I hear the clink of glass in the background and picture Roxie drying glasses and hanging them above the bar. I’ve filled her in on Cory and his incessant need to check everything I’m working on as if I’m completely incompetent.
“Griffin and Kat have started to pull me in on cases he’s not involved in, so that’s helped ward off his lethargic surveillance, although I’m pretty sure he silently curses when we cross paths.”
“Has he been checked for rabies? It alters the mind, so if he begins to drool . . .”
I laugh, dropping a ball of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet. “Kat thinks he’s intimidated by me.”
“At least he’s smart, then.”
Cory is smart, he just needs to mind his own damn business. He’s another reason I keep my personal issues and situation to myself. I have no doubt he’d use my stress and past against me in any way he could.
“Maybe he needs some Ensure and to get laid.” I hear her shiver. “I might have nightmares just thinking about it, and I haven’t even met him.”
I pull another sheet of foil from the roll.
“So, you’re making treats for Ollie? I could use a dozen cookies. It’s going to be a long night. Declan is in town.”
Declan is the bad boy Roxie dated in high school to piss her family off. She ended up falling in love with him, and when he left for the Army, she said goodbye, knowing it would never work long distance. The problem is, no matter what she says, I know she’s still in love with him. Or maybe it’s more the idea of him and how he goes against everything her parents deem acceptable.
“Declan’s in town?”
“Yeah. I guess he’s on leave. Jax said he was bringing him by as if I needed forewarning or something.”
“Do you?”
She groans. “It’s been years, but he’s just. . .that guy. Ya know?”
I know. He’s incredibly handsome in that rugged, dangerous way, but also charming.
“You need to be careful. I’m sure he’s got that stiff military swagger and won’t be sticking around for long.”
“Yeah. Why do I have to be a sucker for all that?” she whines. “Maybe I should invite him to a family dinner. I could shock the actual shit out of my parents. That would be fun.”
“But then, he’d be leaving.”
“Maybe I should run away and live with you until he’s gone.” There’s silence like she’s contemplating it. “Anywho, Ollie’s cookies?”
“Yeah, it’s his turn at preschool, so I’m making his favorite. His teacher sent home pamphlets and phone numbers for speech therapists, suggesting he needs help.” I unwrap the foil from the Kiss and place it on top of the raw dough.
“Have you heard anything from that balding dick yet?” The disgust in her tone makes me smile.
“Balding?”
“Look, I accidentally clicked on one of his reels. I’m just saying, he looks like a dick with hair, but it’s definitely receding, and when it’s gone, he’s going to look like the actual thing.”
I hold in laughter, threatening to burst out and likely wake the kids. “Rox!”
“What? I might have commented as much.”
A moment of silence follows that extends long enough for my belly to feel it, and a small knot begins to form.
“Rox?”
“He’s got a new agent,” she spits out. “A woman. She’s gorgeous, and fawning all over him like he’s the next Barbara Walters. Although I wonder if she’s aware he lacks class and intelligence.” Rox knows Miles well enough to suspect he’s up to something and likely using this woman to get it.
Miles is one of the top news anchors in Chicago. He’s confident, strikingly handsome, and appears to have it all. I think he actually believes he does. He’s also smart, deceptive, and knows what strings to pull, when, and how hard. The man has charisma and connections—together, they’re lethal.
It’s true what they say about fame, power, and pride. It changes people. He climbed the ranks and, along the way, became someone I didn’t recognize, or maybe I just never wanted to see it. I married one man and divorced another.
