Page 91 of Even Ground

Opening up the computer, I ponder Skyping Delaney. But it’s after eleven at night over there, and she needs all the rest she can get when the baby’s due any day.

I flick off a message to Reece.

Me: You awake?

Reece: Want to talk?

Me: I don’t want to bother Delaney.

Reece: She went to bed early tonight. I’ll Skype you.

The call comes through on my laptop, and I take a deep breath before accepting. Reece’s face fills the screen. I swallow hard. He’s sitting in bed, too, with no shirt on. I can’t see below his pecs, but I know what the ripples of his abs look like.

It still makes it hard to concentrate when those spring to mind.

“What’s the time over there?” Reece’s gaze shifts for a second. “It’s still early. Didn’t you have a date tonight?”

I brush an errant piece of hair off my face. “I did.”

“Look at you all prettied up. Not bad.” He winks, and my heart leaps. Why did I even accept the stupid date when I’m head over heels for Reece?

“So, why are you home?”

I shrug. “He was a dick.”

“Good.” His expression straightens as his smile disappears. “I mean, not that he was a dick to you. Good that you’re home.”

My eyebrows creep up as he seems to scrabble for words for a change.

“I told him I was going to the bathroom and then left through the back door.”

He laughs. “What did he do? Do I have to come all the way there and kick his ass?”

I shake my head, though my heart is pounding at the thought. “We got there, ordered, and then he tells me he can’t pay.”

Reece’s mouth falls open. “He did not.”

“He did.”

Reece facepalms “Man, I have done some dumb things in my life, but nothing like that.”

“No, because you’re actually a decent person.”

He peeks out between his spread fingers. “Thanks.”

I lean back on my stack of pillows. “I left through the back door and caught an Uber home. I’m just wondering now how long it took for him to work out I’d left. And whether he ended up paying for the meals or pleading poverty.”

Reece chuckles. “What a dumbass he must be to think he can pull one over you.”

I wriggle to get comfortable. “I thought about calling Delaney, but I know it’s late over there and she’ll need all the sleep she can get right now.”

He nods. “Yeah, I was over there earlier but decided to come home and let them have some space. Things are pretty dire. Josh cooked dinner.”

I clap my hand over my mouth. “What?”

“Delaney had a headache so she went to bed early. I told him we should get pizza or something, but he was determined to make her something to eat.”

“Let me guess … grilled cheese?”

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