Ominous Doorbell

Chapter Five

 I went downstairs to see what Blake was doing with James. I slowed to a stop on the steps to hear James giggling. I looked around the corner of the stairwell to see Blake kneeling over James' jerking body as he was being tickled. He looked truly happy playing with Blake and I couldn't help but smile.

Blake looked up from tickling James as I walked into the room, standing up and reaching out to help Jamie off the floor. The two of them followed me into the kitchen as I went to make lunch. Jamie came up to me hugging me looking up at me with his bright green eyes. Blake sat himself at the corner of the table staring at James and I. James went to the fridge pulling out some cheese and butter and milk and hot dogs out as I went to the pantry looking for the bow tie noodles for our favorite meal.

James put water into two pots, putting them onto the stove, turning them on. He grabbed the hot dogs out of my hand to put them in one pot as I went to the stove with the bowties and the vegetable oil, pouring a bit of oil in the other pot of simmering water. I looked over at James to see him making funny faces at Blake and Blake doing the same thing. It irritated me that the James like Blake enough to open up and play with him, this quickly. I mean he was the one that was behind me getting taken away and scaring James by making him think he wouldn't see me again.

"He's nice," James said taking me out of my stupor of hating Blake for a moment. "Don't be mad at him. I see you have your mad face on. It's not his fault he was only trying to save his family." That made my anger worsen. Blake had told James about the situation and I only hope it was just the part about helping his family. Now James was taking his side! This Man needs to leave right now before I physically kick him out of my house and our lives for good.

"lil' Bug, I know he seems charming and he bought you all those new toys but he's the one who took me away from you and his people did bad things. You shouldn't trust someone who gives you things when they do something wrong." I said hoping he would change his mind about Blake and want him out as much as I do. James looked from me to Blake then back to me, pondering what I said, nodding and shaking his head slightly every so often.

"But he was doing what he thought was right for his family. Even though I was sad cause you was gone for so long, I'm happy you're back and... and Blake only gots me the new toys cause he wanted to make me even happiers now that you're back." James smiled hoping I would be convinced that Blake was a good guy because he said so in his adorable kid voice. I smiled back, not wanting to hurt Jamie's feelings for not believing and trusting his opinion. I reached out to ruffle his shaggy brown hair making him giggle, letting him know everything is okay.

"you know I don't like him but if you think he is good, I guess I'll give him a chance," I raised my hand and stuck one finger up to for emphasis "One chance." He smiled and jumped up to hug me happy that his new friend got the okay to stay. "He can stay for lunch but I don't want him here much longer after that." I didn't like the thought of Blake staying here but I didn't want Jamie to be sad today, he has gone through too much and doesn't need any more bad days.

"Hear that Blake, you get to have lunch with us and then we get to play some more!" Jamie cheered running over to high-five Blake and coming back over to the stove to pour in the bow ties into the boiling water while making a little 'pssh' sound imitating the sound of them coming out of the box. As I went to the cabinet to grab three plates and three fork out of the holder.

"Can Blake help us make lunch? He told me he loves cooking when we were playing earlier." Jamie pleaded with adorable puppy dogs eyes that I couldn't say no to. Blake walked out to us as I nodded an okay, fist bumping Jamie as a thank you.

"Thank you Chef Casey, what can I do to help?" He said with a charming smile. I so badly wanted to say leave but bit my tongue and told him to cut up the hot dogs while Jamie and I took care of making the mac and cheese extra cheesy just like Jamie likes it. We sat down and ate while Jamie played twenty questions with Blake to learn everything he could about his new friend with silly questions.

We finished our lunch and I went to clean up the dishes while Jamie pulled Blake back into the living room to play their as Blake called back a thank you to me as he ran along. The longer he was here the more my skin crawled. I couldn't wait for him to leave. Even though I knew he would still come around to disrupt my life until his so called war was over I'd have some sanity in not seeing him every time I turned around. I was so lost in thought I didn't realize the person standing behind me until I turned and bumped into her.

"G, don't do that to me!" I gasped jumping back as she smiled at me, helping herself to some mac and cheese. She turned back to me taking a bite of food with a look in her eyes that she knew some hot gossip. It was nice that even though I was gone for two weeks nothing changed in her. She is still the same old lady who was always deep into my business, only this time I didn't know why she had that look in her eyes, "what's that look for?" I mused pointing at her playfully.

"Oh nothing, just I saw the way you were cleaning. You like him don't you?" when I didn't answer and my face contorted in confusion she just pointed towards the living room. My jaw dropped, she couldn't be serious. The dude who ordered my kidnapping and kept me in a room where terrible things happened to me. There is no way I could like him and how could she know something like that by the way I cleaned up?

"Honey, you were mumbling about how irritating his smile was and how you hate getting lost in his eyes. If that isn't being love struck then I know nothing about love." She stated matter-of-factly as she started to walk back up the stairs with food for grandfather. Any other time I would say she is right but this case is not. He had his men kidnap me and scared my family for two weeks while I was beaten over some supposed war that I know nothing about. He's probably some kind of mob boss and is in a mob war and I'm just someone who has had the displeasure of getting mixed up with a mob kid or something. Yea cause that's a thing in the twenty-first century.

But he was the one who saved you from the men who he had get you to save you from the danger he sees.

My inner voice can be annoying with things like logic and common sense. The only part that irritated me about this was how I seem to be the center of this whole thing and know the least of it. Before Blake leaves, he better give me a better explanation then he can leave forever. With that thought in mind I headed into the living room to see James jumping on Blake while trying to beat him in the game they were playing.