Page 57 of The Jilted Jinn


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"Silly girl. Get a push up bra. The right clothing alwayshelps."

We grinned at each other. Helen raised her wine glass and clinked it againstmine.

"To getting the guy. Through our boobs andbrains."

"Here, here," I said, making a mental note to run out to the mall before itclosed.

26

Martin had called in "sick"the next two days, and I was beside myself with annoyance. I pretended that it was fine, but I was aggravated to no end that he was avoiding me. He sounded completely fine on the phone, but when I protested he pretended to be hacking up alung.

The third day, I took it upon myself and headed to his house, ready to give him a piece of my mind and demand he stay on track, but when I got onto the porch, I heard the sounds of a racking cough. Concerned, I pushed open the door only to see Martin lying on the couch surrounded by a mountain of tissues and dirtydishes.

I forgot my push up bra, my desires, my annoyance and rushed over to him. He startled and jerked, but when he realized it was me, he shut hiseyes.

"Go away,Katie."

I pressed my lips together in annoyance. "No."

"You're going to getsick."

I laid a cool hand against his forehead and blanched. "You are burning up. Have you takenanything?"

"Goaway."

I blew out a harsh breath. "I'm not going anywhere. Where's your medicinecabinet?"

He glared at me through bloodshot eyes and tried to stare me down. But he was too sick to win and he knew it. "Left kitchencabinet."

"What have you takenalready?"

He ignoredme.

"Martin," I snapped. "Medicine. What have youhad?"

"Nothing," he said in a mulishtone.

I called him everything under the sun and dug through his sparse cabinet until I was able to find a bottle of old Tylenol. I shook a couple out of the bottle and found a glass that I filled with tap water. Martin glared at me the entire time. When I brought it over to him, he grudgingly swallowed them down, only to start hacking again right afterward. I sat on the table right beside him. "You're a mess. Why haven't you gone to the doctor?" I frowned at his condition. "Or at least calledsomeone."

"My family is out of town for a few weeks." He looked away. "Figured you were busy withKristoff."

I rolled my eyes and stood, pulling a discarded cover overhim.

He grunted, but he didn't push it back down. I busied myself discarding all of his used tissues and picked up his dirty dishes and took them to the sink. I washed my hands and opened his fridge but he had almost nothing in there. "What have you beeneating?"

"Soup," he said with agrowl.

"Canned?"

"What does itmatter?"

I counted to five. "I'm going to leave you here for a bit and go to the store. When I get back I don't want to see a thing out of place. Do not move from this couch, do youunderstand?"

All I got was aglare.

I left him lying there staring medown.

Forty-five minutes later,I returned, my arms laden with bags of food and medicine. My mother had an amazing chicken soup recipe I wanted to make for him. Even though the bear probably wouldn't appreciate it. When I made my way inside, everything was quiet. I tiptoed over to him and laid a hand against his forehead. Still warm, but not as dangerously hot as he'd been when I arrived. The medicine wasworking.