The Dare (The Bet 3)

"One more hour." Grandma smiled.

"One more?"

"And then I'll bring you the senator and his lovely wife."

"Wife?"

Grandma smiled. "Then again, I can't be in two places at once, or can I?"

"I may need more coffee."

"Trust me. The rest of the story is my favorite part."

Beth

Two weeks had gone by, and I hadn't heard anything from Jace. Though, lucky me, I kept getting really pathetic and sad looks from Jake and Char every single time I went over to their house.

We had dinner every Sunday.

They thought they were helping me get over my sadness by feeding me enormous amounts of wine and food. Jake, bless his heart, also felt the need every once in a while to pat my hand. You know, like I was a three year old. Other times, he'd just stare at me really hard as if by him staring and giving me one of those Aww–looks, I'd soldier on.

This Sunday I just wanted to forget everything that had happened. I expected to have a nice quiet meal, where Jake sent me concerned looks while filling my wine glass to the brim, and Char cursed men everywhere, except for her husband, who, since getting married, had earned saintdom in her eyes.

So when Grandma threw open the door to Jake's giant house on Lake Washington, I almost fell ass-backwards.

She pulled me in for a hug and squeezed so tight I think I felt a rib pop. "Oh, honey bug! How are you?"

"Great," I lied, forcing a smile. Emotionally I was feeling a bit wrecked, add that to the whole flu bug I'd somehow caught the day before last, and I was just one giant ball of fun.

I wasn't sure if it was the rib-popping squeeze or maybe just the emotional stress of seeing Grandma again, but I suddenly felt like I was going to puke. I pushed past her just in time to throw open the bathroom door and empty the contents of my stomach into the porcelain toilet that probably cost more than my rent.

"Beth?" Grandma knocked softly on the door. "Sweetie are you alright?"

I flushed the toilet, rinsed out my mouth with water, and opened the door. I hated puking. Nothing was worse. I hated the way it tasted, and I hated how it made my stomach clench so tight that I wanted to curl into a ball and die. Plus, puking always made me want to cry.

Why was Grandma smiling? My eyes narrowed.

"A touch of the flu?" Now her eyes were twinkling as she rubbed her hands together.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, I've been queasy these past few days."

"Interesting." Grandma nodded, her smile growing by the second. "Positively… perfect."

"Perfect that I'm sick?" I asked, confused as my stomach clenched again.

"Oh honey, you just let me take care of you." She patted my hand then shouted so loud my eardrums nearly burst. "Jake! Grandma's staying a few weeks!"

"The hell you are!" Jake shouted back from somewhere in the house.

"He's teasing." Grandma winked "I'm ALWAYS WELCOME IN MY GRANDSON'S HOME!"

"YOU BELONG IN A HOME!"

"WHAT? YOU BOUGHT ME A HOME?"

Cursing followed, and then dishes banged together before Jake rounded the corner, his eyes narrowing in on Grandma and then me.

"You're pale."