“Michael and I have an agreement. No employee/client relationships. He has a job to do, and I expect him to do it. I’m not kidding, Em.”
My upper lip trembled, and I had an irrational desire to cry. What was my problem? I considered unloading my frustration on Thomas, but he was saved when Dru came running into the kitchen from their bedroom, waving something in her hand and screaming.
My brother jumped up from his chair, cereal forgotten as he scooped Dru into his arms. With all the laughing and crying, I couldn’t understand a word they were saying.
“Put me down, Thomas!” Giving him a smacking kiss, she wiggled until he placed her feet tenderly on the ground. I finally realized what she held in her hand.
A pregnancy test.
Several emotions passed through me as the truth hit. Gratitude, because I knew they had wanted this for a very long time. Joy, because I knew my family was expanding in the best possible way. And finally, my familiar nemesis, anxiety, because where would I live once the baby was born?
Dru must have read the concern on my face, because she pulled me into a tight hug.
“Don’t worry! We’ve been holding out on renting the third loft for this very reason—in case we needed to expand. After all this time, we didn’t want to set ourselves up to be disappointed, but we couldn’t help it. Auntie Em isn’t going anywhere. Unless you want to.”
“No! No, I want to stay.” It was true. “As long as you’ll have me.”
“We want you here with us. All three of us.” Thomas reached out for my hand and gave it a quick squeeze. I hadn’t seen him this happy in a long time. The way that he looked at Dru made me feel the need to disappear.
“I think I’m going to head out for a run, give you two some time to, um, talk about nursery colors. Congratulations. You’re going to be amazing parents.” I hurried to my bedroom, tears close to the surface, threatening my badass reputation. I quickly changed into a sports bra and running shorts, grabbing a hair elastic and carrying my shoes and iPod to put on outside. Dru and Thomas were nowhere to be seen as I walked through the living room. The closed door to their bedroom suggested they were celebrating the way I thought they would.
Good thing I ran distance.
I cranked the volume, letting classic alternative rock numb my brain. I didn’t want to think about anything but running and breathing. The late-summer day was perfect, leaves just tinged with color, stirring in the slight breeze. I couldn’t wait until they blazed red and gold and the shop fronts were decorated with fat orange pumpkins and spicy-smelling mums.
I wondered if Michael would still be around then.
People were out en masse, walking dogs, pushing babies in strollers, enjoying runs of their own. I cruised along the sidewalk toward Riverbend Park, settling into a moderate pace as I followed the path some genius developer I was related to put in place a couple of years ago to appeal to local families and tourists.
Thomas and Dru brought so much to our town. They met when he left a prestigious architectural firm and started his own business, his main goal to renovate downtown Ivy Springs. She was new to the design business and consulted on his first job. It began as a professional relationship, but it didn’t take long for that to change. They’d been married for six months when my parents died.
I fiercely loved both of them, and I knew they felt the same way about me. The guilt of not being completely honest with them about the medication situation ate away at me. But I really didn’t want them to worry, and now that a baby was on the way … well. They had other things to think about, even though Thomas had apparently appointed himself as the boss of my love life. Maybe now he’d be so consumed with picking out names and setting up a college fund that he’d leave me alone. Kicking my pace into high gear, I kept my eyes to the ground to avoid any surprises and settled into my rhythm.
Until I slammed into a solid wall of muscle, hitting it so hard my teeth rattled. Clenching my fists in front of my face and jumping back into a wide stance, I faced my would-be attacker.
Michael.
My scream died in my throat, and I jerked my earbuds from my ears. “What the—you can’t scare people like that!”
Michael’s mouth formed an O of surprise, and then he doubled over, laughing so hard he gasped for breath. Staring down angrily at him, I couldn’t help but admire the muscle tone in his tanned arms and legs. When he looked up at me, his gaze turned appreciative. Wishing I’d thrown on a T-shirt instead of just a sports bra, I crossed my arms over my chest, hoping it made me look pouty instead of self-conscious.
Michael tried to arrange his face into a serious expression, going through several before finally settling on one. “I’m sorry. Jumping out at you was not a smart move.”
“It’s fine.” It really wasn’t.
“I just didn’t expect you to go all ninja on me.” Michael lost the battle and gave himself over to laughter again. I found myself wishing I’d managed to land at least one solid kick before I figured out who he was. I glared at him for another moment then resumed my run.
It took him a few seconds, but soon I could hear him pacing me. It had to be hard for him since his legs were so much longer than mine, but I didn’t care. He deserved to suffer. We ran in silence for a while until I snuck a sideways look at him. He was still laughing. I stopped so fast he ran right past me.
Spinning around, he clasped one hand over his mouth. He would have been wise to put the other hand over his eyes because they were giving everything away.
“Michael, knock it off.”
He reached out, hooked his arm around my neck, and pulled me to his side. I waited for him to give me a noogie and tried not to be intrigued by the full-body tingle.
“I apologize,” he said, but I heard the smile in his voice. “I really do. You’re just so damn cute.”
“And so damn sweaty,” I said, looking up at him sideways.
Maybe it was our close proximity, or that he had his arm around me and we were both sweating and breathing hard. All I knew was that even though I was hotter than hell, the second our eyes met my whole body convulsed in one giant chill. Our gaze stayed locked for an endless moment before he released me and gently pushed me away.
“Truce?” Michael asked hesitantly, holding out one hand.
I struggled to catch my breath, willing my gooseflesh to disappear. When I finally regained control, I gave him a sweet smile and reached out to shake.
Then I flipped him over my shoulder.
As he lay on the ground panting, I walked to stand over him, looking down, my smile still in place. “So I’ll see you later?”
He blinked once. I took that as a yes.
Chapter 10
When I got back to the loft, Dru and Thomas were gone. I felt great. The sass was back. It’s amazing what flipping a grown man over her shoulder does for a girl.
After a shower, I borrowed Dru’s laptop, taking it to the cushy chair in my room to settle in, enjoying the rich scent of the buttery leather. I got cozy—good thing—since I searched for an hour before I found what I was looking for. Just when I was about to give up, I came across a blurb in the Bennett Review about a scholarship funded by the founder of the Hourglass, Liam Ballard. I searched his name.
Jackpot.
I uncurled myself from the corner of the chair, placing the computer on my ottoman and leaning over so I could better focus on the screen. When I clicked on the first article, a huge picture of a completely devastated building popped up below the caption: No Answers in Laboratory Fire.