Page 111 of The Restoration Program
Like it or not, her tone came out more accusatory. Ryan’s gaze snapped up from his phone. “It’s the new guy, actually. Justin. He’s got a million questions—I’m trying to be helpful, you know.” He set his phone down, faint annoyance leeching the light that had dwelled in his eyes seconds ago.
“Oh—that’s nice of you.”
She wanted to pry, even jokingly, but their peace was already fragile enough. That look on his face told that she was one wrong step from shattering it—and for what? A simple smile at a text message. Was that all it took to rattle her?
“Anyway,” she said, “I gotta confess… I’m worried about the honeymoon. When we do get around to it, we don’t want to come back to an eviction notice. And…” She exhaled slowly and gave him a wistful smile. “I want us to be comfortable, you know? I want to see youactuallyrelax and have that damn laptop out of reach.”
“Hey, working on this damn laptop is what’s gonna get us there, babe. I’m expecting a nice bonus in time for the holidays. As soon as the direct deposit hits, we’ll book tickets.”
His confidence made the tightness in her chest ease. “I wonder if we can get away with only one ticket on some things,” she said.
A chill snaked down her spine without warning. She hadn’t thought too hard about traveling. Would she even be counted as a passenger, or would she be considered a pet if Ryan brought her along? Would she be allowed to travel at all? It was only a matter of time before rules and regulations came along with NüPrint travel. Maybe legislation was already in the works.
Although the image of having to sit on Ryan’s lap plagued her, she tried to stay optimistic. Considering the wonders that had been installed into the apartment, it was fully possible that accommodations could roll out in public spaces before she and Ryan booked anything.
She started to open a new tab on her laptop, debating whether to research possible legislation herself or ask at the next meeting. The table shook, drawing her out of her fretful thoughts—which apparently went unnoticed by Ryan, who had been typing on his phone again.
“Shit, lost track of time,” he said, pushing his chair out and leaving his phone face down. “Video call at ten. Gotta shower.”
As he disappeared through the doorway, her attention drifted to his forgotten phone. Nicole waited until the shower started running before she crept away from her laptop, unable to resist taking a peek at the bank account. With her own account obliterated, she hadn’t brought herself to ask Ryan to log her in with his information. She turned his phone over and swiped the lock screen, tapping in his pin—he hadn’t changed it.
Knowing how quick Ryan’s showers could be, she hurriedly opened the mobile banking app. A little sigh hissed out when she spotted the balance.
His new paycheck was impressive, but somehow, they weren’t doing as well as Ryan’s attitude suggested.
She peeked through the purchases and deposits, eyes swimming with dollar signs and dwindling numbers. Phone payment, rent, internet, streaming services, groceries, takeout. She paused on a three-hundred dollar purchase fromMystify, less than a week ago.
It took her a minute to place the name. Then it clicked. She touched the diamond resting at the center of her collarbone. Maybe Ryan was still paying off the engagement necklace. She racked her mind, vaguely recalling he’d said something about the bill being taken care of already. That was nearly two months ago.
She chewed her lip. Maybe he didn’t want her to worry about ongoing payments for the necklace. Or maybe he had ordered her something new as a surprise.
Whatever the case, she shuddered at the thought of asking him directly. He’d know she was looking into the bank account. She could already hear his accusatory tone complaining that she didn’t trust him to take care of their finances.
Another fight they couldn’t afford.
Nicole stared blankly at theMystifypurchase, her stomach churning.
The numbers disappeared. Half the screen lit up with a call fromCallahan Advisors. Ryan’s ringtone blared and made her flinch.
The shower shut off abruptly, and Nicole scrambled back to her laptop, situating herself as innocently as possible. Ryan hurried in, dripping wet with a towel around his waist. She might have giggled at the sight if the evidence of her snooping wasn’t plain on the screen.
When he swept up the phone, he frowned at the bank account purchases on the screen. His eyes flickered to her and narrowed before he answered the call.
Nicole kept her eyes down, white-knuckling a cereal piece while Ryan paced. Their perfect, quiet morning was likely to be reduced to another fuckingdiscussion. She felt inclined to return to bed rather than asking the questions that needed to be asked… Or answering his.
“Wait, slow down…Today? We planned for mid-September.” Ryan stopped in his tracks.
She glanced up, eyebrows knitting at the rise in his voice.
The conversation continued to derail from there, urgency building on Ryan’s face. There was considerable back and forth that didn’t seem to be going in his favor. Finally, Ryan stopped protesting and just listened, eyes flickering from point to point across the room—the way he looked when he was solving an equation in his head.
His eyes landed on Nicole and hardened.
“I’ll make it work,” Ryan said. “I can be there in thirty minutes. Don’t start without me.”
“What’s going on?” Nicole asked when he ended the call.
“That huge client I’ve been telling you about? He’s showing up a month ahead of schedule. Asshole didn’t give us more than an hour’s notice that he was in town. But… I have to be there. Ihaveto, or they’ll cut me out of the account.”
