Page 32 of Already At Risk
This was truly just not what I needed this morning.
Julian, who sat in his desk chair next to Beau, chuckled, and I shot him a quick glare. Meanwhile, Juniper made a curious humming noise, and I decided I needed to clear the air. I didnotneed these two thinking that I was going around talking to my sister about clients. Especiallythisclient.
“I ran into Natalie when I was out to dinner with Collins,” I explained. “All I did was tell Collins that she was Noah’s sister and that she was one of my clients at the moment. That was all.”
“No, no,” Beau cut in with a breathless laugh, like he was trying to hold it in but couldn’t, and it just kept escaping him in little wheezes. “Let me reenact Collins’ reenactment. Juniper, sit down across from me.” Juniper obeyed with a shake of her head and a tiny smile, wheeling her own desk chair to the middle of the office and sitting in it. “You’re Collins, andI’m this guy.” He jabbed his thumb at me. “And you—” He pointed at Julian. “You’re Natalie.”
“Beau,” I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. “We don’t have to?—”
“Okay, so we’re eating dinner, catching up, you know.” He pretended to shovel food into his mouth while smiling at Juniper. “And then all of a sudden—bam.” After an overdramatic double take, he started staring at Julian.
And then kept staring at Julian.
Silently.
Without moving.
This was the reenactment. The entirety of it.
Goddamnit, Beau.
“Okay, knock it the fuck off,” I grumbled.
“We get it,” Julian laughed. “You can stop staring at me, man.”
“That isnotwhat happened.” I really needed them to know that. “I did not just stare at her like a creep.”
“Okay.” Beau extended the word to have five more syllables than it needed.
“I’m going to kill Collins,” I muttered beneath my breath.
“Hey now, careful.” Beau stilled, raising a threatening—but not so threatening—brow. “That’s my fucking wife.”
My brother-in-law was simultaneously incredibly extra and undeniably chill…that is, until anyone said anything about Collins, my sister and the woman whose last namehe’dtaken when they got married.
Juniper changed the topic, playing peacemaker. “How long are you and Collins in Boston?”
Beau flashed me a slightly apologetic look—like he realized he pushed it too far—before turning to Juni. “We’re flying out in the morning. We’ll be back in a few weeks, though. For the party.”
“Party?”
“Engagement party. Noah’s proposing,” he said, lowering his voice as though someone might overhear. Then he glanced at Julian, who looked at his shoes and smiled to himself. It wasn’t asurprised reaction; he must have already known. Juniper, too, who grinned more openly, clapping her hands together.
I grinned, too. Then my brain once again wandered to Natalie, wondering if she knew about it.
“I’m really happy for Gemma,” Julian admitted aloud, sounding a little rougher than normal.
Julian, choosing to openly share his emotions? What a fucking day it was.
I shook my head, imagining what kind of party that was going to be. Meanwhile, my phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out with the speed of someone who was just alittletoo desperate to hear back from one particular client.
Sure enough, it was her.
SUNNY: Chloe and I decided we’re going to order pizza and have root beer floats tonight for dinner because we deserve it if we make it through the entire zoo without getting eaten by lions. You’re welcome to join us if you’re stopping by to fix the lock.
ME: I happen to love root beer floats.
I was so fucking screwed.
