Page 30 of Savage Beauty

“Are you interviewing for jobs there? Weren’t you interested in an opportunity in the Richmond area?”

Job hunting. Yes, that works. “Yes, I’ll be doing some job hunting.” It’s a twist of the truth. If all goes well, I’ll be back at my old job, doing what I love.

“It seems to me Max likes you.” She didn’t even see him in his tight t-shirt, and she’s teasing me?

“He doesn’t. We kissed last night, and he’s been mean ever since.”

“You kissed!” Her squeal has me pushing the phone back, but then the scene widens and the glass doors behind my head enter the screen with the reflection of the Caribbean, and I bring it back up to my face.

“Tell me all about it.” She’s grinning again, beaming really.

“There’s nothing much to tell.” I think back to the way he pressed me against the wall and his plea to play along. And I did exactly what he said. I thought it was a good kiss. One of my better kisses, if not my best. “He’s been terse ever since it happened. Snappy.”

“Oh. Did you instigate the kiss?”

I roll my eyes. As if it matters who instigates it. I’ve come on to men and they’ve come on to me. In the past, every single time, the man became nicer to me. Max is different. He didn’t like our kiss. He didn’t enjoy kissing me. And that’s fine. It’s not like I expected he would want a relationship. I’m different, and I am absolutely okay with that. I thought we might have sex, but he’s not interested, and that’s fine.

“Sloane, don’t take it personally. He’s probably focused on the job at hand. You may be in D.C., but they still don’t know who’s doing all this. And he’s the only one with you right now, right?”

A seagull squawks off in the distance.

“What was that?”

“The television. Can I call you later?” My thumb hovers over the red circle, and I recall the most important thing. “And Sage. Go to the doctor, okay?”

My sister is different, too, but differently. She needs to be careful.

After we share I love yous, because Sage always wants to say, ‘I love you,’ the call ends. I set the phone down, and a mechanical whir sounds.

“How’s Sage?”

“She’s considering having children.”

“What?” Max’s jaw drops, but then he recovers and resumes his normal beefcake facade. “I mean, I know Knox is pretty serious about her.”

“She had a heart and lung transplant twelve years ago. It’s a risk she doesn’t need to take.”

“Knox mentioned something about that. Look, I can talk to him?—”

“It’s not up to him. It’s up to her. And she shouldn’t be considering it.”

“Well, sure, but they’re kind of new?—”

“It’s not about them. It’s about her. The doctors warned her.”

“They told her she can’t have kids?”

What did they say, exactly? Mom cried. She cried a lot back then. Of course, it all depends on how Sage is doing. She might be okay. I haven’t been to any of her medical appointments in years. A dull throb behind my temple commences, and I rub over the tender area. “Adoption is the safest option.”

“Well, look at that. Neither of you is choosing the safest option.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You’re insisting on breaking into this lab. That’s not safe.”

The worst that would happen is they file charges for breaking and entering. Unfortunately, nothing on my old laptop’s hard drives had anything of relevance. Also, none of my old laptops connect to Origins Laboratories. I’m not sure what they did with the laptop I left behind when I followed Anton Solonov out of the lab. If I could find my work laptop, that would be ideal. But the next best solution is getting on the network.

“Look at it from your sister’s side.” He pulls up a lounge chair. His shadow extends over my thigh. “Have you ever tried to do that?”

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