“No, not yet,” I said calmly, but I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that in approximately three days, all four of us wouldhave the flu. “Hey, do you think we could stop at the drug store on the way home? I just need to pick up a few things.”
CHAPTER 15
ZACH
Midweek after taking Adeline and the girls out for pizza, I was in the boardroom at W&S, waiting for our lawyers to call with the news that Adeline was divorced. It was a phone call that might well determine who I’d be waking up next to for the rest of my life. So far, I’d managed not to bolt.
So proud of myself.
“Relax,” Nate said without looking up from his phone. “You’re vibrating.”
I scoffed. “I am not.”
“You are,” he said. “You’re pacing.”
“I’m sitting still.”
He finally glanced up at me, a half-teasing, half-understanding smile on his lips. “Physically, yes, you’re sitting still, but mentally, you’re pacing.”
I blew out a heavy breath and shoved a hand through my hair. Again. “We’re waiting on legal confirmation, not defusing a bomb.”
Nate’s features scrunched up for a minute as he thought it over. Then he shrugged. “It’s the same energy, man.”
Alex didn’t comment. I wasn’t even sure he was still aware that we were in the room with him. He was sitting at the head ofthe table with a folder open in front of him, reviewing whatever document was in there with such extreme focus that it looked like he’d forgotten why he was even here instead of in his office.
I envied him for that today. My brain had chosen complete and utter disarray instead, jumping from one thought to the next like a drunken bunny on a pub crawl. Louis had signed the divorce papers last night, enthusiastically, as far as I’d heard, which said everything I needed to know about his priorities, but now, it was her turn.
One signature was all it would take. With just one stroke of a pen, she’d be free—for a few days until the next contract was shoved at her, at least. This time, one detailing the terms of her marriage tome.
I cleared my throat, trying to wipe away the nerves, but it didn’t really work. It kind of felt like I’d swallowed something dry that hadn’t agreed with me, so I blew out another heavy breath and leaned back in my chair.
Damn that hurt. Why does even clearing my throat hurt today?
Nate glanced up at me again, one of his eyebrows sweeping up into one of those elegant, knowing arches. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said. “It’s just the air in here. It’s so dry.”
“Or it’s stress,” he offered. “Just relax. She’s going to sign and it’ll be done. That is what you want, right?”
“It’s just the dry air,” I mumbled, attempting to clear my throat again and wincing when it felt like I had swallowed a handful of gravel.
Nate rolled his eyes, apparently unconvinced by my explanation, but the sudden ringing of Alex’s phone immediately made both of us straighten up. Alex’s hand shot out before he’d even looked up. He shifted his focus from the folder to the device, already standing as he took the call.
“Yeah.” He walked around the table to the door. “Okay. What is it?”
Nate and I watched him go, listening to the faint murmur of his voice just outside the room, but I couldn’t make out anything useful. My throat tickled, a cold sweat breaking out across my brow. My chest was also suddenly feeling tight. I drew in a deep breath, wincing slightly when it felt like the air was trying to stab its way through my lungs.
I rolled my shoulders back like that might somehow fix it, but none of the discomfort disappeared. My entire body seemed to be glitching today.God, if not even air goes in correctly, you know you have a problem.
Naturally, Nate didn’t miss it. “Are you getting sick?”
“No.”
“You sound like you swallowed sand.”
“I feel fine.”
“Denial is a powerful thing, but if you get me sick, I’m kicking your ass.”
