Page 24 of Homecoming

“Does that mean you could swing the apartment on your own?”

“I’d have to seriously cut back everywhere else.”

Kara wanted to offer to help her, but after what Renata had said before, she didn’t think it would be welcome. “The man is crazy about you. He has been since long before his father retired.”

Renata recoiled. “He’s my boss. I can’t date him when I’m dependent upon him for a job. Remember what happened to my mother? How’d that work out for her?”

“Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just asking.”

“The very thought of it makes my skin crawl.”

“Even though he’s smoking hot?”

“Even though. He’s the most annoying human being on theplanet. I want him to marry someone else and go away so I can do the job I used to love in peace—and quiet. He never shuts up.”

Kara bit her lip to keep from laughing at the faces Renata made as she described Myles and to stop herself from saying she’d felt the same way about Dan when she first met him. What a mistake it would’ve been to not have given him a chance. But Renata didn’t want to hear that. She’d made up her mind about Myles and wasn’t likely to change it any time soon.

“Let’s talk about something else. The subject of that man makes me crazy. How’s pregnancy?”

“I’d like to say it’s magical and all the things, but I spend most of every day dealing with nausea. It’s so gross.” She’d brought crackers to munch on before they ordered lunch.

“Do the crackers help?”

“Oddly enough, it helps to feed the nausea, if that makes sense. It gives my stomach something else to do but roll and roil.”

“Sounds dreadful.”

“I hear the end result is worth it.”

Renata frowned. “Better you than me. I can barely take care of myself.”

“You’d be a great mom.”

“That feels like something that might happen in the way far-off future. Right now, I’m just trying to get through the day.” She glanced at her watch. “Ass pain will expect me back in exactly thirty minutes and grill me about where I’ve been if I’m one minute late.”

“What would he say if you told him to eff off?”

“I tell him that every day. He just laughs.”

Kara was more certain than ever that Myles might be in love with her cousin but was possibly frustrated that he couldn’t date her because she worked for him. And there was the fact that she seemed to actively despise him. It’d be funny if Kara didn’t love Renata so much and want only the best for her.

Her phone lit up with a text from Dan.Saw Kirby (Keith wasn’t interested in me being his lawyer) and am working on a motion to dismiss the charges against him since he was nowhere near the woman who was killed. And according to him, she was alive when he and Keith left her on the sidewalk.

She read the text to Renata.

“Keith is a fool to turn away a lawyer of Dan’s caliber.”

“He’s a total fool, but that’s nothing new.” She wrote back to Dan.Thank you so much for taking care of things. How is Kirby holding up?

As well as can be expected. He’s stressed but keeping it together.

My hero.

Aw, shucks. When will you be home to tend to me?

Smiling, Kara texted,Shortly.

Oh yay! Can’t wait.

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