Toto and the Boys I: Jackie

Chapter 24

That evening, they had an unexpected visitor by the person of Troy Brady.

Jackie was already cramming with all the paper works, thanks to Dean for making her waste one whole afternoon, and now Troy was here, popping out of nowhere with a claim that he was trying to get away from a date.

“And that’s our problem?” Dannie asked. “What did you do, exactly?”

“Nothing,” Troy said in defense, walking over to the fridge. “You should get a bigger apartment, by the way.”

“Troy, we don’t have time for visitors right now,” Jackie said, her head bent on papers. Dean was sitting right beside her in his full ‘office Dean’ mode as he tried to correct the mistakes Jackie did with the previous ones.

“I won’t bother you, I promise. I just needed to make an excuse.”

“Then just go home,” Dannie snapped at him.

“Can’t. She knows where I live.”

“And what makes you so sure she’ll go over your place?”

“They always do,” Troy answered with a shrug before he drank a glass of water.

“Why did you even make us your excuse?” George asked dryly from the living room.

“Because you are the only friends I have that might intimidate any girls I date,” Troy answered with pride as he walked to where George was and dropped down beside her, grabbing a throw pillow along the way.

Dannie just shook her head and went to her room without a word.

“What’s her problem?” Troy asked.

“You,” answered George and Jackie.

  *****

“Shouldn’t you go home?” Jackie asked Dean when they were almost done.

Troy had fallen asleep in their living room.

George went out for a short drive with Toto.

Dean was frowning down at the last paper he was reading. “Will you drive me home?”

“You know George took Toto out.”

“Then that’s settled.” He looked up to meet her eyes. “I’ll be staying the night. I brought extra clothes for tomorrow.”

“You’ll have to sleep with that guy.” Jackie nodded her head toward Troy who was hugging one pillow as he slept.

He was about to say something when Jackie held up her hand and declared, “No, you cannot sleep with me. That’s against the rules.”

“Rules?”

She nodded. “We can’t have guys inside our rooms. And my mother will kill me if she found out.”

“We won’t do whatever you are thinking.”

Jackie gasped. “I’m not thinking of whatever you think I am thinking!”

Dean pretended to be deep in thought for a while. When he spoke, his eyes were full of mirth. “But then, you’re having your you-know-what so I think I’ll sleep with Troy.”

“Hey!”

He gave a short chuckle. He placed the last piece of paper back in the envelope and said, “It’s all good. We can give these to the clients tomorrow. We need to go to sleep.” He stood up, but not without leaving a kiss on top of her head. “’Night, Jackie.”

  *****

Later, in her bed, Jackie was wide awake.

She was looking at Dean’s fake Facebook account.