Page 40 of Missing

This isn’t box mac and cheese. Stop worrying.

I kept my apartment clean, so I wouldn’t have to scramble to clean it.It needs some decorative touches. Right now, the only things decorating my living room walls were an American flag, and some shadow boxes with commendations from the Air Force over my desk.

It’d be easy enough to get a few pillows and a throw blanket for the couch, maybe a couple of fake plants, and some candles – women love candles. There really wasn’t much else I wanted to add. I could probably get some wall art, but that felt like something I should put some effort into selecting, not just buy on a whim.

Lists in hand, I got up and went to the reception area to hand in my report for the Spencer job. I waited for Meg to hang up the phone before handing her the folder.

She looked up when she reached for it and a mischievous smile spread across her face, her emerald green eyes sparkling.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing, I just don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so happy to turn in their paperwork.” Amusement coated every word.

I didn’t have time to think of a clever reply before I heard Jack.

“There has to be some other reason he’s happy, because no one likes doing paperwork.” He paused and looked at Jamie’s door as it opened. “Except maybe Jamie, but he’s weird that way.”

“I’m weird in what way?” Jamie asked.

“You like doing paperwork,” Jack answered, clapping him on the shoulder.

“No, I don’t. I just don’t whine about it like a baby,” he shrugged off Jack’s hand, “unlike some people.”

Every day. It was like this every day. Well, some days it was worse, but AJ wasn’t here to escalate the crazy. I loved it, though no one suspected as much because I rarely joined in.

“So why am I being singled out, inaccurately I might add, for liking paperwork?”

“Because, Meg said Doug looked happy to be handing in his paperwork,” Jack answered.

Naturally, they all turned to look at me. Stupid me hadn’t had the forethought to school my features while they teased one another and got caught with a very large smile on my face.

“You do look rather happy.” Jamie asked, “Any particular reason?”

“No, just planning my weekend.” Then before they could ask, I added, “And no, I won’t tell you.”

“Good for you,” Meg said to me before turning to the brothers and shooing them away with a wave of her hand. “Now if you guys don’t mind, I have work to do.”

Thank you, Meg. I wasn’t ready to be on the receiving end of a tag-team interrogation.

Chapter 22

Beth

Dating Doug felt effortless.

The hardest part was working around our schedules, but so far, we were making it work. It’d been less than three weeks, but I was already contemplating asking Doug to join Chase and I for dinner in the near future. A casual dinner with the three of us was the perfect chance to see how they’d get along.

Who am I kidding? Doug had been interacting with Chase for months and Chase adored him.

I was still nervous. It would be the first time I introduced Chase to someone I was dating. No one before Doug had been ‘Chase-worthy’ as I’d started to think of it.

When I started dating, I swore to myself I wouldn’t introduce Chase to anyone unless I serious. He desperately wanted a dad, and I wouldn’t, couldn’t, get his hopes up.

Am I seriously thinking of crossing the line with Doug after only a few dates?Yes,because it felt like we’d packed a lifetime into those dates. Not to mention the hours of conversations we’d had in-between.

After fantasizing what it’d be like to kiss him and feel his strong arms wrapped around me, I finally got to experience the real thing after our first dinner date.I wasn’t disappointed.

I let myself relive the moment.

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