Sixes & Sevens (Seven Hearts Book 1) (7 page)

January 3, 2016

Jaycee wasn’t sure what the scene looked like to the rather tall man before her, but she watched his face change from surprise, to concern to…was that jealousy? Surely not. Jaycee scooted away from the guys instinctively, and approached the newcomer. The closer she got, the taller he seemed. Surely he had to be several inches over six feet, possibly even six three. But rather than seeming like an angry grizzly, Jonathan appeared more like a giant teddy bear. Muscular, but not in a he-must-lift-every-day kind of way. Instead, Jonathan was lean and fit with wide shoulders and narrow hips. His light brown hair was wavy, and cut just a tad too long to be called short. It was swept up and back as if he’d spent the day running his hands through it. His golden brown eyes were framed by round-lensed gray glasses. He was another angel, though his height made her think of him more as a warrior angel. Taking in his medical bag, the lab coat, and stethoscope he wore, she assumed he must be Jonathan. Rather than wait to be introduced, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and introduce herself. The other guys had been so wonderful; she couldn’t imagine Jonathan would be any different. She walked slowly toward him, and craned her neck back with a shy smile.

“Hi, I’m Jaycee. You must be Dr. Jonathan Kavanagh,” she said demurely. The moment she said her name, Jonathan’s face changed to one of happy surprise.

“Jaycee, it’s lovely to finally meet you,” Jonathan said taking Jaycee’s hand, to place a kiss just behind her knuckles, causing her heart to gallop. Noticing Lee’s throat clearing, Jonathan quickly remembered himself. “I just meant that I’d received a text that the guys had brought a girl home.” He let out a self-deprecating chuckle at his gaffe, as his ran his fingers through his locks.

“Yeah, I met Alec, and Lee at the rec center earlier. Speaking of which, I probably should be heading out soon. It’s getting late, and I don’t want to walk back alone late at night.” Chewing on her lip she thought a minute before she said, “I really should head over to the rec center and pick up my…uh…belongings before I head back to Muller. I left some stuff in the locker room.” She addressed the last part just to Jonathan.

“There’s no need to go alone. I could accompany you,” offered Jonathan.

“No, that’s okay. You just got home from work. You should relax and have something to eat,” she said, not wanting any more of the guys to know about her commando fiasco.

“Really, it’s okay—” he began to protest.

“No, I wouldn’t want to be a bother.” Jaycee figuratively dug in her heels.

“It’s all right, old man. She won’t be alone. One of us can take her, and I volunteer,” Alec said, stirring the pot.

“You spent the most time with her today, and I’d still like to get to know her myself.” Garrett speaking up was abnormal in itself, but wanting to spend more time with a girl was definitely out of the ordinary. He mostly kept to himself, when he wasn’t with his friends. Jaycee smiled in acceptance of his implied offer.

“I think Jaycee might be better off if two of us went.” Sean turned to Jaycee, “Would you like it if I came along too?” Sean smiled shyly.

“That would be nice, thank you. I really shouldn’t have run off without unpacking, it’s going to be a long night, but at least I’ll feel safe getting back to the dorm.” Jaycee smiled at all of the guys in turn. “Thanks for feeding and entertaining me. It was really nice meeting all of you, even if I did manage to embarrass myself.” Blushing from head to toe she nodded at them all, and headed to the door with Garrett and Sean on her heels. Before she could follow the guys out the open door, Alec grabbed ahold of her shoulders and turned her into his embrace.

“Come back soon, pretty girl,” he whispered in her ear, before gently nudging her back toward the door Garrett still held open.

“All right, Casanova, are we good to go now?” Garrett ribbed Alec. Sean guided Jaycee away from the garage, sending Garrett another telling look. They were taking her on foot to give them more time to talk.

“So, what did I miss? And what did she mean about embarrassing herself?” Jonathan’s voice could still be heard as the door closed, and they proceeded out into the night. Jaycee was glad she wouldn’t have to hear the retelling of her embarrassment.

The guys walked on either side of Jaycee through the dark streets. Street lamps temporarily lit their faces as they passed beneath. Jaycee tried to pay attention to the street names, just in case she ever needed to walk back sometime. Assuming they wanted her to come back, of course. The streets were all named things to do with the university’s presence and its jaguar mascot. Paw Print Avenue, Whisker Street, and University Drive were a few of the ones she’d noticed. Clearly the city was way too concerned about the university’s presence. Returning her eyes to her companions, she noted their eyes had never left her.

“Is there something on my face?” Jaycee wiped her cheeks, checking her mouth for food.

“You’re perfect,” Garrett stated simply, grabbing her hand away from her face, he wound her fingers between his own. Comfortable with walking hand in hand with her. Jaycee lightly tugged her hand, feeling self-conscious, but Garrett held firm.

“I’m really not, but you’re sweet.” She felt her face grow hot. She noted how rough his hand felt in hers. Years of calluses had turned his hands hard and strong. Jaycee found it appealing, he had real man hands. Tough and strong, the kind of hands that were great at taking care of business, and protecting what he cared about. Alec’s hands had been strong, but were less callused than Garrett’s. Sean’s hands had been soft and gentle when he’d led her to his room. Jonathan’s and Lee’s hands were warm and smooth, strong—dwarfing her own small hand—but not covered in calluses. They were all nice hands…hands that had been so kind to her. It was like her time with them tonight had been a dream; had it been, she would have been less embarrassed to head to the rec center right now. At least in a dream, she could have woken up before she had to retrieve her bra and tee. Nothing like carrying your undergarments in your pocket to make a girl feel awkward.

“Alec had asked me to play Twenty Questions when we met. I’m not sure about doing all that again, but you can ask me some if you’d like.” Offering to share a part of herself was hard, but Jaycee had a strong desire to get closer to the guys. It was true if she was going to free her dad, she would need friends, but mostly she just wanted to know what it felt like to have someone by your side, and in your corner. It had been so long since she’d felt a real connection to anyone, let alone several very attractive someones. They asked her about her major, her roommate, and covered the same bases as Alec and Lee had.

“I’ll admit to already knowing a bit about both of you. Lee and Alec told me about your construction work,” she said to Garrett. “And your computer skills,” she told Sean.

“Alec does like to talk too much,” Garrett said.

“He would say you talk too little,” Sean teased him.

“Alec would think that.” Garrett turned to Jaycee, “I speak when I have something to say, I don’t waste my breath flattering all the girls at school like Alec does.”

“He doesn’t mean Alec is a man-whore. He’s just charismatic and friendly with everyone.” Speaking directly to Jaycee, Sean gave Garrett a look of censure. “You’ll give her the wrong idea.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Looking fully chastened, Garrett seemed apologetic. “He’s a great friend, and completely loyal. He’s just a bit of a harmless flirt at times.”

“Time for a change of subject, huh?” Desperate to change the subject back to more level ground Sean said. “You said your roommate left your belongings a mess, huh?” He paused for Jaycee’s nod. “Would you like help getting it organized? I promise we won’t touch your undergarments again.” Sean laughed at Garrett’s contrite expression—good naturedly—covering his own embarrassment about mentioning her panties again. The guys liked to josh and tease each other like a real family, but you could tell it came from a place of love and mutual respect.

“Really? I wouldn’t ask you to do that, but I don’t think I can turn down your offer. I feel half dead on my feet after traveling most of the day.” Jaycee caught what she said, and realized they would feel bad about having her walk home instead of driving. “Not that I mind walking now. It’s great getting more time with you two, and the fresh air is nice. I just would really love help getting my room set up.” She finished kindly.

“Consider it done.” Nodding with emphasis, Sean led the way up into the rec center. They were in and out in under ten minutes. Jaycee’s face flamed red as she marched out with her now dry bra and tee in her hoodie’s pocket, but the guys didn’t comment. They did get her to slow her pace, though. It was still several more minutes’ walk to Muller, and they didn’t want her to run out of steam.

“So, Jaycee how did you wind up at UEM midyear?” Sean inquired.

“It’s a really long story, and not a fun one. Let’s just say I needed to escape my current situation, and I finally got the courage to break free.” Sean seemed thoughtful, and Garrett looked pissed that someone may have hurt her. “You don’t have to look like that, Garrett. It’s not what you think. I just didn’t fit in with the family that took me in. They wanted me to be like them, but I wasn’t willing to change myself for them.” It was the truth, just leaving out a mountain of details. It was the closest she would admit to the truth, only having just met them today.

“Well, I’m glad you came here.” Sean commented.

“Me too. I’m happy you chose to come here, so we could meet you,” Garrett said softly.

“Thanks, guys. That means a lot.” She crested the hill, and spotted Muller. “This is me.” Jaycee charged ahead ready to finish her unpacking, and crawl into bed. Relaxing with the guys had helped her recover from her exhaustion a bit, but hadn’t diminished it completely.  A new face was watching the front desk. A girl with blond hair and blue eyes. She didn’t say a word to Jaycee and the boys, she simply stared at them till they passed. A picture would have lasted longer, but she just stared till they were gone…weird. Jaycee led the guys up the stairs, and down the hall to room 316. Using her key, Jaycee held her breath, hoping Sara would be gone. The door swung open to an empty room, and she released a huge sigh.

“Well, here it is. Everything you see is my roommate Sara’s, except the bedding on the bottom bunk. She shoved all my stuff into these drawers.” She pointed to a dresser to the right of the closet. “And the rest was crammed into my closet.”

With the three of them working together, it didn’t take long to fish everything out and lay it out on her bunk. Jaycee put all her clothes away, while the guys set up the rest of her things around the room. Not that there was much. A few personal items like her MP3 player, but mostly school supplies. She didn’t have a computer, so her side of the long desk before the window was loaded with her books.

“When you said there was a lot to do, I figured you had more things than this. Is this all you brought with you?” Sean asked thoughtfully.

“This is all I brought. I figured the rest could be purchased later, plus Sara brought a lot of the necessities.” Feeling rather embarrassed by her lack of possessions, Jaycee turned to the window, giving her a moment to collect herself. “Thanks so much for your help. I should be fine now. I’m just going to roll into bed and call it a night,” she said turning back to flash them a tired smile.

The guys stood there and stared at each other. Clearly, mamihlapinatapai was occurring. Both of the guys wanted to invite Jaycee back with them, but neither wanted to be so forward. For now, they’d settle for inviting her to visit again tomorrow.

“We should go, but we wondered if you’d come visit us again tomorrow? I’m sure the other guys will want to spend more time with you too.” Sean used his most inviting tone, praying she’d accept. They needed to keep her, but she had to be onboard.

“I have some things I need to get done tomorrow. Can I let you know when I’m done?” Jaycee’s exhaustion was fully kicking in and she yawned.

“Let me see your cell phone. I can put our numbers in for you,” Sean said.

Jaycee handed her phone to him and he typed in all six numbers with relative ease. Considering no one had told her Marc’s name, he added the number in under “Mr. Model” for now.

“If you need anything, you can call us any time.” Garrett felt the need to ensure she knew they’d be there for her in a heartbeat.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’ll let you know when I’m…,” she broke off with a yawn.

“We’ll go. See you tomorrow, Jaycee.” Sean said, opening his arms to offer a hug. Jaycee smiled, and gave them both a hug at once. Sean turned his face into her hair, and breathed her in one more time. She smelled like heaven, but it wasn’t a shampoo. It was just her. Garrett pressed his cheek to hers, and squeezed her tight. Jaycee felt she could sleep in their arms if they could just stand still all night. Pulling away, the guys gave her a final squeeze and let themselves out. After locking the door, she fell into bed and was immediately out cold. At least her first night in the dorm wouldn’t be creepy after such a sweet good-night.

January 4, 2016

When Jaycee finally opened her eyes the next morning something felt off. It didn’t feel like dysania. It felt more serious. Looking around, she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Then she heard it, the sound that must have woken her, male snoring. Peering around again, she didn’t notice anyone…until she realized the sound was coming from
above
her. Shit! What should she do? She didn’t want whomever it was to wake up, but the urge to scream was strong. She needed to think. Her heart pounded hard and fast. Tears formed in her eyes. She barely kept her terror contained. The door had been locked, right? Then surely whomever that was, had been let in by someone. Sara.

He must be the boyfriend Sara had talked about. Why would she let him in during the night? Flashbacks of her near-kidnapping and Roger trying to sneak into her room assaulted her. She needed to get out, now. Taking a deep breath, she slowly lowered her feet to the floor, careful not to make any sudden movements that might cause her mattress to squeak.

Blinded by the tears she couldn’t hold back any longer, she grabbed as much of her stuff as she could, threw it into her backpack, and ran to the door. She pulled on her boots and coat like the hounds of hell were after her. Glancing back, she could see through the water in her eyes that Sara wasn’t there in bed with him. So, she had let him in, only to leave him alone with her new roommate?! Jaycee couldn’t take it. She fled the room barely remembering to pull the door shut. She had accidentally left it unlocked…surely that man could protect himself, but what about her?

Looking at her cell phone, Jaycee tried to calm her heart and dry her tears. It was 8:59. Another minute, and the campus offices would be open. At least she had a direction now, she’d head to the admin office. Only, she couldn’t go there with tears pouring down her face, someone would ask what was wrong. As pissed and upset as she was by Sara’s actions, she couldn’t tell anyone. Without hearing Sara’s side of the story, she couldn’t turn her in for her conduct. Besides, Jaycee wasn’t a narc. She just wasn’t sure how she’d ever return to the small room again. She’d never sleep for fear of who might be in the room with her when she woke. Veering off course slightly, she found a park bench in the middle of a small courtyard and sat down. She pulled her legs to her chest, wrapped her arms around her shins, and buried her face in her knees.

That was how Jonathan found her. Huddled into herself, sobbing softly. He looked around for anyone fleeing the scene, but no one else was walking the campus at this hour, a week before classes were to start. Silently he approached her, but not wanting to frighten her, he softly cleared his throat.

“Jaycee, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” He bent down to hear her reply, but as soon as she recognized his voice, she threw her arms around his neck. Burying her face in his shoulder, she sobbed harder than before. He could only catch every other word. Something about a man in her room?? Why would there have been a man in her room?! Whomever it was would pay dearly, if he had anything to say about it. Jonathan might be a well-educated man, one who preached the benefits of talking things out instead of physical violence, but if anyone had hurt her…he’d rip them to shreds!

Jonathan held Jaycee close, he ran a hand over her hair, and down her back repeatedly. Soft repetitive strokes meant to calm and comfort. He murmured soft reassurances in her ear. She would be okay, he had her now. No one would hurt her with him around. He’d find a way to make things right, and he was determined to do just that. 

“All right, sweet girl, from the beginning. What happened?” Cradling her shoulders and peering into her eyes, Jonathan waited with bated breath.

“Well…” Jaycee sniffled. “I guess it started last night. The guys walked me home, and helped me settle in. Sara, my roommate, wasn’t there. I didn’t think anything about it. I just locked the door and went to sleep,” Jaycee sobbed, but continued. “Then…w-when I woke up this morning, I heard it. A male snoring in the bunk above me. Maybe I’m o-over-r-reacting, but it s-scared me so much. I didn’t know who he was-s or why he was-s there. It didn’t occur to me at first that he was probably Sara’s boyfriend. Not that it would help though. I’ve never met the guy, and…here he was in my room at night.” She wiped tears from her eyes and tried to stop sniffling. “I just can’t believe s-she’d do that to me. It was my first night alone in a n-new place…” Tears she had fought so hard to hold back, broke through again. “You m-must think I’m crazy for g-getting s-s-so up-pset.”

“No, not at all. Sara shouldn’t have done that to you, and her boyfriend should have never entered the room without your permission—especially while you slept. I’m just glad you’re safe now. You can’t go back to that situation. I’ll text my brothers, and we’ll get this sorted out. You said you had appointments today?” he asked.

“Yes-s. I need to c-check in with the admin building, pick up my…textbooks, and get some paperwork d-done,” Jaycee muttered between sniffs.

“I’m on my way to work now, but why don’t you come find me at the health center when you’re done? I can have some of the guys meet you there, and we will get this sorted out. Does that sound okay?” Jonathan hoped that would she would take him up on his offer. He needed to get to work, but he refused to leave her until she was emotionally composed. He wouldn’t abandon her when she needed him. She was so soft and fragile. She had felt so good in his embrace. He had never been one to shirk his duties, but he’d never been more tempted than right now to do just that. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead before he pulled back to retrieve his phone. He sent a group text to the guys telling them the situation. After some brief squabbling over who would get to escort Jaycee to pick up her things, Lee and Garrett were picked to escort her—due to their scheduling being more flexible.

Garrett: I can come over to get Jaycee whenever she’s ready. Dad doesn’t care when the work gets done, so long as I stay on schedule.

Lee: I’m finishing up a morning self-defense class now, but after that I’m free. I’ll clear out the rest of my day.

Jonathan: I’m not sure that will be necessary. She said she needs to take care of things on campus. You may just be waiting around all day.

Lee: That’s fine. I have some calls to make.

Sean: I could come over later…

Jonathan: That definitely won’t be necessary, and as I recall you got to escort her home last night, little brother.

Sean: Yes, but she was tired and didn’t say as much. Lee and Alec got to spend hours with her.

Alec: It was wonderful. Be jealous, dude.

Lee: You’re not helping, puck face.

Alec: No one ever said I was helpful ;P

Sean: True, haha. I’ll be fine, but I want some time with her the next time.

Lee: Noted.

Garrett: So, it’s decided? Lee and I will pick her up from your office later?

Jonathan: Yes, I’ll send you another text when she’s ready.

Lee: Sounds good. Gotta go.

Wishing she had a tissue, Jaycee wiped her eyes and tried to clean herself up. It would
not
be good if she got her campus ID with red-rimmed raccoon eyes. Jonathan stored his phone in his pocket.

“Are you okay now?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just wish I didn’t have to take my campus ID photo today.” She pulled her phone out, and used it as a mirror cringing at her puffy face.

Jonathan put his hand over hers to lower her phone. “You still look beautiful. I wish I could stay with you all day, but I have appointments I have to keep myself. Don’t forget to come to the health center when you’re done. The nurses on staff will escort you to my office, all you have to do is tell them your name.”

“Thanks, Dr. Kavanagh,” she replied with gratitude, smiling now. She felt the need to call him doctor when he was on campus in his suit and lab coat.

“You don’t have to address me so formally, Jaycee. I’d like to think we’re friends now. After all, I don’t let just
anyone
cry on my shoulder.” He brushed the remaining tears from her cheek and gave her a tender smile.

“Okay…Jonathan.” The blush that rose to her cheek was no surprise by now, but still she felt silly. When would she grow accustomed to receiving so much attention from such wonderfully handsome men? Possibly after a year or two…

“I should go. Do you want me to walk you to the admin building?” Despite his declarations that he needed to keep his schedule, it was harder than Jonathan thought it would be to leave her.

“If you don’t mind? Well, really…
only
if it won’t make you late.” Jaycee didn’t want to let Jonathan go either, but she couldn’t be selfish.

“Then off we go?” He offered her his hand to help her up. It was a shame he couldn’t hold her hand across campus, but some of the faculty would frown upon it seeing as he was sort of faculty himself. He was tempted to say screw it, and hold her hand anyway, but he didn’t want to endanger his good standing at the university. Especially now that he needed to keep an eye on Jaycee.

Jonathan took Jaycee to the steps of the admin building, before giving her hand a quick kiss, and heading off to work. Jaycee walked straight in and looked for the bathroom. She found a sign right away and ducked in. She splashed cold water on her face. It was the best she could do given the circumstances. She needed a shower and time for her eyes to deflate, but at least she looked mostly presentable now. “Here goes nothing,’” Jaycee muttered to her own eyes in the mirror.

Finding the right office wasn’t hard, the school had placed large banners with directions all around the building. When she approached the office, she couldn’t stifle the groan that escaped. There was a huge line. Now she knew why there hadn’t been any other new students walking the campus. They had all been smart enough to arrive early this morning. Jaycee wondered if it would be better to head to another office first, but no…everything else would require proof of enrollment. Ten minutes…fifteen…twenty, she felt like she’d spent her entire life in this line. Jaycee prayed the campus bookstore would have shorter lines. Hoping to get through the tasks on her to-do list before the campus offices closed might be hoping for too much.

Digging in her backpack, she located all her relevant paperwork. Now she would have to hold it, but at least it would speed up her time at the window. Several other students had already filled in the line behind her. Most of the students kept their heads down or played on their phones. Jaycee had never really felt bereft without a smartphone until now. Instead of playing solitaire, she found herself recounting the last forty-eight hours. Had it really only been a day since she’d met the guys? She rarely (or never) let anyone in, especially men, but here she’d grown close to five of them in one day. College really could be life-changing.

When Jaycee finally reached the desk, she was practically asleep. The fear of mishandling her final steps toward being a full-time student woke her up in a hurry. She’d smiled for her photo, and made small talk with the staff. Luckily her photo wasn’t too bad. She’d already been there two hours. She still needed to retrieve her textbooks, have lunch, and purchase a meal plan. She’d left that till the last minute so she could get a look at the food before making a decision.

Decision made. She was not getting a meal plan. Lunch left her feeling nauseated. She would have been smarter to eat the fast food in the student union. Lesson learned. Not all campus meals are created equal. Jaycee had her books, her ID, and a belly fully of disgusting lasagna. Now all she had to do was find her way back to the health center. Easy, right?

Eight wrong turns, dead ends, and deceiving short cuts later, Jaycee was exhausted. Maybe she should have found a printed map, instead of relying on the one in her head. After all, it seemed the original map might have been out of date. A factor she hadn’t considered when she had done her pre-plan strategizing.

When Jaycee finally found the health center it was two thirty. She still needed to get a shower for the day, but since she’d showered late yesterday it hadn’t been a full twenty-four hours yet. She longed to see the guys again. Needing a friendly face, Jaycee approached the health center’s front desk.

“I’m here to see Dr. Kavanagh,” Jaycee told the nurse at the desk.

“Do you have an appointment? You’ll need to sign in.” The nurse was busy typing away on her computer, not looking at Jaycee.

“No, I’m not here for an exam. My name’s Jaycee and—”

“Oh! You’re Jaycee? Sorry, dear, I’ve been so busy today. I forgot Dr. Kavanagh said to keep an eye out for you. Right this way, hon. He’s with a patient, but I’ll let him know you’re here.” The nurse was probably in her late forties, blond curly hair cut short to her head. Jaycee hadn’t meant to disturb Jonathan. She had merely hoped to be shown to his office, but she guessed he would need to be informed she had arrived. Although, Sean
had
given her their numbers. She could have saved him the trouble, and done it herself. She supposed it was too late to worry about it now. Besides, it seemed like he’d been expecting to see her directly.

The nice nurse led her down a pastel hallway, past several open exam room doors, and around a corner. She passed all the usual hallway-situated equipment: blood pressure cuff on wheels, scale, etc. Until she arrived at a locked door. The nurse unlocked the door and ushered Jaycee inside. The walls were covered in wood paneling, and the room was dominated by a large oak desk situated in front of a window covered in blinds. Two chairs sat before the desk and Jaycee slid into the one on the right.