Page 286 of Unexpected Heroine

Without missing a beat, I fire back, “Then you’re not doing it right, pal. Let me know if you need some tips.”

Their shock mingles with boisterous amusement, causing the volume to rise a few hundred decibels. Powerless to resist, I join in with a few chuckles of my own.

Am I being... playful? Oh fuck. What’s happening to me?

Klein races over to shut the door to the lair. On his return, he ruffles my hair. “I’m just busting your balls about being late. Now, talk. What happened with Lettie? Or with Boss? And why did you come in here wearing that dopey ass expression?”

It’s then I realize my face is doing something unusual. The skin at the sides of my eyes is crinkled, and one cheek is pinched up tight.

I’m fucking smiling. And I have been for a while.

I say again. What’s happening to me?

Letting my face fall slack, I cut them with the blankest expression I can muster. No easy feat, considering I’m bubbling over with joy.

Mia’s shoulders raise close to her ears, and she clasps her hands in a prayer position. “Did you two make up?”

On the outside, I aim for impassive. But on the inside? Doing back flips and tossing glitter into the air.

Eventually, my inside feelings prevail, wrenching my facial features upward. “Not that it’s any of your business, but...” I shift in my seat, intentionally dragging it out. They both lean forward, eyebrows inching higher as the seconds tick by.

You know what? Being fun is kind of... fun.

Mia spins her hands in a speed-up gesture. “But? But? But?”

The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can focus on getting shit handled. So I quit playing around and spit it out. “Yes. We got back together.”

Klein merely smiles at me, offering a minuscule tip of his head. On the other end of the reaction spectrum, Mia springs out of her chair with her hands shooting over her head. A squeal of delight follows.

I wave my palms to physically shush her. “Calm down. Damn, woman. I had no idea you were so invested in my love life.”

Now she’s the one with a dopey look on her face. “I’m so happy for you two. So happy.”

Honestly, I’d have expected a bigger reaction from Klein. Aside from that slight grin, he’s rather stoic.

Odd.

Since my computer is logged in and ready to go, it’s time to get to work. “With that out of the way, where are we? Bring me up to speed.”

Klein emits a grumbled sigh. “Hold on.”

My head flops to one shoulder. “What now?”

“How did your talk with Big Al go?” he asks. “I’ve been worried about you and him since I found out who she was on the night of the rescue op.”

“I’m still alive and haven’t been beaten to a pulp. So better than I deserve.”

“Don’t say that,” Mia chides. “We all deserve forgiveness. Especially when our mistakes have well-intentioned motives, and I’d bet yours did.”

“You sound like Lettie.” As her name leaves my mouth, a smile remains in its place. “She’s always telling me to stop talking shit about myself.”

Mia crosses her arms over her chest, her brows defying gravity. “I knew I liked her.”

Klein still looks concerned. “Seriously, you and Boss are good?”

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say we’re good. But not nearly as bad as I expected. We still need to work some shit out, but I think he’s,” I lick my lips, searching for the words, “willing to forgive me.”

He exhales through his rounded mouth, adding a shake of his head. “That’s a relief.” He claps his hands once. “All right. Let’s get down to it.”

---