I opened my mouth, then shut it again. I’d almost told him to wait in the lobby, but as soon as I met his eyes, I knew I couldn’t do that. Well, Icould,but I wouldn’t feel good about it.
“Come on,” I said. “I just need a few minutes to get ready.”
The elevator doors parted. I swept Jemma and Livy on board ahead of me and waited for Wyatt to follow us before I hit the button to close the doors. Once they’d shut, I slumped against the back wall. Despite Jemma’s master plan to get me to lose my attraction to Wyatt, I looked ahead to our stakeout with dread.
“What’s wrong, Auntie Emersyn?” Livy asked, looking up at me with her innocent blue eyes.
I rested a hand on her head. “Oh, nothing, sweetie.”
“Think happy thoughts,” she advised. “They’ll turn your frown upside down!”
I couldn’t help but smile at that. “Thanks, Livysaurus. You’re right.”
As we disembarked from the elevator on the third floor, I cast around in my head for happy thoughts. The only one I could latch on to in that moment was the fact that Theo hadn’t been present in the lobby. I liked the kid, there was no denying that, but having her and Jemma double-team me there in front of Wyatt…that would have been way too much.
I decided to thank the universe for small mercies.
Even if the universe didn’t have a habit of playing nice with me.
Chapter
Forty-Five
“I cannot believe you got me into this,” I whispered to Jemma once I had Livy set up at the kitchen table with a snack of apple slices and string cheese.
Wyatt sat at the table with my niece, chatting about dinosaurs.
“I’m giving you a helping hand,” Jemma said.
“More like pushing me off a bridge,” I grumbled.
“Now you’re being overdramatic. This could be exactly what you need to get over Wyatt.”
“It had better work.”
I made a mad dash for my bedroom and ensured that I shut the door securely. I did not need any more underwear incidents of any kind happening in my life. After sweeping my hair into a ponytail, I swapped out my pink sweater for a long-sleeved black T-shirt and the same black hoodie I’d worn when sneaking into Hoffman’s apartment. Hopefully that would make me less visible when spying on my ex from Wyatt’s car.
When I emerged from my bedroom, Wyatt was standing near the door while Jemma helped Livy into her coat.
“Auntie Em,” my niece said, “Jemma’s taking me to the mall, and then we’re going out for dinner and ice cream.”
“That sounds amazing, sweetie.” I kissed the top of her head. “Have fun.”
While Livy did up the zipper on her jacket, I mouthed,Thank you,to Jemma.
She gave me a quick hug, whispering in my ear, “Good luck.”
When the door shut behind them, I hurried into the kitchen and opened the fridge door. “Shoot.” Nothing in there tickled my fancy.
“What’s wrong?” Wyatt asked.
Oh, let me list the things,I thought.Number one: the seriously hot man in my living room who I need to somehow forget about. Number two: a police detective who possibly suspects me of murder. Number three: family drama that could lead to me losing guardianship of my precious niece. Oh, and number four: I can’t find a freaking job!
Out loud, I simply said, “How can we have a stakeout without decent snacks?”
“Why don’t we hit a convenience store on the way?” Wyatt suggested.
I heard the siren call of chocolate in the distance.
