“I can't go until your mom's out of sight. We made her think we wanted a few minutes together.”
She made a face. “Right.” She groaned. “It's getting hard to keep all these narratives straight, Mike.”
He stashed her computer in the pantry. “I'm putting this away so it will look to Chaz like Mike took his laptop with him.”
She expelled a shaky breath. “Are we actually going to make it through this evening, do you think, without blowing your cover?”
“Yes, we're going to make it through.” He'd just been treated to living proof that she had a boyfriend who wasn't him. His thoughts and emotions were in the worst kind of turmoil. But if she needed reassurance, he would always give it. If he was drowning, and she was in a raft, he'd give it.
“I thought we were screwed about ten different times,” she said.
“We're fine.”
“Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons now played from her room.
Her mom's muffler rumbled away to silence.
“Reach out to me when and if Cedric responds,” he said.
“I will.”
“And please tell Chaz you've changed your mind and want to stay in now that you have cannelloni. We can't allow neighbors to see the two of you out together as a couple, seeing as how your family now knows me as your boyfriend.”
“Got it.”
“If you could convince Chaz to return to New York, that would be best.” For the op and for Jude personally because he couldn't take the idea of Chaz staying in town, spending time with Gemma. “You might be spotted out with him at any point during his stay.”
“I'll convince him to return to New York ASAP.”
He nodded, then made himself go. He wasn't going to get the relaxed and friendly goodbye with her he'd come tonight to get. He wasn't going to eat cannelloni. He wasn't going to see Gemma smile one last time.
He walked through shadows to where he'd parked his distant car.
Alone.
Leaving Gemma behind with her real-life boyfriend.
That was a debacle, Gemma thought.
She massaged her temples, needing a minute to herself before dealing with Chaz.
Three's Companywith John Ritter and Suzanne Somers was her mom's TV version of comfort food. When she'd been incapacitated after her stroke, Mom had escaped intoThree's Companyoften. Watching it with her had given Gemma a way to provide company and solidarity when there'd been no words to articulate the depth of the difficulty.
What had played out just now? It had felt like an episode ofThree's Company, except a lot more nerve-racking and a lot less funny when you were not a paid actress yet found yourself having to play a role.
The one part that had not been acting? The part before Chaz's arrival when she'd kissed Jude.
She was accustomed to following her spontaneous curiosity.Chase that smell around a corner to see where it's coming from. Reach out and feel that sweater hanging on the rack. Order that pink drink to find out what it tastes like.
She'd taken hold of Jude's lapels and he'd been so close and looked so handsome and untouchable. Her instincts had whispered,Discover what it feels like to kiss him.
Turned out that the intimate, fleeting seconds of their kiss had beenstellarseconds. Like the seconds when you’re chewing a chocolate truffle or breathing in the perfect fragrance or sinking into a bubble bath. During those seconds, she hadn't felt the weight of the FBI operation. Or the heaviness of her mom's health issues. Or the stress of the bills that needed to be paid to keep her family afloat.
But then Chaz had arrived. As soon as she'd comprehended the risk he presented to Jude's alias, she'd suddenly felt every ounce of the weight of the FBI operation. Thank God she'd not made a mistake that had ruined all of Jude's careful work.
She started up the stairs.
Should she have mentioned to Jude that she’d broken up with Chaz? There’d been a moment, in the midst of all that, when she’d considered it. She’d decided against it because things had been fraught after Chaz’s arrival as it was. She’d not wanted to thrust another surprise on Jude. Additionally, selfishly, she hadn’t wanted to risk Jude criticizing her for ending things with Chaz without consulting the FBI.
