“If using someone’s terrible googling powers is what you need to get over writer’s block, you need a new profession.”
Jack snickers. Theo keeps his face buried in my dog’s side while he rubs Jitter’s fur.
And I thrust my fingers into my hair. “Sorry. That was rude,” I mutter.
“No, I think that was spot-on,” Jack interjects.
Theo’s phone audibly dings, and Laney and I look at him.
It dings again as he’s pulling it out of his pocket.
My heart takes flight and hovers in my throat.
Laney leans closer to him, peeking as he glances at the readout.
“Are his texts that fascinating?” Jack asks.
“It could be Emma, dumbass,” Decker mutters.
“But she’s on her honeymoon through the end of the week, isn’t she?”
“Herrunaway-moon.”
“Oh, look at you, finding your writer words.”
“Off, Jitterbug,” Theo says, lifting up from the chair and shoving his phone in his pocket.
Everything inside me freezes like I’ve been dipped in dry ice at the expression on his face. My pulse rockets and makes my fingers and toes tingle. “Emma?” I ask.
He ignores both me and my dog, who’s pushing against him like he can shove Theo back into the chair and climb back into his lap.
“Bring my crutches?” Laney says.
He kisses her on the head. “Yep. Who do you want to take you home?”
“I’ve got her,” I say.
“Sabrina’s got me,” she agrees.
Theo eyes me.
I toss my hands up. “I’m not going to drop her and break her other leg.Go.”
“What just happened?” Jack says to Decker while Jitter slinks around the table to settle his head in my lap and whine.
“Emma’s coming home?” Decker guesses.
Theo doesn’t answer.
He doesn’t have to.
There are very, very few reasons he’d leave Laney alone in public and dependent on anyone else to get a ride home.
If there was something wrong with his dad, he’d say so.
The fact that he’s sayingnothingmeans it’s Emma and she asked him not to.
And the fact that Theo wants Laney to get another ride home means that Emma doesn’t just want a phone call with her big brother. It nearly certainly means he’s headed to Denver to get her from the airport.
