Tell Me What Is Priceless (Siren Publishing Classic) (21 page)

Zar drank part of the glass and then leaned, letting her get the taste from his tongue. Blaze came away licking her lips. “Are you sure I can’t have a glass?”

“No,” Carla said with a reprimanding smile. “Water, juice, or maybe milk.”

Blaze watched as Zar finished off the glass and then pulled him down by his shirt. He kissed her, laughing as he did. “I’m going to have to either stop drinking or stop kissing you.”

Nan called out, “You had better stop drinking then.”

Dinner was served, and Carla warned, “If you feel your stomach getting bloated or upset, stop eating. The food should sit all right, but it’s a little richer than stage one.”

“Anything is richer than stage one. It’s amazing that babies like anything after eating stage-one food.”

Blaze looked into her plate. It was plastic rather than china and had partitions to keep the food from flowing together. Everything was mashed into a state of being unrecognizable. “Do I get to ask what it is before I eat it?”

Carla said, “I taste-tested everything before they put it through the food processor, and it was good. Mashing it only gives your stomach a head start and removes the danger of having it get lodged in your esophagus.”

Blaze watched as Zar was served thick lobster bisque that smelled heavenly. “Want to trade food?”

“I would love to. But we can’t. Try it. Blaze, it doesn’t look so bad.”

She flared her nostrils at him and lifted the spoon to the plate. She stuck it in his bowl, and before he could stop her, she shoved it in her mouth. She offered him a smile and then stuck the spoon in the orange mash on her plate. It was candied sweet potatoes and was actually quite good. She tried the off-white mash and found it to be some kind of pasta, possibly angel hair, with a reasonably flavorful sauce. “Hey, this is pretty good. Carla, you should talk to the hospital about introducing this to the menu.”

Carla smiled. “I didn’t make it. I just kept track of what was being put in it. How are the artichokes? Zar said they were one of your favorites.”

Blaze stuck the spoon in the light-green mash and tasted it. “Not bad. I could use some garlic in them, but they are tasty.”

Zar chuckled. “They should be. They were made by one of the best chefs in the area. I had to pay him triple to get him here tonight.”

“I don’t even want to think about what tonight cost you. This must have set you back a fortune.”

“A small one, but if worse comes to worse, I can let you support me. So when are we going to get married?”

“I don’t know. I want to walk down the aisle, not be pushed. May or maybe July. Not June. I don’t what to be a June bride again.”

“Why not earlier?”

“I thought you said you felt crappy during the winter. It’s almost September, and then it will be cold and wet until February or March. I suppose April might be all right.”

“Good point. I’m obviously not thinking. May it is then. Any preference on the day?”

“May fifth. Five, five, zero, five. I won’t have to worry about you forgetting it.”

“Done. May fifth two thousand and five, we will be Mr. and Mrs. Russ.”

A chill ran up Blaze’s spine, and she ignored it, giving him a bright smile. “Done.”

The meal was followed by trays of pastry and cakes. Blaze was allowed to have a cheesecake-flavored yogurt to top off her meal. Everyone headed back into the hall for dancing and talking. Zar stayed with Blaze until she started to yawn. “I’m exhausted. Are we gonna sleep here?”

“Yeah, do you want to go to bed?”

“If you don’t mind. I know it’s rude, but I can’t keep my eyes open. You can come back out and enjoy the night. I don’t see why you have to babysit me.”

“I’m not babysitting you, but I’ll come back out. I’m not tired, and it would be really rude if I left. Yell out nighty-night and thank-you.”

Blaze grinned and called out, “I don’t mean to be rude, and I want to thank you all for making this a wonderful evening, but I get tired really quick. I’m going to bed. I hope everyone will feel free to stay and keep Zar amused?”

Zar turned the chair and headed toward the hall. Everyone in their path stopped to wish them good luck and to tell Blaze what a pleasure it had been to meet her. Blaze smiled sweetly, as she wished they would all go home. She wanted nothing more than to be in a soft bed, asleep.

Zar kissed her and tucked her in. “I’ll be back a little later. You have the phone if you need me?”

“Yeah, but I’m so tired, don’t expect me to buzz.”

“I won’t,” he said, going out and shutting off the light.

Blaze closed her eyes and found sleep drifting over her almost immediately.

Zar stood in the doorway watching her. It was understandable that she was tired, but she had only been awake for a few hours. It worried him that she was exhausted to such a degree. He could only hope that the doctors were right in that Blaze was really doing well.

They spent two days up at the castle and then stopped home to drop off their things. Nan was sitting on the sofa, her eyes red from crying. Blaze gave her a questioning smile. “What’s up, sexy?”

“Nicky is such an asshole. I stopped home last night before coming here for the dogs. He was in bed with another woman. I guess that me moving in with him didn’t mean that he planned to be faithful. Could I stay here until I can find someplace else to live? I know that with Zar here the two of you wanted to be alone, but I just don’t want to see Nicky.”

“Nan, we didn’t ask you to leave,” said Zar. “You chose to leave. If you think I wanted you to go, you were wrong. You were here long before me.”

Blaze gave him a smile. “Thank you, Zar. Nan, of course you can come back. You will just have to get used to us making love over your head.”

Nan grinned. “Actually, Nicky has some big sound panels he is looking for a place to dump. I think I’ll take them on my way out. I can get my brother’s truck, and we can install them in the ceiling. I won’t hear anything, and neither will you.”

“Perfect,” replied Blaze. “If you don’t mind, I’m really tired. I would love to go lie down.”

Zar frowned. “I thought we were going to get a new bed. The water bed is not going to be practical for us, and Kale can use it. We discussed this last night, and I thought you wanted to get it done before I leave for Mass?”

“Yeah, you are right. Kale said he would take anything we didn’t want for furniture. I suppose we should go get this done. Where are we going? I’m not up to doing two hundred stores.”

“I know of a place where you won’t have to do anything but sit and look. I wouldn’t suggest dragging you in and out of stores. I know you are not up to it.”

Blaze yawned, her eyes tearing up. “How about you go pick out furniture. You have good taste.”

“Blaze!” he said in an irritated tone. “I want you to go with me.”

“I’m going. When are you moving back in, Nan?”

“How about in a couple of hours? I have two classes, and Nicky has a show tonight, so he won’t be home.”

“Fine. We will see you later.”

Zar wheeled her back out to the car and got her settled. He reclined her seat and wasn’t surprised to find her asleep before they got out onto the main street. She had been horribly tired, and Zar was really worried that it was more than her body adjusting.

He let her sleep until they were at the front gate of Frugalman’s Furniture and then leaned to wake her. Blaze groaned and opened her eyes. “Where are we?”

“This is the coolest place in the world to get furniture. They have a full warehouse and things they don’t carry they can usually get you in a few days. Granted, you pay for their services, but it’s a hell of a lot easier than shopping.”

She chuckled as he came around to help her into the chair. Zar pushed her to a front entrance of what looked like large, flat, walled warehouse. He rang the buzzer and said, “Zar Russ. I believe they are expecting me.”

A door opened, and he pushed her through it into a huge open office with a large display screen on the wall. A man rose to meet them, his hand extended to Zar. “How are you? Long time no see.”

“I’m good, Larry. This is Blaze Zeal, my soon-to-be wife. We are in need of some new furnishings for her house.”

“Nice to meet you, Blaze. Do you need anything before we get started?”

“Nope, all set. You don’t even have to get me a chair,” Blaze said with a smile.

“Forgive her, Larry. She has little sense of humor about being in this wheelchair. She is dying to get up and run a marathon. Unfortunately, after being in a coma for seven weeks, her body is fighting her on that.”

“I heard about the accident on the news, but I thought both you and Kale were fine.”

“I was,” Blaze replied. “But I’m highly allergic to painkillers. I’ve found a new one that I’m allergic to. Unfortunately, I found out after they injected it into my intravenous line. As Zar said, it put me in a coma for seven weeks.”

“That is horrible. Did you sue the hospital?”

“No, it wasn’t their fault. They didn’t know I was allergic to that brand either. Painkillers and I often don’t get along. The worst part is that I can take one for a while with no problem and then suddenly get sick from it. If Zar hadn’t found me when he did, I probably would have died. I guess it wasn’t meant to happen. They are saying I should be fine in a couple of months.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Now, tell me what you are looking for.”

“What else, Larry?” asked Zar. “Something classic and medieval without being stuffy. We also need a bed—air foam would be great—king size. I want the headboard to be black lacquer with gold dragons. I don’t want crap either.”

“Would I sell you crap? Sit down and look. Let me know what you like. Any color choices?”

“Medium-dark patterns, but the fabric needs to be a heavy, tight weave. I have two dogs who do a number on furniture. I prefer blues,” said Blaze.

“That narrows it down. High or low backs?”

“High and wide,” said Zar, remembering that whichever dog was not in the window usually lay on the sofa back. “Recliners with heat and massage would be really nice. I also want to see what you have for a recliner-type office chair with amenities.”

“For where?” Blaze asked.

“For the back computer room. It would be a lot more comfortable than sitting on the bed.”

“Good idea. Black on that chair. Could I have the room painted? I have always wanted the walls a light-blue, but I never got a chance to do it. The bedroom needs to be painted, too. I take it we are taking up shop at my house?”

“Yeah, why not? It’s close to the airport and the highway, and the dogs are used to it. It’s a cute little house, perfect for us. Does it bother you?”

“No, of course not. We just never discussed it.”

“Well, then let’s get some furniture. Show us the magic, Larry.”

Larry took up a seat behind his desk and began to type. Zar sat behind Blaze, leaning on her shoulder. The large viewing screen burst to life, giving them a visual tour of everything that fit their requirements.

They agreed on the bedroom set and then picked out a chair for Blaze’s computer room. Zar paid for everything and spoke with Larry about having the existing furniture moved over to Kale’s. Blaze sat watching him with interest. Zar’s smooth boyish charm was not present when he was doing business. He was displaying a serious side she hadn’t seen before. He was confident and strong, as if money meant nothing to him as he spent it. When he returned to her, he was smiling. “Let’s go home. You have just enough time to take a nap before they take your bed away. I can get the waterbed drained while you are sleeping.”

“Sounds good to me,” she said as Larry walked over.

“It was nice meeting you, Blaze. Take good care of this boy. He needs it.”

“I’ll try.”

“Thank you, Larry. It has been, as always, a pleasure. Let me know about that other thing, will ya?” said Zar.

“I will, as soon as I find one. Have a good afternoon.”

“What other thing?” Blaze asked as he got her back into the car.

“A knife I’ve been looking for. The more eyes I have looking, the better.”

“Oh,” she said suspiciously. “Why are you having a furniture dealer look for a knife?”

“Because he is good at finding odd things. Why are you looking at me as if I’m doing something illegal?”

“I was thinking more like something suspicious. I’m hungry. Can we go home?”

“We’re on our way there.”

Blaze ate the last of the custom food from the castle and then settled into the back computer room. Zar sat with her for a little while, brushing her hair as he felt her body relax. “I’m gonna call Dr. Gillette. I’m worried about you. Maybe he can give you something that will help.”

“Yeah, all right. I don’t want to go back into the hospital, though. I want to be home.”

“Go to sleep. I need to call and then get under the bed cleared out.”

Blaze barely closed her eyes, and she was gone. Zar called the doctor and got her a prescription for vitamins before heading in to sort out an amazing amount of clothing. He didn’t like anything and knew that most of the items would never fit Blaze again because they were just too big. On David’s side of the bed he found a collection of Playboy magazines and leafed through them before setting them aside. A lockbox caught his interest, but he didn’t have time to try and get it open. Blaze probably had the combination anyway.