Nightly Confusion

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I left the hospital after I was banned from hearing what Zack and Joey had to say. I headed home and slept a few hours on the sofa before I had to be in the office. It was barely three hours of sleep but it was better than nothing I guess. I dragged myself back to the shower and let the cold water wake up me. I put on a pair of jean shorts, white t shirt, tied back my long brown hair and I was good to go.

“How is he?” Nikki was frantic with fear of someone she liked very much and curiosity of the whys and hows of the situation.  

“He’ll live.” I placed my bag down on my desk, I was in a bitchy mood and nothing was helping it. I decided to name my bitchy mood after Zack and Joey.

“Come here.” Nikki led me to her desk and we sat down. “I covered the case last night so that’s all handled. Now talk to me about Joey, what do you know?” nothing was going to shake her curious streak. A streak like that is why Alissa hired her.

“What do you want to know?” I figured it would be easier this way to avoid revealing too much by talking too much. Something I might do often.

“Who is he, really you know? That man is a huge mystery around town.” Nikki explained.

Joey never said anything about being quiet about him and he knew I had a big mouth, I came from a long line of gossipers. “His name is Joseph De Luca, Joey for short.”

If Nikki had something in her mouth I’m sure she would’ve spit it out, for now she only gasped. “As in Art De Luca?”

“Yeah, he’s Joey’s father.”

“Holy shit.”  Nikki looked shocked all over again. “Wow I don’t know if this is wrong or not but knowing that turns me on more.” Ok too much information but that was Nikki, always honest. “How’d you and Joey meet and he ended up in your bed?” I knew she was going to ask that.

“You knew he was helping me with a case. We sort of became friends and he came to me for help last night.” I explained. Joey, Zack, nor I told anyone we were all working together on that case two months ago, Joey and Zack didn’t like it to be known they worked together here and there for a case. I knew Joey wasn’t a cop but I had no idea what he did.

“Damn I wish he’d come to me, hell in me---”

“Whoa ok! I don’t need to hear that!” I had to interrupt her for my sanity. When someone said it before I could stop myself I pictured it in my head, not always a good thing especially around Nikki.  

“Ok sorry my bad. I need to get coffee I’ll be back then we got some interviews to conduct. Alissa wants to see you by the way.” Nikki stood from her desk and left. I stood as well and headed to my sister’s office. I had a feeling this wouldn’t be good; since she was older she sometimes acted more like a mom than a sister. I could only imagine how crappy this was going to be.

“Sit.” Alissa said looked up from the stacks of papers on her desk. Oh no she never looked up from her stacks of papers.

“What’s up?” I started thinking, what did Alissa have to be mad about? I didn’t do anything stupid lately.

“I heard about last night, Sam what are you getting yourself involved in?” Alissa asked. I thought she was angry but now I could see she was worried.

“Nothing I swear.” No one told me anything for me to be involved and now that Zack and Joey were hiding secrets again let them deal with it. I’m out this time around. “You have nothing to worry about.”

“Alright good. You will be at the house tonight right?” Alissa asked.

Fuck! I forgot about the whole family dinner. “Yeah of course.” Hell no I wasn’t going.

“Sam if you flake I’ll fire you.”

“Hey! That’s unfair. You shouldn’t mix family and work.” Crap now I had to go. Ugh this day contained too much suckage. I left her office and sat at my desk; I didn’t have any work to do right now and decided to take a quick five minute nap at my desk.

When my eyes opened again it was because of the hand on my neck. I looked up and it was Zack. I looked down at my watch I had been asleep for an hour. Why didn’t Nikki wake me up? I was too tired to care. “Hey.” I sat up and looked at him while I rubbed at my eyes. This must be very attractive, I couldn’t believe he was keeping his hands off of me.

“Are you ok?” Zack pulled up a chair and sat next to me behind the desk.

“Yeah sure I’m just tired.”

“That’s common today.”

“What are you doing here?” I wanted to know, I was still upset at him about last night.

“I just wanted to see you.”

I arched my brow and gave him a questioning look. “Really?” Zack wasn’t the type to come see a girl at work just because he wanted to be sweet.

“Yes I wanted to see you and talk to you.” Zack said.

Hmmm it felt nice he wanted to see me. “Talk about what?” Ok maybe I did want to know what was going on with Joey even though I swore I wouldn’t get involved.

“About tonight.” Zack said and gave me this look that basically said that was all he was going to talk about. “We can’t go out on our date on account we have to be at your parent’s house for dinner.”

“Don’t remind me.” I groaned again. “I think my mom is losing her mind, why would put our families together? It’s insane.”

“It’s not that bad.”

I gave him a sideways look. “You weren’t at the wedding.” I reminded him. “But Liss told me she’d fire me if I didn’t go so I have to have now and mom threatened you so we pretty much have to go.” It was a lose/lose situation.

“What are we going to tell them?” Zack asked.

“About?”

“About us.”

“Nothing.” I said. “I know I said we should date but we haven’t gone on a date yet so right now they shouldn’t know anything. If we’re still together in about ten years then we can tell them.” I was dead serious. My parents, especially my mother and grandmother, liked to hound any guy me and my sisters chose to date. A lot of times it scared the guy away. It took a strong man to handle a Martiz woman.

Zack began to laugh. “Have it your way babe.” He stood from the chair and bent to lay a kiss over my mouth.

“Ooooh.” It was Nikki standing behind us.

“I’ll pick you up for dinner.” Zack said to me before leaving the office.

“I love that man’s ass.” Nikki said as we watched him go, he did have a bitchin ass. “So you and Myers huh?” she was grinning from ear to ear.

I couldn’t stop smiling, nothing like a Zack kiss to perk you up. “It’s nothing.”

“Mmm hmm I’d sure like to feel that nothing.”

“You went for coffee and came back an hour later, where’d you go?” I asked as I rubbed my neck, never sleep with your head down on a desk.

“I saw this sign for a shoe sale so I checked it out.” Nikki answered.

“And you didn’t tell me!” I had a weakness for shoes, I’m pretty much a tomboy but I loved some shoes and dresses but rarely wore them, a crazy hobby you could say that wasted money I should be shoving into a savings account.   

“We can go back later. You know I never get tired of shopping.”

“No I can’t, dinner with the family.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah.” She didn’t know the half of it.

“Remember that case last night, Carry Green? Killed her husband? She’s seeing the judge today and reporters are allowed in. Let’s get going before we’re late.”

I had forgotten about the Green case but now I was glad I had something to focus my mind on other than a disaster dinner to come and my annoying need for answers from Zack and Joey.