Page 8 of 7+Us Makes Nine

“That would be a nice job perk, to not be accosted by my boss,” I said.

I picked up the card and stuck it into my purse.

“Give him a call if you change your mind,” Emma said. “His kids are precious. Michaela’s three, and she’s the only biological child. Ivan and Dmitri are both six. They were adopted from the Ukraine.”

“I don’t need information on the guy’s kids,” I said. “I don’t even know if I’m going to call him.”

“Well that’s a far cry from ‘I refuse to call him at all’, so we’re getting somewhere,” Natasha said.

I rolled my eyes as I took another massive bite of my salad. The last thing I needed was another dramatic situation. And everyone knew that Anya Petrov was nothing but drama. I made it a point to stay away from the news and electronics on a daily basis, and even I knew her nickname.

Hollywood Harlot.

And if I took some sort of job with her ex-husband, it undoubtedly meant I’d have to interact with her. Whether for supervised visits or impromptu drop-ins.

I just wasn’t sure if I was willing to take on that kind of drama.

Then again, I was looking for kids to nurture. Educate. Comfort and guide.

And if there were any kids in this city that needed that kind of atmosphere, it was Jace Logan’s kids.

Fuck.

I was going to end up calling the man.

Four

Catherine

I looked down at my ringing cell phone and froze. It was a name I hadn’t seen pop up on my phone in years. Was something wrong? Had something happened to Dad?

I picked up the phone immediately when I saw my mother’s name blink upon the screen.

“Hello?” I asked.

“Catherine. It’s your mother.”

“I know,” I said.

“Oh. I figured my number was no longer in your phone.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because you never use it.”

“You don’t use mine either.”

“I didn’t call to argue, Catherine. Can’t you keep your demeanor tepid for a second?” she asked.

“What is it, Mom? Is Dad okay?”

“Yes, yes. Your father’s fine. Not that you would know. You never call him, either.”

“You don’t want me to fight but you want to fight?” I asked.

“I’m calling with regard to your sister.”

“Hannah? Is something wrong with her?”

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