A Collection of Odds & Ends

Used (Jai Courtney)

"Honey, I'm in a meeting. I need to let you go." Jai kept his voice low, in an attempt to not raise a suspicion.

"Jai, this will only take..." Her voice faded as Jai ended the call. Sighing, he shook his head and rubbed his hand over his face.

"Oh, sweetie, you are in shit." Cora chuckled at him. "You know she is going to have a fit over that."

Jai didn't care, honestly. In no way did he care what pleased her, nor did he want to be bothered with her. Not right now, anyway. He knew that she would be mad at him for hanging up, but that argument could wait for later. Being hung up on was his way of being kind to her. If he had to talk to her right now, things would only end in one of them in tears.

Jai was confident the person in tears, wouldn't be her.

"She'll get over it." Jai shrugged, setting his phone to silent. If she called back, he'd let it go to voice mail.

"You're a brave man, Jai Courtney." Cora mused. Nobody ignored her daughter without getting an ear full. "Brave or foolish, I have yet to decide." she winked.

"Foolish, more like it." Jai laughed a little.

Cora offered a sympathetic look that said it all. The poor boy was in over his head now.

When he had showed up at her door, asking if he could talk, Cora wasn't exactly sure what it was he wanted, but she had a fairly good idea. After talking to her daughter, upon their return from Las Vegas, Cora had figured something had happened.

For a pair who usually spend almost every waking moment together, it was odd that they had only saw one another twice since returning home almost a week ago.

"Denzi, don't you dare take that out of this room." Jai took a moment to scold his son. Hanging onto a half eaten peanut butter and banana sandwich, Cora had insisted she make, Denzi stood half way into the living room.

"He's fine." Cora scolded the father. Smiling at the little boy, she shooed him on. "Go ahead, Denzi babe. Why don't you take your sandwich and go watch Bob?"

"Bob!" Denzi cheered, throwing his small peanut butter covered hands in the air. Scampering off into the living room, Jai could hear him cheering just out of sight. "Bob Bilter!" He sang along to the television, not giving a fuck about the adults in the other room.

"You do know he is going to ruin your couch? He's hell with peanut butter." Jai made a disgusted face. Whenever Cora got the couch cleaned, he'd call the company and pay the charge.

"Do you think he is the first child that I've had here? Oh, Jai, it's only furniture. Can't be worse than what my own daughter has done over the years." She smiled widely. "Did she ever tell you about the time she lit the arm chair on fire?"

"I don't think I've heard that one." Jai shook his head in disbelief.

He could imagine her, young, innocent looking, and terrified as she watched a chair go up in smoke and then flames.

"Your best friend is the reason there is no smoking, inside, my house." Cora nodded firmly. "If you're going to smoke, don't try and hide cigarettes from your father in a lazy boy."

Jai couldn't imagine her smoking a cigarette. As much shit as she gave him for it, the mere thought of her smoking a cigarette was laughable.

"I'll remember that." Jai noted with a lopsided smirk.

"And for the love of god, never let her use superglue." Cora burst out laughing. "Not unless you want her damn hands stuck to the wall or you need to give her a hair cut."