Page 53 of Falling for the Enemy

“Yes, a very scientific speculation.” She rummaged through her purse and pulled out a box with a new thermometer. “I don’t know why you don’t have one.”

“I had one. I left it behind … in my house.”

She placed the thermometer on the table.

“Mommy?” Holly asked groggily. “It’s fourteen days until art school, right?”

“That’s right, sweetie. Mommy’s going to take you home and tuck you in bed.”

Holly sat up. “No, I’m going to make a countdown calendar. Daddy said I could.” She said it with conviction and then seemed to rethink the idea. “Mommy, my head hurts.”

“I know. Let’s get you home.”

I walked over and lifted Holly into my arms. I carried her out to Gwen’s car.

“Keep me posted,” I said.

Gwen nodded, climbed into the car and drove off. How the two of us ever became a couple was beyond me.

Chapter Thirty-Three

AVA

Ipulled into the university parking lot. The sugary smell of pastry filled the car. I stared down at the bag with the two cheese Danish. Isla had attached a note.

Dear Professor Sinclair,

Thank you so much for saving our sister’s life. I’d like to offer you a free bakery treat whenever you come to the store.

Yours truly,

Isla Lovely

I’d planned to avoid the man all day, and now I was in charge of delivering Isla’s treat. If I timed things right, I could get to his office and drop off the pastries unnoticed. It was our first day back under our new neutrality agreement, and this felt way out of the terms of the agreement, but Isla wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. After Aria left, Isla and Ella pried the details out of me about how Jack saved me from both a crocodile and drowningin the river. They were both flabbergasted and in tears, and that was when Isla devised the “free pastry for life” plan. She said Jack had to be thanked, and there was no way I could argue.

I didn’t see Jack’s car yet, so it seemed I had a clear shot at getting the pastry to his desk without running into him. I laughed to myself as I skittered inside to conduct my secret mission. It was truly comical that we’d come to this now, where we were no longer able to acknowledge each other. It was going to make me nostalgic for our pre-trip contentious relationship.

I stepped into the building, and instead of heading to my office, I made a beeline for Jack’s office. It was locked, of course. I didn’t know why I thought I could just sneak in, drop off the pastries and dash back out. I walked down the hallway and glanced into each room. I was in luck. The custodian, Derek, was mopping the floor of a nearby classroom. I knocked on the propped open door. “Hello, Derek?”

He looked up from his task. “Yes, Professor?”

I held up the bakery bag. “I wanted to leave a surprise on Professor Sinclair’s desk. Do you think you could let me in?”

“Sure thing. I’ll be right there.”

It took him a few minutes to finish the floor he was working on. My stomach twittered with nerves as I watched the double door entrance for Jack. It was so silly to be this nervous about possibly running into him. I wasn’t sure why I felt that way. After all, we were two colleagues who’d agreed to avoid each other. The whole thing was mutual, and while I couldn’t say it was without hard feelings, it was still something we both agreed would work best for our situation. The big question that always seemed to hang in the air—what exactly was our situation? We were supposed to bond during the trip, but it seemed our relationship had only grown more convoluted.

I followed Derek down the hall to the office. “Here ya go. Just turn the knob on your way out, and it’ll lock itself.”

“Thanks so much, and I’m sorry to interrupt your work.”

“No problem at all, and that smells good. Professor Sinclair is going to be pleased. He’s such a great guy. He deserves it.”

I looked at him to see if he was serious. And his expression confirmed it. “Professor Sinclair?” I asked to make sure I hadn’t misheard.

“Yep. My son, he’s a real star on the pitcher’s mound. The travel league coach thinks he has a real chance for a baseball scholarship. Just needed some professional coaching, but that kind of coaching comes with a big price. My wife and I couldn’t afford it. Professor Sinclair heard about it through some of the staff—” Derek smiled. “You know how the gossip flies around here.”

“Yes, I do.”

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