Page 7 of Ms. Lead

Damn. He’s too observant for his own good. How do I explain our intense look earlier without sounding completely stupid?

“Promise you won’t laugh, Lorenzo. I mean it.”

“I promise,” he chuckles. I’m glad he finds this funny because I certainly don’t.

“He’s a writer from Great Britain who is in town for research, and I had to pick him up from the airport since Chelsie went into labor early, and Normandy had to go to be with her. So, I had the kids with me too. But before we even met officially, we saw each other across baggage claim, and I don’t know…we just stared and smiled at each other, and it was the most amazing thing.”

“But…”

“But then he saw the kids were with me, and he completely changed into an asshole. He said he was tired from his long trip, but I don’t know. I can’t figure out what exactly happened either way.”

“To be fair, that is a pretty long flight. What, eleven hours? At least?”

“I know. It was just such a change. And then he left his suitcase behind the car for me to load into the trunk for him.”

“Whoa. Not cool.” There’s a protective edge to his voice now. My big brother, ready to beat up the world for me.

“It’s my job, Enzo. It’s not that big of a deal. But still, it felt weird.”

“Well, I don’t like it on your behalf. Want me to come rough him up a little bit? Let him know who’s boss?”

I can tell he’s joking, but I know deep down that if I wanted him to come all the way to Vegas from L.A. to protect my honor, he would do it in a heartbeat. And I would do the same for him.

“No, but thanks for the offer.”

“I don’t know, sis. Something about this guy. Sure, he sounds like a first-class dipshit, but I don’t get these weird feelings so strong that I have to call you very often, if ever. Just keep your mind open. There might be something there.”

I want to roll my eyes and scoff at how ridiculous he’s being about this mystical stuff, but I know he believes in it. And he’s right. I do need to keep my mind open. I’m relying on a first impression, which I know from experience doesn’t always go smoothly. Maybe I should give him a chance to prove he’s not a jerk.

“Fine. I’ll keep an open mind. But just for you.”

Before we hang up, he promises to call again in a few days to check our progress. It’s silly and utterly ridiculous to think anything will come of this, but I play along to appease my brother.

It’s not like his “vibes” are real, anyway. Right?

Chapter Five

OLIVER

END OF SEQUENCE

The sound of my phone incessantly ringing from across the room is the only thing that can pull me out of bed. As I make my way toward the desk where my phone is, I see that it’s still light outside, but I can’t tell what time it is. Maybe it’s already tomorrow, and I slept straight through the night. It’s hard to tell.

It’s Darcie calling. Shit. I forgot to let her know I arrived safely.

“Sorry I forgot to text,” I say, putting the phone on speaker as I try to orient myself again to the room. It’s always strange to wake up in a different place for the first time. Though I do notice that my vision is no longer blurred. The nap definitely helped.

“Gee, thanks for that. Now I can go on about my life.” She sounds annoyed. It can’t be because I forgot to text her. She’d let that roll off her back. Something else must be the matter.

“Isn’t it the middle of the night?” I try to do time travel math, but I’m not awake enough yet.

“It is, but you know how I get when I can’t sleep. And you’re finally in a time zone where I can bug you with my insomnia.”

“This sounds like a job for your wife. Not me.”

“Oh, Pamela normally would be up with me, the darling, but I needed to check on you anyway.”

I sigh inwardly and start doing stretches. I have a feeling this is going to be a conversation.

---