Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
I stand, moving away from the couch. “If I go see Nolan, won’t he just kidnap me? Isn’t that something mafia guys do? Lock me in a bedroom and force me to have his baby there?”
“You read too much,” Ash says, laughing. “He’d never do that.” She pauses, frowning. “Well, okay, he probably would, but he’d never get away with it.”
“Great,” I say, groaning. “I’m going to get kidnapped.”
“You’re not getting kidnapped,” Jamila says, shooting Ash a hard glare. “You’re staying right here with me until you figure this out.”
I shake my head, pacing. “But I don’t know what to do. Nolan’s not going to leave me alone, not now that he knows about the baby. And I’m also still technically married to him, by the way. I don’t know if I want to be with him, or if I want him to be in the baby’s life, or if I want to try disappearing to Antarctica.”
“You could go somewhere warmer, you know,” Ash says.
I’m about to wallow some more when my phone starts to ring. Everyone stares at it, and nobody moves for a beat, before I walk over and answer. “Hello?”
Roger’s voice comes through the line. “Hey, Keely, listen, really sorry to bother you but there’s a problem at the shop. There’s this gas line we hit, everything’s mostly okay but the fire department guys wanna talk with the owner. It’s all a bunch of red tape, but we need you down here.”
“Gas line?” My eyes widen. “You sure everyone’s okay?”
“Totally fine, don’t worry. You just gotta talk to the fire guys, that’s all. You good with that?”
“Yeah, uh, sure, I can talk to them.” I look around, grabbing a sweatshirt. “Be there in ten.”
“Thanks, see you.” He hangs up.
I shove my phone into my pocket. “I gotta head to the shop. Apparently, there was an accident with the gas line.”
“You sure?” Jamila says, sounding worried.
“It’s okay, I’ll drive her.” Ash gets up. “The car’s out front.”
“I don’t know.” Jamila looks like she wants to stop me. “If you go back there, Nolan might find you.”
“It’s okay, I just have to deal with this then I’ll be back.” I turn to Ash. “Do you mind? It’d be a huge help.”
“Absolutely. The car service is at your beck and call while you’re pregnant.”
Jamila looks unhappy, but I follow Ash outside, down the stoop, and get into the back of her town car.
It feels weird being in a Crowley vehicle with a family driver, but if there’s an emergency at the shop, I need to get there as soon as I can.
Chapter 38
Keely
We reach the donut shop and park out front. There are no fire engines, no emergency response vehicles, nobody milling around. “Maybe they parked out back?” I push open the door and step out of the car.
“Keely, hold on.” Ash comes after me. “Wait a second. This feels a little off to you, right?”
I hesitate at the door. I can’t see inside—we papered over the glass a while back—but I don’t hear anything. If there really was an emergency in there and a gas line broke, then why can’t I hear the murmur of folks talking to each other?
“I bet there’s just one firefighter left to deal with the paperwork,” I tell her, nodding to myself. “It’ll be fine.”
“I’m coming in with you.” Ash ignores the look I shoot her before shrugging and pushing inside.
The front end is empty. I glance around at the booths, at the tables, at the counter—it’s coming together and only needs some finishing touches at this point—before heading to the back.
“Place looks really good,” Ash comments, sounding impressed. “Nolan’s guys did all this? It’s solid work.”
But I don’t reply to her. I let the door close behind me as I stand on the threshold, barely a few inches into the back.
Nolan’s standing on the other side of a metal work table, staring back at me.
“I didn’t think that Roger guy had it in him,” Ash is saying as she comes through the door and bumps into me. “Oh, shit, sorry, I didn’t see you—” Then she notices Nolan and her mouth clicks shut.
“I apologize for the deception,” Nolan says, staring only at me. “I had to do it.”
“You had to trick me into coming out here?”
“I don’t think you get to lecture me on lying.”
I grind my jaw. “There’s a difference. I kept something from you to protect my child. You’re just being selfish.”
“Okay, uh, I don’t think I need to be here.” Ash takes a step back.
“Don’t go,” I say sharply.
“Feel free to leave,” Nolan says, just as sharp.
Ash looks between us then sighs. “Well, shit. I’ll be up front, okay? You two can talk, but, Keely, if you need me, just yell. I’ll be right there.”
“Fine,” I say, not happy about it.