Page 43 of Now & Forever
“Honestly,” she said, “propose to her. That would put a shock in everyone’s system.”
She was still laughing, though both James and Ian were silent. The cat yawned, stretched across Ian’s chest, and hopped down to fuck off to the library on the other side of the condo. Ian didn’t move. James pretended he still had breath in his lungs.
“What?” Kathryn held out her hands, one holding a loaf of freshly made garlic bread, and the other a jar of $10 spaghetti sauce. “I wasn’t serious. Sheesh.” She placed both the bread and the jar on the island counter. Bags rustled. She tossed her hair over her shoulders. “Don’t worry, buddy,” she said to James, “Gwen’s made it quite clear she would kill you if you ever do a public proposal.”
Ian hid his cough of shock with a guffaw. James, meanwhile, simply sat up on the couch and inhaled a deep breath.Might as well tell her too.Except Gwen would find out about it, and if there was one thing James and Gwen swore to one another, it was to not tellanyonetheir big secret.
Too bad James had told Cassandra.
“Well…”
James had barely figured out what he wanted to say when his phone rang. The chimes of his ringtone made Ian jerk in his seat and Kathryn roll her eyes at the interruption. James grabbed his phone and hoped it was an honest-to-God emergency.
He quickly rescinded that hope when he saw Cassandra’s name on the incoming calls list.
“Sorry.” He got up from the couch and followed the cat into the library. Ian and Kathryn gave him space. James didn’t bother to shut the door all the way. Not when the cat glared at him from its bed by the window.
He took the call and held his phone up to his head.
“Yes?”Please don’t be about Patrick… please don’t be about Patrick.
It wasn’t
“James,” Cassandra said with her airy voice. It sent a shiver down his spine. A shiver of dread. “You need to head to your family’s home right now. My mother left five minutes ago, muttering that she was going to meet Gwen there.”
James furrowed his brows. “Excuse me? Why in the world is your mother going to meet Gwen atmyfamily’s house?” That didn’t make any sense. Hell, Gwen going to meet Sarah Welshanywheredidn’t make sense! Why would Gwen do something like that without informing her partner?
“I’m not sure what’s going on,” Cassandra continued, “but my mother was rather pleased with herself, and we both know that might mean trouble.”
James hung up one minute later. He shot out of the library with the words, “I’ve gotta go,” on his lips. Ian followd him to the front door without saying anything.
“Don’ttell Kathryn.” Those were James’s parting words before he left. He didn’t stick around long enough to hear if Ian clung to his word.
