“So, not so much of an ex that he doesn’t call you when he comes to town.” It wasn’t a question.
“No. He emailed. Told me what he was doing. We ... we had dinner.” Why did she feel guilty for having an innocent dinner with her ex-boyfriend? She hadn’t done anything wrong.
“When?”
“Thursday.”
Gil frowned and finally released her from his gaze. Well, it had turned into more of a glare than a gaze by this point. A glare that he turned on Tessa. “You didn’t think it was relevant?”
What did that mean? Why was he being snippy with Tessa?
“I didn’t know about it until last night.” Tessa’s response was calm. Not soothing, but like she didn’t have any problem with Gil’s snippiness.
Interestingly enough, Zane did. “Gil. Chill.” Zane’s low voice rumbled, and he stepped closer to Tessa.
“Let’s get out of here.” Luke grabbed Faith’s hand. Zane and Tessa followed his lead, effectively herding Ivy out of their row and into the aisle.
Emily came to her left side and bumped her arm. “How sure are you it was Abott?”
Ivy shrugged. “I’m not. I mean, I was, but there’s no reason for him to be here. And if it had been him, he would have talked to me.”
“Maybe,” Tessa said from behind her.
“Why wouldn’t he?” Ivy twisted her head around so she could see Tessa. Tessa didn’t answer, but she cut her eyes with a meaningful glance toward Gil. “Oh.”
She and Gil had sat close the entire sermon. Anyone watching would assume they were together. Had Abott seen them and made a similar assumption? She shook her head. “I don’t think—”
Before she could finish the thought, Gil bumped Emily over and took her place at Ivy’s side. Once there, he rested his hand at her lower back and leaned toward her. “I’m looking forward to hearing all about Abott.”
Great. Something to look forward to.
NOTHING WAS GOING AS PLANNED.
He watched from his car as Ivy’s entourage left the building. What were the odds that Ivy would wind up in the protective embrace of not one but four Secret Service agents? He’d seenenough documentaries to know they’d created a bubble around her. Similar to the way they would protect the president.
The dark-headed agent who went into her house Friday night opened a car door and Ivy disappeared inside. A dark-haired girl who looked a lot like the agent slipped into the back seat. He expected them to pull out immediately, but they sat still. The blond agent showed up with a telescoping rod and made quick work of checking under the car. Only then did they drive away.
They were checking under the cars for bombs. Smart of them—but not too smart for them to be so obvious about it. He would avoid that option now.
The other agents had paired off, and the three-car caravan pulled out of the parking lot. And then a fourth car pulled in two cars back. He might have assumed it was a random church member, but he’d seen that guy watching Ivy.
How many people were keeping tabs on her?
And how would he know if anyone was keeping tabs on him?
There was always a chance this was going to be complicated. But he’d hoped it would be easy.
So much for that.
ABOTT PERCY THE FIFTH.That was her ex’s name? Gil fought hard against the urge to roll his eyes. His mother had taught him manners. Part of that had included intensive training on never teasing someone for anything beyond their control. This included physical features, family of origin, athletic ability (or lack thereof), socioeconomic status, and names.
Names were important to his mom. It was no accident she’d named her children Gil and Emily. An English teacher by training and book addict by lifestyle, she’d given her twins the names oftwo of her favorite fictional characters. She thought that would guarantee they would always make her smile. Although at different times, they both tested that concept.
But not everyone had a name to be proud of. Whether that was because a family member had committed a heinous crime or had a bad reputation, or because their name had a negative connotation for some other reason. Regardless, his mom’s training included never mocking someone about their name because you thought it was weird, dumb, or pompous.
And Abott Percy the Fifth was about as pompous a name as Gil could imagine. He knew he shouldn’t think it, but the guy even looked like an arrogant—
“Gil?” Ivy tapped the doorframe. “Mind if I join you?”
