Page 122 of Protected from Malice
“I suppose.” Eden eyes Indy a little longer before turning back to us. “He looks happy. Don’t you think?”
“He does,” I tell her. I’m being completely honest about it. Indy does look happier. The gloom and despair that dogged him for years are nearly gone. He smiles now. Laughs. Teases. And last weekend, when we all went on a hiking trip together, he even suggested a dare.
Eden looked horrified when she heard him suggest a race to the top of the waterfall, but I wasn’t surprised. That’s exactly the kind of thing Indy used to do.
He didn’t do it. Not once he saw how upset Eden was. He quickly played it off like it was just a silly idea, even though I knew he was absolutely serious.
“He definitely looks happier,” Ace agrees. He pops the rest of the corn dog into his mouth. “And I don’t know why you’re giving him a hard time about the corn dogs. They’re great.”
“Did I hear corn dogs?” Finn comes up to us with his wife, Hanna, alongside him. Finn works at the Blade and Arrow branch in Sleepy Hollow, and I’ve known him for years. Back when he used to serve, he was on Cole’s team, along with Dante and Tyler.
Eden tenses a bit, but she immediately covers it with a smile. It’s not that she’s nervous about Finn specifically, but rather anyone she doesn’t know well. “Indy made corn dogs,” she says. “Next thing I know, I’ll hear he made pigs in a blanket?—”
“Are there pigs in a blanket here?” Finn brightens. “I love pigs in a blanket. Man, Indy has thebestfood.”
Hanna laughs. “Don’t mind my husband. He’ll eat anything.”
I nudge Eden. “What about those pizza rolls I found at the back of your freezer? The whole stones and glass houses thing, you know?”
Eden lightly punches my arm. “Shush. Those were an impulse buy. And I didn’t actually eat them, let alone serve them at a party for nearly twenty people. Animportantparty, no less.”
“Oh, we don’t do formal,” Finn tells her. “Maybe for weddings, but that’s it. The rest of the time we’re hanging out in jeans, grilling burgers and dogs out on our patio.”
“You should come visit,” Hanna adds. “We can take you into the Catskills to go hiking. Or north to the Adirondacks, if you’re up for something more difficult.”
“Definitely,” Cole agrees as he joins our little circle. “You’re welcome any time.” He lifts his chin at me and Ace, then smiles at Eden. “We’re in the process of expanding HQ, so we’ll have more space for visitors soon.”
“How’s that going?” I ask. “Still on track for the end of summer?”
Cole nods. “It had better be. Maya and I need to get into our new apartment by then. Otherwise it’ll be a tight squeeze when the baby comes.”
“Congrats.” I clap Cole on the shoulder. “I know I told you before, but it wasn’t in person. Another baby. That’s exciting.”
He smiles. “It is.” To Eden, he explains, “We all live at HQ, as you know. But all the apartments are two bedrooms, which was fine when we started and everyone was single. Now we have six couples living there, plus four little ones. I didn’t want to move locations, so it just made sense to add on to the building instead. So we’ll have bigger apartments for those that want them, plus an additional apartment for clients or visitors.”
“That’s great,” Eden replies. “I’d love to come out to visit.” She glances at me with a question in her eyes. “Since my newjob is starting in August, do you think you’ll have a chance to get away for a long weekend before then? With everything else going on?”
I kiss her cheek. “Of course. If you want to go, we’ll make it happen.”
Eden’s going to be starting work as a professor in the biology department at Reed College for the Fall semester, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved. If she wanted to stay on at Langworthy Pharmaceuticals, I would have supported her, of course. But I’m glad that she’s not. The trials for her drug are going well and projected to move on to phase two shortly. Once they do, Eden said she feels comfortable stepping back and supporting the project in a consulting role.
Will I still worry about her? Of course.
Will I make damn sure the building she teaches in has top-notch security? Absolutely.
Will I lurk outside her classroom for the first couple of weeks, just to make sure she’s okay? Probably.
“You guys are so cute,” Hanna says. To Eden, she adds, “Definitely come to visit. Everyone will love you. And Elle—she’s married to Zane—is a college professor, too. So you can talk about professor-ly stuff.”
Finn laughs. “Professor-ly stuff?”
She makes a little face at him. “You know what I mean.”
His features soften. “I do, Angel.” He kisses the top of her head. “I was just joking.”
“So,” Cole says. “Are we missing anyone?” He looks around the room. “We’ve got Dante and Sarah, Erik and Tatum, Rhiannon and Hawk, Nora and Jackson, and I know Levi’s here somewhere…”
“And Tyler, Indy, and Webb, of course,” Eden adds, gesturing at the trio.
