Page 4 of Sexual Healing
“I think she’s already got the idea that you’re serious about her, Dan.”
“Because I’m not seeing anyone else…”
“What about Sandra?”
“That’s strictly a friendship for little Brent’s sake. I want him to feel like he’s special to me. And if I’m nice to his mother and not using her, that should help.”
“I wish I could give him more,” Ryan said.
“You’ve got enough on your plate,” Dan said. “You take care of my boys. I can do this. And having a platonic relationship with Sandra is interesting. She’s a lot smarter than I gave her credit for.”
“She’s a fucking snake,” Hocus said. “But you didn’t hear it from me.”
The others looked at her, a little surprised. She was certainly forthcoming for being the hired help. But just like Pam, making everyone around her feel special, Hocus felt like a family member whose opinions were valued.
“What did she ever do to you?” Lisa asked, ready to put her in her place. Hocus knew too much about the family.
“I have eyes, and they tell me she’s out for one thing and that’s position. She knows that her son is in line for money if there is a death in the family.”
“You mean my death?” Pam asked, appalled. “I’d never considered Sandra a threat to my well-being.”
“She might be one to commit a murder, although I’ve heard that she was once thought to have killed her rich boyfriend’s wife…”
“You mean Michael Bennett’s wife? You know she was married to Sandra’s ex.”
“I must have missed that.”
“Oh yes, Tom Adams, handsome cop who went off his rocker over Sandra.”
“She’s a temptress alright,” Hocus said in a low voice. “Dan, you should keep your distance. Find a way to see the child without exposing yourself to her. She’s pure evil.”
“I can do that,” he said. “My people were attuned to spiritual stuff. I guess it wouldn’t kill me to pay more attention to it.”
“Exactly. Imagine if we all heeded warnings from our intuition and our ancestors.”
A perfectly timed knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Jake had arrived. But it didn’t take long for everyone to see there was a serious problem. Pam let him in the front door, and they kissed a friendly kiss, as usual, and then he followed her to the kitchen.
But about halfway there, he stumbled, and Pam and Dan, who was standing near the counter, caught him.
“Two left feet?” Dan teased.
“Jake, are you okay?” Pam asked when he didn’t respond, and they lowered him to the floor.
He didn’t answer. They went from thinking he was just fooling around to terror.
Ryan leapt forward to help them lay Jake on the floor. “Call for the squad,” he said. “He’s struggling to breathe.”
The next minutes were fraught with hysteria, seeing Jake failing before their eyes.
“Jake, hang on,” Pam begged, thinking,He’s going to be okay. This is just a fainting spell.
“Should we do something?” Pam cried. “What about CPR?”
“He’s still breathing on his own. Look, his color is even better.”
Slowly, while they waited for the rescue squad to arrive, Jake closed his eyes, and it appeared that his breathing was not as labored, the rhythm regular.
“He seems better,” Lisa said, kneeling next to Pam.