Page 48 of A Labor of Hate
His expression darkened, face flushing with annoyance.“Really?That’s it?My ‘concern is noted’?This is a little too important to leave anything to chance, Lex.”
“You don’t think I already know that?”I hissed.The literal weight the belly put on my shoulders was nothing to the figurative one.“I’m the one with the chance to get us close to them.Not you, in case you haven’t noticed.If it were up to you, you’d still be planning the best approach from the first Lamaze class, and we never would’ve gotten more than a polite ‘hello’ from them.”
“And I suppose you expect me to just throw caution to the wind like you do, huh?”Though his words carried enough venom to singe my eyebrows, he managed to keep his voice from carrying where any nosy neighbors—and goodness knows we certainly had some of those—had any hope of overhearing.
Classic Colt.Always in control.Always thinking.
“It wouldn’t kill you to be spontaneous every once in a while!”I struggled to keep my voice as quiet.“You’re so buttoned up I’m amazed you can even breathe.”
“And you’re so unpredictable you’d put the weather to shame.”
“At least Iact!I don’t just think and think until every possible scenario has been thought of because—oh wait, it’simpossibleto think of everything, and yet you still try!If I hadn’t acted, we could be face down in Lake Michigan by now.”
“It’s Lake Erie over here,” he corrected.
“Ugh!”I’m not proud to admit it, but I kind of screamed.Like that low-pitched manic buffalo scream from a week ago, but more “sputtering lawnmower with a chipmunk sitting on top and squealing.”He knew very well what I meant and was just being a butthead.
I stormed past him, deliberately leaving the sliding door ajar as I went inside just to tick him off.And that’s the same reason I angled every kitchen chair so none of them were pushed in or matched each other.And why I tipped each of our hanging pictures so they were askew.And that’s probably why, when I went to bed later, all of my clothes were reorganized by color in the closet and my desk—which was normally an organized chaos of jewelry, books, and pencils—was swept clear.
So much for our truce.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
“I KNOWYOU watered down my apple juice,” Colt accused, glaring at me as he knocked on Colleen and Joseph’s door.
I adjusted the cupcakes on the platter in my hand.It had taken three tries to make something even remotely presentable, but I’d eventually settled on these.They didn’t taste nearly as good as Dekker’s confections did but making them also made a huge mess of the kitchen, which gave Colt a conniption, so it was worth it.“I haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re talking about.”
Okay, that was a lie.I still hadn’t found my coffeemaker, and I was saltier than a pretzel about it.So I’d messed with his true love in return.And since we were on “scripted lines only” terms inside the house at the moment, this was his first chance to confront me about it without either dragging me into his room or cornering me in the basement.
We’d found Gauthier’s listening devices in the living room and master bedroom, which essentially meant Colt and I went through a script before bed that would convince them we were a happily married couple sharing a room rather than two rivals messing with each other.It involved the two of us going through our normal bedtime routines, but repeating couple-y things while glaring at each other the whole time.Our practice shoving our rivalry aside since I moved to Detroit was really being put to the test, and if I had to stay cooped up in the house with him by myself any longer, I’d scream.
No, really.Saying stuff like, “goodnight, love you,” to him while wishing him a lifetime of wet socks with my eyes really messed with my psyche.
The door whipped open, revealing a cheery Colleen on the other side.She wore a floral print apron over a different floral print dress, the combination of which made my eyes ache just looking at her.Her short gray hair, streaked with white, was tied back in a ponytail as long as my pinky.How she managed to corral it into anything resembling an updo, I’d never know.But my suspicions were that black magic was involved.Maybe voodoo.
“You’re right on time!”she cried, ushering us in.
“You can thank me for that,” Colt chimed in.Those who didn’t know him wouldn’t notice the annoyed undercurrents in his voice, since he hid it so well.But I did.“If it were up to Lex, we wouldn’t be arriving for another ten minutes.”
I ground my teeth but kept my voice just as light.“Just be glad I made him wait, or else we would’ve shown up fifteen minutes ago.”
Colleen’s smile stretched across her wrinkled features, mistaking our spat for good-natured teasing.Just as we’d intended.“Well, I’m just glad you’re here.No matter when you arrive.”
Colt and I both shared the same pointed look, proving to the other that our respective methods were right.
“Come in, come in.”Colleen waved us further into her home, laughing at our interaction.“Can’t have you standing around the door when there’s food on the table.”
That, I could get behind.
I slipped my shoes off, purposely leaving them in a haphazard pile, and followed her.Colt immediately fussed with them, which brightened my smile more than I’d care to admit
“Whatever you’ve made, it smells delicious.”I inhaled deeply to accentuate my point.
“That’s my mom for you.”Liam took the platter of cupcakes from me with a grin.“It’s a wonder I don’t rival the Pillsbury Doughboy in size.”
As if that could make him any less attractive.Today he wore a sky blue t-shirt that battled his eyes for which would be the most dominant blue.The fabric stretched across his muscles with ease, providing a beautiful view of his biceps and chest.Not lean and toned like Colt’s, but beefy and solid.A man’s man.Or something, I don’t know.
Colleen laughed, smacking a dish towel across Liam’s fantastic back.“Oh, hush, you.”
