Page 38 of Knocked Up by my Best Friend's Brothers

Anne asks, “Christa, are you okay?”

“Oh, God,” I whisper and hide the letter in my coat pocket.

My mind is racing in every possible direction. Blood pumps through my veins so fast that every pulse drums in my chest and in my ears. I can barely stand as I try to take a deep breath and keep myself upright.

They know where I am.

I covered my tracks. I broke at least a few federal laws to make sure the downfall of Perry-Sage wouldn’t be traced back to me. My employment there was sealed under a nondisclosure agreement since day one because of the sensitive nature of my work for them. I was a little fly on the wall. Nobody ever suspected me.

“Christa?” Anne asks again.

Approaching footsteps cause me to spin around on my heels and I slip. Nathan catches me before I fall, and I hold on to him for dear life.

“Hey, hey,” he gently says, while I dig my fingers into his chiseled arms. I can feel his hard muscles through the fabric of his shirt and jacket. “What’s wrong?”

“What?” I manage, my head swirling in horror.

“You look pale,” he says, subtly pulling me away from the reception desk. “What happened, Christa? Talk to me.”

“I’m… I’m okay. Sorry,” I reply, forcing myself to smile and pretend I didn’t just get a letter from hell. “Sorry,” I say it again. “I think I’m just dehydrated. I tried switching from coffee to herbal tea, but I don’t think it’s helping much.”

His hazel eyes search my face, and I pray to God I can sell this story because I’ve got nothing smarter to say. No better lie. “Are you sure?”

“Yes; I promise.” I laugh lightly. “I think a cherry-glazed bear claw from Frankie’s down the road will help. Maybe it’s a low-blood-sugar thing.”

“Let me take you to your office, at least.”

For a moment or two, I hesitate. Dangerously comfortable in his arms, I’d rather just stay here forever and ignore the note in my coat pocket. But as I glance over his massive shoulder, as I see Anne looking at us with a curious twinkle in her eyes, I quickly remember this isn’t the place for me to find comfort in Nathan’s embrace.

If anything, I need to step away.

I need distance.

“I’m good,” I tell him and back off with a polite smile.

He follows my gaze over to Anne and back, briefly pursing his lips. “You worry me, Christa.”

“Please, don’t worry,” I insist. “I’m fine. I could run a marathon right now, if I wanted. Although I think I’d get winded by the third mile, but I’d finish a decent last, nonetheless.”

The shadow of a smile dances across his face.

It’s a struggle to keep this upbeat mask on mine, though.

“You know what?” I say, coming up with a slightly better idea. “I think I’ll go to Frankie’s first and get that bear claw. I’ll pop by your office later; what do you say?”

“I’m not comfortable with leaving you alone right now.”

“I’m about to get hangry in about…” I pause and jokingly check my watch. “Oh, two and a half minutes, tops. And Frankie’s is five minutes away. That leaves me with two and a half minutes of grumbling like a gremlin until I sink my teeth in a decadently sweet pastry.”

“Christa,” he chuckles softly.

His concern for me is beyond sweet, especially when he’s always so stern and dark and mysterious, always towering over me. Little do people know that behind his ironclad façade is a tender, loving, affectionate man.

I touch his chest briefly. “I’m fine; I promise. I’ll see you upstairs in fifteen minutes.”

“You’d better. I’ll set a timer,” he says and takes his phone out.

As soon as I’m back outside, the sunlight hits my face and I take a deep breath—the river’s whispers quickly reach my ears, and I realize I’m just a few seconds away from breaking down in tears. Nathan is probably still watching me through a window, so I glide down the steps and head toward Frankie’s pastry shop.

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