caring when she knew it was all only an act to salve his conscience.
However, if he kept feeding her like this, she just might let him waste his time.
* * *
“It’s been two months. How long are you going to keep torturing the bastard?” Sex Piston asked as Jane danced with Crazy Bitch.