Page 102 of The Au Pair Affair

Wells pressed his lips into a straight line. “Told you.”

“No one asked you to come,” Burgess growled at the rookies.

“Sig and Wells did,” Mailer and Corrigan said, simultaneously.

“Is there food here? Like a cafeteria?” Mailer asked. “My sister had a baby last year and the cafeteria food was top tier. Came for the baby, stayed for the banana pudding.”

Burgess split a look between Wells and Sig. “I hope you’re happy.”

Sig snorted. “I’ll be happy when you’re out of this motorized bed, you big fucking baby.”

The rookies’ mouths dropped open.

“I don’t like it when Mom and Dad fight.”

“Me either.”

Anger and pressure and resentment built in Burgess’s veins until he swore they were going to burst. “What did you call me?”

“A big fucking baby. What are you going to do about it?” Sig held up his phone, and without breaking eye contact with Burgess, he tapped a green icon on the screen. The ringing sound filled the too-crowded hospital room. “I’m breaking out the big guns.”

Burgess couldn’t swallow, sweat forming on his palms. “Who are you calling?”

A familiar voice answered on the third ring. “Sig. They didn’t have strawberry Pop-Tarts at the store,” said Chloe, audibly crestfallen. “What am I going to eat for breakfast?”

“I’ll track some down when I get back and bring them by.”

“You will?” She sighed.

“Of course, I will.” Sig shifted, coughed into his fist. “Hey, Chlo, you’re on speaker. Remember when I told you we were doing Burgess’s intervention today?”

Burgess rolled his eyes so hard, they almost exited through the back of his skull.

“Yes, I remember,” Chloe said brightly. “Hi, Burgess!”

He grunted.

Sig kicked the bed, as if to saybe nice to her or die.

Burgess gave him a withering look. “Hi, Chloe.”

One of the rookies popped up behind Sig’s shoulder. “Hey, Chloe,” Corrigan drawled, adding a wink. “Allow me to formally introduce myself—”

Sig shoved him back across the room into his seat, which rocked ominously before settling back into place. “Absolutely not.” He kept the rookie pinned with a death glare. “Not happening. Never. Don’t even think about it.”

“Sig,” Chloe scolded him. “Don’t be such a meanie.”

“Yeah, Sig,” Mailer complained. “Don’t be a meanie.”

Sig picked up a full box of tissues from the tray attached to Burgess’s bed and threw it at the rookie, who blocked it at the last second with a defensive forearm.

“This intervention sucks,” Burgess declared.

“Really?” Wells asked, settling into a lean against the wall. “I thought it was just beginning to get interesting.”

“I’m sorry my pain isn’t entertaining enough.”

“You’re forgiven.”

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