The Arrival | The House of Voices #3

Thirty Five - Talking

Talking

 

October:

Spade paced outside Gomez’s office for a long time.

Parish and I watched for as long as we could before I decided that one of us needed to say something. He looked so agitated. Sitting up a little straighter, I said, “It sounds like everything’s going alright…”

Parish gave me a look that said he didn’t think my words were going to do any good.

Spade paused to look at the both of us. “Gomez’s office is soundproof. We can’t hear him, but he can hear us.” And then he resumed his pacing.

I slumped back down in my seat. Parish was right.

Fifteen minutes passed before Spade finally got tired of pacing, and moved to lean one shoulder against the wall of the den, staring blankly at a spot at the bottom of Gomez’s office door.

“Is he really going to be that harsh on her?” Parish piped up after a while, shifting beside me on the couch to turn and look at Spade. Spade glanced up, green eyes dark with concern and worry, and just looked at Parish.

“It’s complicated,” was all he said.

Parish turned, about to let the subject drop, when Spade spoke up again. “Gomez is… a tough boss, and he’s not particularly pleasant to be around when he’s in a temper. And I know what you’re thinking – Ace is tough, too; she can handle a few unkind words from her boss. And that’s all true. But, and please don’t tell her I told you any of this, in addition to being her boss, Gomez is also her father figure. And although she shrugs things off and puts on a brave face, sometimes the things he says wound her.”

Parish and I exchanged glances.

Father figure? How was Gomez her father figure? At first I assumed that maybe Gomez was a young uncle, or an older cousin… but I hadn’t noticed any kind familial resemblance between the two of them, not even in the way they scowled, so I didn’t think that was it.

Ace had mentioned her father once, when talking about her salve. And she’d referred to him so fondly, her “Papi”. What had happened to him?

Spade sighed sadly, running a hand through his long-ish hair. I didn’t know who I was more concerned about, him or Ace.

We sat in silence for about half an hour, waiting for Ace or Gomez to come out of the locked office. When the door finally opened, a straight faced Ace stepped out, shutting the door behind her.

Spade straightened up immediately. “What happened?” He asked, as she stopped about an arms distance away from her.

“Oh, you know,” She shrugged nonchalantly, her signature crooked smile firmly in place. “Bit my head off for being ‘irresponsible and arrogant and too goddamned naïve to even consider the fact that I could be being taken advantage of’, blah blah, blah. The usual.”

I twisted slightly in my seat. She looked fine to me, but Spade didn’t seem to think so. Tilting his head to look into her eyes, he took a step closer to her, until their shoes where almost touching, and frowned, eyebrows scrunching together on his forehead. “Ace.”

At the sound of her name, Ace sighed heavily and hung her head. Spade’s fingers twitched by his side, and his elbow jerked slightly, but he just bit on the inside of his bottom lip and remained as he was.

Parish shot me a look, his eyebrows raised slightly. I shook my head in exasperation.

Turning our attention back to our friends, who didn’t seem to notice that we were in the room, we watched Ace raise her head to look back into Spade’s face. She ran a frustrated hand through her hair, which she’d taken out of the ponytail it had been in when she left the shop.

“I’m fine,” she told him, tipping her head to the side. A lock of hair fell over her forehead and she blew tried to blow it off. It just flopped back down. Frustrated, she flicked it off her face and focused her attention on Spade, who was still looking at her with worry on his face.

“Seriously, I’m fine. I’m a big girl, and I am insulted that you think that I’m upset by all this.” Spade gave her a look. “Besides, he’s said worse things. It’s you he sounded most mad at, so if I were you, I’d worry about your own butt.”

 And even though he looked like it was the last thing he wanted to do, Spade grinned. It wasn’t his usual wide, happy smile, but something more mischievous. “You just jump at the chance to bring my ass into the conversation, don’t you?” He said, voice coated with humor.

Parish snorted, and whatever witty response Ace had been about to shoot Spade died on her lips as she finally noticed we were sitting on the couch, listening to everything. Her mouth snapped shut with an audible click, and she narrowed her eyes at Spade. “Just go make yourself useful and mind the shop, Dennings.”

Turning to walk out of the den, he scoffed. “You’re just saying that so you have an excuse to look at my butt.”

“Hah,” Ace said, watching him walk away. “I’ve seen better.”

Parish snorted again, and I elbowed him in the ribs. It didn’t stop his laughter.

“Words hurt, Harley,” Spade called from outside the den. “Words hurt.”

She was about to say something when Gomez’s voice interrupted her. “What is that fool yammering about?”

The three of us jumped in surprise and turned to face the grumpy man. We hadn’t heard him open his office door.

“He said he was going to mind the shop,” Ace lied smoothly, tossing her hair over her shoulder and she whipped around to face her boss.

Gomez nodded once and then turned his attention to the couch, where Parish and I sat. “You,” he said, pointing at Parish, “get in here.”

“Me?” Parish asked, standing up.

“Yes, you.” Gomez growled, pushing his office door open wider and jerked his head towards the interior. “I think you and I have some things we need to talk about.”

“Erm… okay,” Parish nodded, glancing at me before he walked over to Gomez. The older man allowed Parish to enter the office before him before stepping in.

“I’m expecting Ida in about an hour. Show her in when she gets here, and have her potions ready,” he instructed Ace, just before closing the door shut behind them.

Frowning, Ace turned to me and, before I could even ask the question, said, “Don’t ask because I have no idea.”