Page 16 of The Infinite Light of Dust

Elodie laughed. “Yes, that’s perfect.Je t’aime toi aussi.”

I closed my stinging eyes, finding myself wishing that she and my brother could run away together and raise the baby and live happily ever after. I knew that was so far from reality, that there was no possible way this could end well, but still I daydreamed about it for a moment. When I thought about the futures of Elodie, my brother, Kael, and Phillips, I had a pit in my stomach. Whether it was my anxiety or not, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of something bigger, something really bad, for all of us.

We closed our shift with three more clients, an unusually busy day, but we both needed the distraction, to say the least. I smiled down at my phone, staring at the selfies Kael had sent me throughout the day. I felt silly holding my phone up and giggling at my reflection on the screen. After ten attempts, I made a silly face and sent it before I could change my mind.

He responded immediately:

Wow, my first selfie from you. I’m honored.

Shush, I’m trying.

As I said, I’m honored. How was work? Are you home yet?

I looked around the messy lobby. I still needed to vacuum, wipe the counters down, move my bedding from the washer to the dryer, wait for it to dry, restock and fold the towels, do the bookkeeping for the day, check the schedule for the next day, and shut down the computer. I would be at the spa for at least another hour and a half minimum, and it was already eight. My eyes burned and I yawned while I responded to his text.

I have to clean up. Elodie’s gone home.

Do you want help?

No, you’re already so busy. I appreciate you offering, but I’m going to put my phone away and do it all as fast as I can. I’ll text you when I’m home, okay?

He didn’t respond as fast as he had been, so I put my distracting phone away and got to work. As I was wiping the front glass with a towel, I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone appeared through the little dots of cleaner I’d sprayed. My heart rate dropped when I realized it was Kael. I quickly unlocked the door and let him in.

“What are you doing here? I said I didn’t need help,” I said, though I was so damn glad to see him.

“No.” He kissed my forehead, hugging me with one arm, and then kissed the top of my head. “You said you didn’twanthelp, not that you didn’t need it.”

“You’re annoying.” I smiled, hugging him tighter.

“Thank you.” He laughed, his chest gently shaking against my body.

Kael took the towel from my hand and gently turned my shoulders toward the hall that led to the treatment rooms. “You take that side, and I got this side. Deal?” he offered, his beautiful face and warm voice rushing over me.

I nodded as he locked the door, deciding that instead of arguing with him or trying to do it all myself, I would accept his help without a fight, for once. We finished all the closing duties in less than thirty minutes and the shop had never been cleaner or more organized.

“Two is always better than one,” he said as he wound up the cord on the vacuum.

“You must be so exhausted.” I pointed to the paint, dirt, and unrecognizable matter covering his clothes.

He was dressed in a black T-shirt and sweats, but they were so covered in stuff that they looked like a designer outfit that was made to look that way.

“So do you,” he countered. “How’s Elodie feeling?”

“Her feet are really swollen, and I couldn’t stand the idea of her being on them any longer today. Plus Austin is at my house, so I figured I would give them some time.”

Kael rolled the vacuum past me and I followed him down the hall to put it back in the closet.

“He’s been practically withering away at my place the last few days without seeing her.”

“Are we accomplices in this whole thing? Like we both know this is wrong, but we’re basically aiding and abetting an affair.” I leaned against the wall.

“It’s not so black and white,” he said.

“I never thought I would be okay with an affair, under any circumstance, but I feel so bad for them. Phillips, too, to a point, but honestly, I hate him, so I don’t feel that bad for him. But does that make me just as guilty?”

Kael stepped toward me, cupping my face with his hands. “You’re not guilty of anything. They’re adults and they make their own choices. As people who care about them, all we can do is hope for the best and mind our business.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You make it sound so easy. Mind my business, as if I’m capable of that.”

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