37. Jasmine

37

JASMINE

J asmine paced the length of her and Ell-rom's bedroom, her phone clutched in her sweaty hand. The number was already pulled up on the screen—she just needed to press the call button. Simple as that.

Except it wasn't simple at all.

She hadn't spoken to her father in over a year, and their last conversation had been...well, typical. He'd criticized her career choices, her lifestyle, the men she dated, and her entire existence, really. And now she needed to call him and ask about using his hunting cabin in hopes of getting him there alone so she could interrogate him about her mother with the help of a Guardian.

"Just call him," Ell-rom said softly from the couch. "What can he do to you over the phone?

She shot him a look. "Make me feel worthless, stupid, a colossal disappointment. "

He rose to his feet and pulled her into his arms. "He can say whatever he wants, but none of that is true, and you know it. You are a wonderful and incredibly gifted person, both paranormally and normally. You are also gorgeous, kind, and loving, and you make everyone around you feel good, unlike your father, who seems to thrive on making everyone around him miserable."

"Thank you." She kissed his cheek. "You always know the right things to say."

"I only say the truth." He let her pull out of his arms. "Anything else I can do to help?"

Jasmine shook her head, running her fingers through her hair. "Unless you can magically make my father less judgmental or give me ideas for what I'm going to tell him about my life. I'm no longer acting and working in customer service, and I'm no longer living in the apartment I've been renting for years."

"Actually..." Ell-rom rubbed a hand over his jaw. "I have an idea." He took her hand and led her to the couch. "How about working for Perfect Match? They're known for their secrecy, right? You could say you're training in their secret location."

The idea appealed to her. "That's perfect. I can evade all his questions by saying that I signed a nondisclosure agreement and I can't tell him anything. Then I can say that I'm about to finish the training program and would like to spend a weekend in the cabin with a great guy I met there. A software engineer. He's going to love that."

Ell-rom chuckled. "What's this special someone's name?"

"Eli." The name slipped out without conscious thought. "Eli Romulus. It's close enough to Ell-rom that I won't slip up but common enough not to raise questions."

"I like it." He wrapped an arm around her. "See? You've got this. A perfectly reasonable cover story that explains everything without revealing anything."

Jasmine leaned into his embrace. "I just hope he won't make me so nervous that I forget the cover story. I always get so anxious when I talk to him."

Ell-rom pressed a kiss to her temple. "You'll do fine. We need answers about your mother, and he's the only one who might have them. There is no way around this."

The mention of her mother sent a familiar ache through Jasmine's chest. "I think that's what makes me the most anxious. I'm afraid to find out that he had something to do with her disappearance. I'm not close to him, but he's my only remaining family, and I don't want to lose him."

"I understand." He put a hand on her shoulder. "No one wants to find out that their parent is a monster."

She nodded, twisting the phone in her hands. "If it were just about me, I might have given up on ever finding out, but this involves Annani and Khiann. If her mate is out there somewhere and my mother is the key to finding him, I have to find her. I need to stop being such a chicken about this."

"You're not being a chicken." Ell-rom's voice was gentle. "You're brave to face this head-on."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "How do you always know exactly what to say to me?"

"I don't. I just want to tell you the truth as I see it. And the truth is, you're one of the strongest people I know."

She snorted. "Now you're just flattering me."

He caught her hand and squeezed it. "You've built a life for yourself despite your father's disapproval. You've pursued your dreams even when everyone said that they were impossible. And now you're willing to face painful truths for the sake of others." His eyes held hers. "That's strength, Jasmine."

Tears pricked at her eyes, but she blinked them back. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too." He brushed his thumb across her cheek. "And I'll be right here, holding your hand while you make this call."

Jasmine nodded, straightening her spine. "Okay. I can do this." She looked down at the device clutched in her hand. "But I need to pace while I'm talking with him, so I can't hold your hand."

"Do you want me to give you privacy? "

"No." She patted his shoulder. "Stay right here. Please."

"Of course." He settled on the couch while she rose to her feet and started pacing again.

She took another deep breath, mentally reviewing her cover story one more time. She worked for Perfect Match. She was in their training program. She'd met a software engineer named Eli. Simple. Believable. Close enough to the truth that she wouldn't trip over the lies.

Her thumb hovered over the call button. "What if he asks for details about the program?"

"It's classified," Ell-rom reminded her. "Perfect Match is famous for its secrecy. He'll expect that, and if not, he can look it up."

"Right." She nodded. "And if he asks about Eli?"

Ell-rom smiled. "Say that he's handsome, irresistible, and a god in bed."

When she laughed, he added, "Eli is also kind and smart, and you're serious about him."

"Right. I'll also tell him that you are rich. He always says that I'm dating losers."

"Well, that's not true, but since you are already making up a story, go for it."

She shrugged. "I could tell him that you are a prince, which is true, and that I'm immortal now, which is also true and much more impressive than anything else I could tell him, but he won't believe that."

"You don't need his approval, Jasmine. "

She knew he was right. She'd built a life she was proud of, found love she never expected, and discovered a community that accepted her completely. Her father's opinion shouldn't matter anymore.

Jasmine nodded, and before she could talk herself out of it again, she pressed the call button.

The line connected, and after two rings, her father's gruff voice came through. "Who is this?"

"It's me, Dad." Jasmine winced at how small her voice sounded. "I got a new phone number."

A pause. "Well, this is unexpected."

She forced brightness into her tone. "I know, it's been a while. How is the family?"

"Since when do you care about them?" His disdain was clear even through the phone. "Last I checked, you and Matthew weren't speaking, and Kevin blocked you on Facebook."

Jasmine kept her voice steady. "I'm trying to be better about family connections. How are they?"

"Fine." Another pause. "Matthew's made junior partner at his firm. Kevin's engaged."

Of course, he'd brag about her stepbrothers' achievements. He always did, even though they weren't even his sons.

"That's...nice."

"What about you? Are you still waiting for that big role that will never come?"

"Actually, I got hired by Perfect Match. Have you heard about them? "

"The dating company?" His tone dripped with disdain. "Is this another one of your acting schemes?"

"They are not just a dating company. They provide virtual experiences for people with mobility issues, training for pilots, skydiving, skiing, and whatever you can just imagine. They are growing at a rapid rate, and the pay is exceptional."

She knew he would react to the last part.

"I'm glad that you've finally come to your senses. What exactly do you do there?"

"I can't discuss the details. They had me sign a very restrictive NDA. They are very secretive and protective about their software and hardware."

"Yeah, I've heard that about them."

This was good. It made things easier.

"I've also met someone?—"

"Of course you have." The sigh that followed carried the weight of years of disappointment. "And let me guess, he's another loser with no income?"

Jasmine gritted her teeth. "His name is Eli, and he holds a very important position in the organization. It's serious between us."

Jasmine was proud of the way she'd phrased it. She'd managed not to lie but still make Ell-rom sound like the type of guy her father wanted her to date .

"Hmm." The sound managed to convey complete skepticism. "And what's that position?"

She rolled her eyes. "All I can tell you is that he's related to the owners. I can't discuss what he does for the company."

"Aha. A loser whose parents are supporting him by giving him a job in their company. Nothing new there."

Jasmine gritted her teeth. "Dad, I didn't call to debate my life choices." She cast Ell-rom an apologetic smile. "I wanted to ask about using your hunting cabin."

That got his attention. "The cabin? You've never shown an interest in it before."

"Eli and I would like some time away. Somewhere quiet." She forced herself to add, "If that's okay with you."

"When?"

"My training program ends next week. Any weekend after that is good."

"Hmm." Papers shuffled in the background. "I'm going hunting with the guys the first week of next month. Just Ray is staying with me this year. Greg's knee is acting up, and Mike's wife won't let him come. Joe and his usual gang are staying in his cabin."

Jasmine's heart quickened. This was the opening she needed. "Oh? So, you are not taking in some of his crew? "

"No." More shuffling. "Just me and Ray. You can use it after that if you want. Just leave it clean."

"Will you be staying the whole week?" she asked.

"What's with all the questions?" His voice sharpened. "Since when do you care about my hunting trips?"

"I just want to make sure we don't overlap," she said quickly. "And you know, catch up. We haven't talked in so long..."

"You're the one who stopped coming for the holidays."

Why come when everyone was going to treat her like an unwanted orphan girl?

She decided to change the subject. "How's Ray doing? Still with the same insurance company?"

"Retired last year." His tone suggested she should have known this. "Listen, Jasmine, I have a client calling on the other line. The cabin's yours any weekend except the first week of next month. Just text me when you're heading out there."

"Thanks, Dad." She hesitated. "It was good talking to you."

"Mmhmm." The line went dead.

Jasmine let the phone drop and fell back on the bed, throwing an arm over her eyes. "Well, that was awful."

Ell-rom joined her. "You did great. You got the information we needed." He brushed her hair back from her face. "Are you okay? "

"No." She let out a shaky laugh. "But I will be. That was actually one of our better conversations. At least he didn't bring up how I'm wasting my life or compare me to his precious boys who aren't even his."

"He doesn't deserve you," Ell-rom said.

Jasmine curled into his side, letting his warmth chase away the chill of the conversation. "Jasmine, the greatest disappointment of his life, who chose to become an actress instead of getting a broker's license and working in insurance."

"His loss." Ell-rom pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You made the call, got the information, and managed to keep your cover story intact. I'm proud of you."