Ah, fuck.
Whoever talked back to her didn’t have a female British accent like my phone did. A computerized male voice came back, betraying me with “This is dangerous. You and me.”
My cue to exfil. I patted the counter at my side twice, then turned, but she caught my arm with her free hand.
“Translate to Spanish, please: It doesn’t have to be.”
“No tiene por qué ser así,” the AI voice responded.
She went and killed me by repeating the words to me in Spanish despite the fact I’d just heard them.
If I had to listen to her speak Spanish one more time, my control would snap. “I should say good night.” There was no way I’d survive standing here another minute and keep up my walls.
“Hey, you two good?”
Trevor. Of course. I couldn’t escape without another awkward confrontation, could I?
“I’m going to get some rack time. It’s late.” I checked my watch. 2100 hours. Yeah, well, I supposed white lies were okay.
“Negative. My son wants you in there and right next to him. So, too damn bad.” Trevor shook his head, eyes on Audrey now. “He wants ice cream. Mind getting some for everyone?”
She pocketed her phone, then started for the fridge. “On it. Vegan for him. What do you want?” she called over her shoulder.
“The real stuff,” Trevor grunted as if surprised she’d need to ask. “See youbothin there,” he said before bailing, leaving me alone again with his ex-wife and now no choice but to join their family tonight.
“Chase is lactose intolerant,” she explained while setting two tubs of ice cream on the counter. “What about you? Which kind should I scoop for you since you’re staying?”
“Vegan,” I grumbled, knowing it was going to take more effort than I thought to keep my distance from her.
“Really? Are you intolerant, too? Because I know you’re not vegan.” She began scooping the chocolate into a bowl. “You pretty much inhaled Eden’s pot roast.”
“The last home-cooked meal I had was at Ryder’s mom’s place at Christmas. So do you blame me?” I grinned. “But no, no allergy.” I tossed a look toward the hallway, thinking about Chase. “Just don’t want him to feel alone.”
Chapter Eight
Audrey
I stared down at Chase in my bed, the morning light peeking through the blinds, which made him groan and turn away to hide his head beneath the covers, falling back to sleep in a second.
After the movie, he’d asked to stay in my bedroom instead of his.
Trevor had offered to bunk with him, but we quickly realized Chase didn’t want to sleep next to me because he was scared. He was offering mehisprotection from “the bad guys,” as he’d called them.
“Unless Daddy wants to sleep with you instead. Or Uncle Alex can!”
My son’s offer had seemed to give both Trevor and Alex a coronary at the same time. Me, too, especially since I’d had a fantasy about sharing a bed with Alex two orfivetimes since we first met at Christmas. It was never supposed to become a reality, though, and certainly not likethis.
“Five more minutes, sleepyhead,” I told him while checking the time. “Your uncle should be here soon.” While Chase was normally up before any of us, he hadn’t gone to bed until almost midnight since he’d begged for a few more tricks from Alex after the movie, and Alex had been unable to refuse his pleas.
“Okayyy,” he murmured, half asleep already as I went to the bag Trevor had packed me to find something to change into.
Granny panties and a plain-Jane bra it is. Thanks, Trev.
I changed in the bathroom, then pushed my hair to the side to check on the knot at my temple. I’d like to continue blaming my weird behavior on the bump to the head, including my flirty-ish conversation with Alex after dinner, but that’d be a lie, and I was a horrible liar.
“Annnd I need makeup, or everyone will think I’m not just a hot mess, but sick.” I rolled my eyes, then went in search of my purse. Trevor hadn’t thought to pack any makeup, but thankfully I kept emergency mascara, a brow pencil, and eyeliner in my bag at all times.
Once I was done, I returned to my room to send Hollis a quick text before waking Chase.
