Page 35 of About Last Night

A mother who doted on her prodigal son, Janine thought. Loath to state the obvious, but unable to help herself, Janine said, "It doesn't seem fair that you would have to sacrifice your livelihood because of your brother's selfishness."

He shrugged, moving mounds of muscle. "Life isn't fair. I'll be fine. I'm just glad I don't have a family to provide for." He pointed to her left hand. "I guess Steve doesn't have to worry about those kinds of things."

She glanced down at her engagement ring, the diamonds huge and lustrous. Funny, but as beautiful as the heirloom was, she would've preferred that Steve give her something smaller, a ring he'd bought for her himself. Or one they'd purchased together. If truth be known, she was still in awe of Steve's family's money, and not entirely comfortable with the concept of being rich. Sure, Steve had worked hard to get through medical school, but a trust fund had covered his expenses, so when he completed his residency, he hadn't faced the enormous loans like most med students. And herself.

Steve lived in a nice home in Midtown, a very hip area. When they married, he would pay off her school loans, and their lives would be filled with relative luxury, as would their children's.

Assuming they actually had sex and conceived children, that is.

"Steve always insisted on the very best," Derek said, pouring himself another cup of coffee.

Was he referring to the ring, she wondered, or to her? Warmth flooded her face. "I suppose I should call him and let him know what's going on," she said, then glanced up quickly. "Well, n-noteverythingthat's going on."

One of his dark eyebrows arched as he sipped from the cup dwarfed by his fingers. "Nothing is going on," he said mildly.

"Right," she said, standing abruptly. "Absolutely nothing. Which is what I'll tell him—that absolutely nothing is going on."

He pursed his mouth. "He has no reason to think otherwise."

"You're right," she said, walking to the phone. "After all, he thinks I'm staying with... what exactly did you tell him?"

"That you were staying with the medical personnel."

"Oh, right. Did Steve say he'd be at home? He took a few days off work for the wedding."

"He said he'd be at his parents'."

Janine exhaled, puffing out her cheeks. "I might as well get this over with." She punched in the number, and just as she expected, his mother answered the phone.

"Lilah, this is Janine."

"Janine! Well, isn't this the most perfectly horrible mess? I have every TV in the house on watching for news of the quarantine, and Lance is calling a friend of his at the CDC to arrange for you to be released immediately."

Janine tamped down resentment that the Larsens believed every situation could be corrected by pulling in favors. "I appreciate Lance's efforts, but since I've been directly exposed to the illness, I seriously doubt they'll make an exception."

Her future mother-in-law pshawed. "You'll learn soon how many doors the name Larsen will open for you in this town, my dear. Just let Lance handle everything. And you're not really in a position to argue, are you?"

Janine frowned. "What do you mean?"

"If you hadn't gone to the hotel, we could've moved the wedding to the club. If we can get you out by noon, we might still be able to make it work. By the way," she said, her tone suspicious, "whydidyou go to the resort?"

"To, um... to talk to Steve." Her prim-and-proper future mother-in-law was the last person she'd share her marital concerns with, especially since she was certain Steve had been conceived by immaculate conception. "Is Steve there?"

"Yes, I'll call him to the phone."

As the woman trilled in the background, Janine's heart banged against her ribs. She heard the indistinct rumble of Steve's voice, then, "Janine?"

"Hi," she said, alarmed that his voice did not overwhelm her with the comfort she craved.

"Are you calling from the hotel?"

"Yes. The quarantine hasn't been lifted yet." A nerve rash pricked at the skin on her chest.

"I guess Derek told you I called earlier this morning."

"Um, yes." She glanced in her roommate's direction. He'd risen quietly and was moving toward the bathroom, to give her privacy, no doubt. "Did you have a good time last night?"

"Sure. Just guy stuff, you know."

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