CHAPTER NINE
Stone
Noa moves in with the stealth of a mouse. Ma’s asleep, which I’m sure is why Noa’s being so quiet about setting up the guest room rather than doing anything to inconvenience her. Noa works fast, buzzing past me more than once and pretending I’m not there.
She made it perfectly clear on the front lawn that I was just below cleaning up Moo’s cat shit on her list of priorities, which is just terrific.
At least I know where we stand.
Being in her company punches me right through the chest, both in longing and, it surprised me to figure out, the remaining connection. All these years should’ve lessened the strike, yet I’m still hit by lightning every time I see her.
Apparently, that’s only true for one of us.
For now.
I push away from the desk in Ma’s sewing room, closing the takeover proposal I’m supposed to be going over and pulling off my headphones. They drop with aclunkbeside the monolithiccontract. I’ve made it a quarter of the way through, and my vision’s blurred and thoughts distant.
Without the soundproofing of my headphones, I hear the low murmurings of conversation coming from the kitchen. Ma must finally be awake. I haven’t seen her since early this morning and start toward the hallway when my phone rings.
I check the caller ID and answer. “Hello, Aaron.”
“How’s life in the sticks?”
The beat of thumping bass comes through with his voice, and I check the time. LA is three hours behind. He can’t be at a club at this hour, so gym it is. “Interesting, to say the least. Collected any gym bunnies this morning?”
“None are as fluffed as I’d like.” Aaron chuckles at his own joke.
“There’s still time if you spend less of it on the phone and more of it showing off while lifting those weights you constantly avoid.”
“I told you. I like the sauna and the cooling green tea infused towels they offer.”
“All complimentary, I’m sure.”
“For me? Always.”
I keep one ear trained on the sounds in the kitchen, Noa’s light melody and Ma’s tired, sleep-roughened voice. “What can I do for you, Aaron? I’m in the middle of something.”
“Busy reading through Millspace Pharmaceuticals’ takeover, I hope.”
I glance at the contract, empty of my usual strike throughs and amendments. “Are you calling me to tell me I still have an opinion about my business?”
“I’m working on it,” Aaron quips. “And you going twenty-four hours without being under scrutiny helps. Are you lying low like you promised?”
I stare through the open door and into the hall, where Noa’s voice seems to swirl. “As low as I can go, truthfully.”
“Good. I have a meeting set up today with the corporate lawyers to preempt the damage Ravynn’s impending article threatens to do, and we’ll go from there.”
I reluctantly ask, “Do I need to be there? Or Zoom in on a call?”
“Nah, you stay where you are and be a good boy. So long as you don’t add to this shitstorm, we can come out of this.”
“About that.”
The thumping bass fades and a door slams. “Fuck. Why did I feel like I had to go somewhere private to hear this? What have you done? Throat-punched a cowboy?”
“Your creativity needs work.” I swivel on my feet, staring out the window, scraping a hand through my hair, then leaving it there to pull on the strands. The jolt of pain should ground me, but I still feel like I’m floating outside my body. “I got some news when I arrived. News I wasn’t expecting.”
“Oh yeah?”
