The Strange Life of Jonas Marks - 15. Chapter 15

I walked into a full house when I got home from work. Kyle and John were home and screaming at the baseball game that was on in the family room. Jenny was on her cell phone, curled on a chair at the breakfast bar, while Mrs. Meyers was sitting at the kitchen table, computer on, and a cup of coffee at her side.

“Jo, he is coming for dinner tomorrow. “ Jenny bounced off the chair and to my side. “Oh god, what are you cooking for us?”

“Me? Um, it’s your date, shouldn’t you be cooking?”

I heard Mrs. Meyers nearly choke on her coffee as she turned to face us. “Jonas, you have tried her cooking, right?” Mrs. Meyers raised her eyebrow and shook her head. “Jenny may be many things, but a decent cook isn’t one of them.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Jenny shot her mother a withering look, but Mrs. Meyers just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “Alright, so I can’t cook. So what are you making for us tomorrow?”

“Jo is cooking for us?” Kyle asked as he walked into the kitchen to grab a can of soda out of the fridge.

“I just got home and don’t even know what is going on.”

“Well, John and I would love burgers tonight if you are cooking Jonas. It beats the store bought pizza Mom has in the freezer.” Kyle walked out with two sodas and headed back to the game.

“Shouldn’t you or Mom be cooking for Michael? You know, he is coming over for a family meal.” I looked at Jenny and Mrs. Meyers, waiting to be let out of this mess I was getting dragged into.

“What time is he coming over, Jen?” Mrs. Meyers paused to look at her daughter.

“I told him to be here at six.”

“You really should ask me before you invite your boyfriend over for a meal.” Mrs. Meyers pulled up a calendar on her computer before she spoke again. “I have that late luncheon at the Kendrick House tomorrow afternoon. By the time I get cleaned up and have everything done, I should be walking into our house around six or just a bit later. So, you better kiss up to Jonas to make a meal or you are buying everything for the whole family and your date.”

Jenny paled for a moment before she turned back to me. She smiled sweetly and leaned in with her dimples showing. “So, Jo, what are you making us for dinner?”

John walked into the kitchen just at the end of Jenny’s question. “Yeah. You’re right, Kyle. Jonas is making dinner tonight.” He rushed back into the family room and the sound on the television went up.

“Thanks a lot.” I raised my hands in surrender. Looked like I was now making dinner tonight and tomorrow.

“Well, you do know how to cook,” Jenny said as she smiled. “Besides, if you cook, no one will have to worry about anything.”

Mrs. Meyers giggled, but she never once turned back to look at us.

“Great. Well, at least let me change, and then I will try to figure out dinner.”

“Jonas I have chicken, pork chops, and chopped beef I picked up on the way home. All of it is in the fridge. I didn’t get a chance to break it up, or freeze any of it yet.”

“Okay, Mrs. Meyers.” It was a little weird, but after what had happened at the office, it really wasn’t too bad. I borrowed Jenny’s room, laid out a change of clothes, and grabbed a shower. When I came back out, Jenny had joined her brothers in the family room, watching the game.

“So, what are you in the mood for?” I glanced over at Mrs. Meyers as she typed away on her computer.

“Make burgers. It’s easy and will keep the boys out of your hair. You can use the chicken tomorrow, however you like. I’m just not ready to start laying out money to feed another teenage boy. He is going to have to keep Jenny fed, not me keep him fed.” Mrs. Meyers shook her head and laughed.

I found two packages of hamburger buns in the bottom of the fridge, along with huge packages of meat. I grabbed the chopped beef out and then went for some seasonings. I knew I wouldn’t just cook burgers, so I found tomatoes, lettuce, and a large onion in the vegetable crisper. I sliced up the onion and began to fry it up. I washed the tomatoes and lettuce, and set them to the side for people to put on the finished burgers. I seasoned the meat and began to shape burgers.

I looked up, only to find Jenny had returned. She pulled a seat away from the table and sat down.

“Thanks for this.” She smiled up at me.

“No problem.”

“So … how was work?”

I stood there for a moment trying to figure out what I wanted to tell Jenny. I mean, so much seemed to have happened that I wasn’t really sure where to start.

“Yeah, Jo. Did you manage to get into the bakery this morning?” Mrs. Meyers turned and faced us.

“Bakery? What bakery? What happened?” Jenny’s eyes narrowed as she focused on me.

“Would you stop? You make it sound like it was something major. My boss called this morning and asked me to stop at the Little Blue One’s Bakery.”

Jenny’s eyes widened. “He knew about that place?”

“Mr. Openseter seems to know about a lot of things. Besides, he asked me to pick up donuts and coffee for both of us, as well as Dan and Chris.”

“Oh? Who are Dan and Chris?” Jenny leaned in closer, hoping for some juicy details.

“Guys I work with. Dan is getting engaged to his girlfriend. He is the guy who painted my office. Really, he is my first friend at work. Chris is the security guy. Both are really nice, and we all get along.”

“Oh. I was hoping ….” Jenny’s voice just sort of trailed off.

“Yeah , I can guess what you were hoping. Forget it. I had a blind date. Next time, I pick him out.”

The whole time I was talking to Jenny and her mom, I had been slicing up the tomato, lettuce, and slipping the burgers onto the grill that Mrs. Meyers has on her stove. Jenny came over and took the buns and cheese out of the fridge, then grabbed some plates out of the cabinet. It wasn’t long until the burgers were hitting a plate, and almost by magic, Kyle and John showed up to grab some burgers, and headed back to watch the television.

“So, there is stuff coming in. I had company off and on, as the guys kept slipping in to finish off the donuts all day.” I slipped the last burgers on to grill and leaned against the counter while they began to cook.

“I hate to admit it, but the bakery is really good. The owner makes a few cakes I’ve never even heard of and everything is just so delicious.” Mrs. Meyers turned off her computer and slipped everything into her work bag. “I’ll tell you what, Jen. Tomorrow, I have to go in early for a meeting with a possible customer. I’ll leave earlier and pick up some stuff from the bakery for dessert tomorrow. That way, Jonas doesn’t have to worry about it.” She walked over to the counter by Jenny and started to fix herself a plate.

Jenny stood up and hugged her mom. “Thanks. That really means a lot to me.”

“Yeah, well, consider it a bribe. I can’t cook for the family tomorrow, and you are damn lucky Jonas isn’t working or on a date. Next time you want to invite your boyfriend over, you ask me first, then invite, not the other way around.”

I just blushed and finished cooking the last of the burgers.

Mrs. Meyers finished making her plate and headed into the family room. “Okay boys, enough sports. Family time is now. Go grab a movie. Jenny and Jonas will be right in.”

“So, what are you making us?” Jenny asked as she took a bite of the burger.

“Chicken.” I hadn’t thought of what I was going to cook yet. I just knew Mrs. Meyers had said to use the chicken.

“Hmm. Very detailed,” Jenny commented sarcastically as she wiped the grease that was slowly dibbling down her chin.

“Yeah. Well, considering I haven’t even looked to see what your mom has all, just be grateful I am willing to do this. “

“You love me.” Jenny winked at me and smiled.

“Yeah, yeah. You just like to take advantage of a guy.”

“Sorry, that would be like trying to get with my brother.” Jenny scrunched up her face. “Eww.”

I looked at her and stuck my tongue out. “Sorry, you are soooo not my type.”

Jenny laughed. “Yup, that I know. I don’t have the right equipment.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Jenny laughed even harder.

“If you two are done playing in there, get your butts in here so we can watch the movie,” Mrs. Meyers called from the family room.

We took our plates and walked in to find the boys had picked out The Hobbit. I couldn’t help but think of my conversation with Opie earlier. It seemed that dragons, ogres, Halflings, and more would soon be in my office. I wondered what the Meyers would think if I told them I was working for a dragon, owned a magic sword that could become a beautiful woman made of blue flames, and was testing magical equipment such as a ring that could instantly take me to my mother’s grave or anywhere else I desired. I was afraid they would think I had lost my mind. I really was going to have to figure out how I could get a place of my own before my strange life began to affect the people I loved.

_ * _ * _ *

I woke early and cleaned up. I didn’t want the place to be a mess if Jenny was having Michael over. I did a quick wipe up of the kitchen, and checked to see what I wanted to do with the chicken as a dinner tonight. I checked out the freezer and the fridge, and made a list so I could hit the grocery store on the way home. Jenny had left twenty bucks with a note saying thanks, on the counter, so at least I had money to get what was needed.

I grabbed some shorts and a tee shirt. I changed in the bathroom and decided it was time to start getting back into a routine. I headed out and began to jog. The early morning was still cool and the cars on the street were covered in dew. I ran along seeing the early morning workers heading out to their cars to get to work. I still had two hours before I had to be to Kroger’s so for a change I tried to get my mind back on getting my butt into shape. Since my father had tossed me out of the house, I hadn’t worried about my workouts at all. I had been driving to and from work or trying to help out the Meyers. I just hadn’t put any effort into keeping in shape, my diet wasn’t the best, and there hadn’t been any exercise at all. I had a job and hoped to find a place of my own sooner rather than later, but if I didn’t keep in shape I would lose my scholarship and even with everything else going on, I was determined to keep my promise to Mom and graduate from college.

I was just about done with my six mile jog and was about to head back up Jenny’s street when I heard the wolf whistle. I looked around to see who was being whistled at and found this older woman looking me over. I blushed right down to my sneakers. It gave me the boost I needed to finish my run and I felt like I could hide inside the house.

“Gee, you are up early, Jo.” Mrs. Meyers was just putting her coffee cup in the sink. “See you went running.”

“Yeah, I needed to start to get back into a routine before my body decides to change the muscle into fat.”

Mrs. Meyers just shook her head and giggled. “You wouldn’t let that happen. However, my daughter should join you on your jogs. She is getting lazy.”

“I am not. I just prefer to sleep, is all.” Jenny said as she entered the kitchen. She tried to muffle a yawn and shoved her hair out of her face.

“Did I wake the whole house up when I came in?”

“No, Kyle has the radio up high while he is showering and it woke me up.” Jenny poured herself a cup of coffee before she turned to face me. “So, are you making breakfast, too?”

I shook my head as I looked at Jenny. “Nope. I’m going to grab a shower; when I get out, I’ll make toast and grab a glass of juice. Don’t have time or I would be late to work, which means I would have to stay and miss your dinner.”

Jenny’s eyes nearly bugged out. “Nope. Forget it. Get your shower and get out of here. I need dinner to be perfect tonight.”

I laughed as I headed down the hallway. I grabbed a change of clothes on my way through and slipped in before John got a chance to slip into the bathroom. It wasn’t long before I was in the kitchen eating my toast and nearly chugging my juice.

“Hey, Jonas. Any chance of your killer pancakes for breakfast?” Kyle stood bouncing on his heels as he looked at me.

“Sorry, squirt. I have to run for work. Guess you guys are going to have to survive on cereal today.”

“Aww. Well, I understand you are cooking for Jenny’s boyfriend tonight.” Kyle looked at his sister who in turn gave him a withering stare. “Hey, I’m just coming for the food.” He held up his hands and gave Jenny the same puppy dog look she used to try to get out of trouble.

“Sure you are.” Jenny just shook her head. “You two hell raisers just leave Mike alone. The guy is quieter than Jonas was.”

“No way,” John said as he came into the kitchen. “No one could be quieter than Jonas. Remember, Kyle and I had to jump on him to find out if he had a voice.”

“When did I become the measuring stick against which you measure everyone else?” I stood looking at the twins and Jenny.

“Since Mom and us adopted you, silly.” Jenny just looked at me and shook her head.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well. remember to eat breakfast. I have to get going or I will be late.”

I put my glass and plate in the sink and headed out to the car. The drive to Kroger’s was quick, and for a change, traffic was pretty light.

Chris was off and Henry, the other security guard, met me on the way in.

My office was nice and clean, but there were three large stacks of orders left sitting in the middle of my desk, waiting to be entered, and five packages that needed to be gone through. It was going to be one of those mornings.

I was so involved in trying to get the orders entered into the computer that the fact the special door in my office opened didn’t even faze me at first. That was, until I saw who, or I guess it might be better to say what, came through that door.

There was no denying that the person standing before me was a woman. The only way to describe her was huge, and I mean that in every sense of the word. She towered over me at nearly six foot six in low heeled boots. Her chest was as big as she was tall and it looked like she had two basketballs fastened onto her chest, but they were behind a metal chest plate. Her skin was a dark orange tone, and she had long yellow gold hair that fell in waves down her back. What fully got my attention and made my blood run cold were the deep blood red eyes that seemed to stare right through me. She smiled and took a few steps over toward the couch.

“I’ll just sit here till Openseter is ready for me.” She walked over to the couch and had to adjust a sword she had on her back so as not to cut open the couch.

I nodded and nearly pissed myself. Her voice sounded like nails being dragged across a chalk board. I couldn’t for the life of me remember typing up a request that would bring this behemoth into my office. Without thinking about it, I slipped Fire off the wall and slipped back into my seat. I dialed Opie’s office.

“This is Openseter.”

“Opie?” My voice cracked like a little boy’s. “I … um … there is someone here for you. They just came through the door.”

“Oh. I’ll be right there.” He sounded surprised, and the slight click was all I heard as he hung up.

I looked up to see her eyes studying me. I smiled and tried to be nice. “Would you like water, tea, coffee, or anything else?”

“That won’t be necessary, Jonas.” Opie swept into the room, a smile on his face. “Anxtas, I’m so glad to see you. I wish you had let me know you were coming today.” He strode forward and patted Anxtas on the shoulder. “Come with me to my office. I’ll call Charlene in to meet you. I hope you two will find this match agreeable.”

Anxtas smiled and followed Opie to the door. She paused and winked at me. “Nice sword you have. Hang on to her, boy.”

I found myself tightening my grip on Fire. A moment later Fire flickered into being on the other side of my desk.

“Anxtas is a big softee. You don’t have anything to worry about from her. Besides, she knows me from a past … well, I guess you would say a past encounter. You can relax now, Jonas. Your hand will cramp if you keep gripping me that tightly. I know men like to have a nice grip, but really.” Fire leaned back and winked at me.

I looked at her and then down at the sword, before I blushed and carefully slipped her back into her scabbard.

“There you go. I’m always here if you need me. Don’t worry. Opie won’t let you get into trouble, or at least not too much trouble.” She smiled and winked at me again before she vanished.

I sat there thinking how my life went from worrying about a dinner I had to cook to dealing with a troll without any sort of warning. I shook my head and looked at the pile of stuff still to get through. It was going to be a long day.