Page 42 of Just My Ex

“Have you been … safe?”

He hesitates. “Yes. The Ostlins are very powerful and involved in a lot of dealings, none of which are inherently dangerous, but you can’t be too careful.” He studies his hands, scratching at his cuticles. “Evangeline and a couple of her kids are hardworking, but the rest of them? They’re a conglomerate of something like forty family members with too much time on their hands, and way too much money. And they don’t understand the word no.”

“Sounds like a disastrous combo.”

He laughs, like he’s trying to contain it but can’t. “It feels good to laugh,” he says quietly.

“It feels good to hear you laugh.”

He nods, but then stands and walks towards me. He reaches for the heat pack I’ve thrown on the sofa, rests it on his arm, and gently grasps my shoulders. “Take a load off? It’s been a hard couple of days, Quinn.”

I open my mouth to say something, but there’s nothing to protest. He’s right. And I’m exhausted and sad about Marley.

I rest my head on the pillow, and he places the heat pack on my forehead again. This time, when his fingertips brush across the skin just above my ear, I shiver.

I close my eyes, but I can tell he’s gotten up and turned off the kitchen and living room lights, leaving just the lamp on.

I want to ask him about why he was visiting a real estate site, but that might not be a good idea. Is that too personal? Besides, I’m not sure I even want to know his answer.

I need to go to bed. Lying on a couch across from my ex is an impossibly bad idea.

And there aren’t any justifications for this behavior that make any sense. I’m mulling all of this over when I hear a knock on the suite door.

Chapter 15

Henry

I won’t say I knew there’d be a knock at the door. I’m no fortune teller.

But I’m prepared for it.

I always am, it’s part of the gig—a blessing and a curse.

“Stay here,” I warn Quinn, placing a finger over my mouth. I pull up the security footage for this top floor, north hallway on my iPad.

There’s no one there. But I go to the door to check it out, scanning with my eyes and ears. Still nothing, so I open it cautiously.

An envelope must have been propped up on the door because it falls over when I open it. I bend to pick it up and when I stand, Quinn’s there by my side, startling me.

I jump—just a little.

Quinn’s hand goes flying to cover a laugh. “I’m so sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t scare me. You surprised me.”

She rolls her eyes. “Uh, practice? You said no one can hurt me if they can’t surprise me … catch me off guard.”

I shake my head. “Well thanks for the practice then. But I told you to stay put.”

“I could tell from the sofa there was no one there. It’s fine.”

She reaches for the thin business-sized envelope, and I move it away from her grasp. “Don’t accept packages or gifts from an unknown. Don’t you remember the rules?”

“Well, we can’t not open it.”

Holding it in front of me with two fingers, I bring the envelope carefully to the kitchen sink, using one hand to pull off a bunch of paper towels and then rummage in a drawer. When I pull out a sharp knife, she snickers.

“You gonna skewer it to death?”

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