Targeting the Teacher

Part 23

Chapter 23

“This is ridiculous,” Carson mumbled as leaned closer to her.  “Why couldn’t we take Dad’s SUV?”

Spencer turned in the seat in front of him, but couldn’t make it far sandwiched in between Logan and Asher.  “Because they needed it later.”  Spencer pushed Asher, being careful not to hit Logan as he steered them towards the doctor’s office.  “At least you have room back there.  Why in the hell don’t any of us have a bigger vehicle?”

“I thought Logan’s truck was big,” Amy said, causing them all to stare at her with a glare.  With a large smile, she dug her elbow into Carson’s side.  “Plus, if you would have let me sit in the middle, you’d have more room.”

Carson’s look said that she was insane, and in case she couldn’t read his expression, he glanced down at her clothing and raised an eyebrow.  “I thought we had a talk about you shopping in the children’s section.”

“Spencer picked it out.”

“Ouch! What was that for?” Spencer shouted as he rubbed the back of his head where Carson smacked him moments earlier.

“For being an idiot.”

“Kids,” Asher interrupted, glancing at each one of the briefly before bringing his attention back to the phone in his hands.  “If you don’t quit fighting, I’ll make you walk the rest of the way.”

Laughter came from the right corner of the truck, and this time, it was Jaxon who was on the receiving end of their glares.  “What?” he asked with another chuckle.

Amy smiled at the sound, making Carson snort.  “Just because I like you, Jaxon, that doesn’t give you free rein to ogle my sister.”

“Wait,” Spencer said, once more trying to turn in his seat.  “We like him now?”

“Nope,” Logan and Asher said together, while Carson just shrugged.  “He’s not so bad.  He passed the first test.”

She froze in her seat, staring at Carson as if he had just sprouted horns.  “You have got to be kidding me!”  He jumped before turning to look at her with slightly widened eyes.  “You promised you were through with that.”

“No,” Asher said, still not glancing up from his phone.  “We promised that we’d stop putting random people through the tests when we hadn’t gotten to know them for more than twenty-four hours.  Seeing as we stayed under the same roof as Jaxon, I can safely say that we’ve known him for a longer duration of time.”

“Bad move,” Spencer whispered with a chuckle, and Asher finally glanced up from his phone with a wince.

“Sorry, Amy,” he mumbled as he attempted to push his phone in his pocket.  When he couldn’t perform the action, he sighed before tossing it into the glove box.

She stared at him with a frown.  “Why are you apologizing?  For the lawyer talk?  We all know that you get like that when one of your cases is bothering you.  You go from sounding like our older brother to sounding like a lawyer in about two seconds.  So, which case is it this time?”

“I don’t do that,” he grumbled in protest, but when they all sent him a disbelieving look, he sighed, rubbed his hands over his eyes, and nodded.  “Okay, maybe I do, but we all know that I can’t talk about it.”

Logan chuckled.  “I thought the military kept things confidential, but we have nothing on lawyers and doctors.”

The words sent Amy back to reality, sent her thoughts from amusement to dread.  Soon, they’d be at her ex’s place of work, soon, she’d have to look him in the eyes and pretend that she didn’t still hurt.  She just hoped she could do it.  She hoped that she could smile through the sadness, the disappointment that echoed through her.