Page 68 of Breaking the Rules
“The joys of marriage,” Xavier empathized.
“You want to talk about last night?” Micah offered.
“Nope,” Xavier shook his head. As protective as he was of Waverly, he’d prefer that no one knew the heights their lovemaking took them to.
“I could draw a few conclusions from that cozy scene this morning.”
Xavier shot him a look.
“All I’m saying is I don’t want either of you to end up in the same place you were five years ago.”
“Micah, she’s it for me.”
“Is that why you’re dragging our company into your personal business?”
Xavier stared at him coolly. “I know you’re not happy with where this investigation could take us.”
“It’s notourinvestigation. We should be passing this off to the feds.”
“Micah, I’m asking you as a friend to trust me here. If we turn this over, it’s going to sit for a year before they assign anyone to it. We don’t have a year. She’s in trouble. And this is going to go deeper than a missing actor in skinny jeans.”
Micah covered his face with his hands. “I know it is. And your ass is going to owe me big time for this.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Shut that shit down,” Micah sighed. “We’re going to lunch.”
Xavier obliged and followed Micah out the office door.
“Have you seen any of the intel from Sinner’s hacker pal?” Micah asked on the way out. “She’s good. We should talk to her.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The Palisade Spa Resort was a luxurious slice of heaven on earth. Perched on the edge of a golf course, the rambling white adobe buildings clustered around a courtyard with a huge saltwater pool and private cabanas. Inside skylights and walls of glass brought the natural light and expansive canyon views indoors.
Sylvia Sinner greeted them at the front doors. She was decked out in capris and a flowing, crisscross back tank top from her own line of yoga wear and holding a glass of cucumber lemon water.
“I’m so glad you girls could join me today,” she said, her face bright with enthusiasm.
Sometimes Sylvia’s evolution from a downward spiraling alcoholic to the picture of health and vitality still struck Waverly. It hadn’t been that long ago that her mother had passed out in a puddle of her own sickness on a family vacation in the Mediterranean. Xavier had been there for that, Waverly remembered clearly. He’d seen her family at their worst, and he’d stuck… until he hadn’t.
“Hi, Mom,” Waverly gave Sylvia a kiss. “Thanks so much for organizing this.”
“What better way to welcome you home? Now, you and I are starting with a yoga class in fifteen minutes, and Kate has a sixty-minute massage with Arturo.”
“Arturo?” Waverly arched an eyebrow.
Kate fanned herself in anticipation.
They went their separate ways, Kate heading off to the languid promise of Arturo’s heavenly hands and Waverly and Sylvia peeling off toward the yoga studio. It was a bright, glassed-in yoga studio with wide-planked oak flooring. The room was naturally heated by the spectacular southern California autumn sunshine.
Waverly chose a pink and purple tie-dye mat from the shelf and spread it out in the front row. Her mother hopped onto the elevated stage at the front of the room and smiled prettily as the rest of the mats began to fill up.
Sylvia’s recovery had drawn her from the arms of addiction into the exact opposite direction. During her journey, she had become a certified yoga instructor and occasionally, when her schedule allowed it, would lead a class. Venues clamored for her, and any class she taught booked full within half an hour of its announcement.
She winked at Waverly and sent her a little finger wave before calling the class to order.
Waverly spent the next hour flowing through poses and finding soreness in every posture. The twinges in her side from the bullet wound were negligible compared to the marks her night with Xavier had left on her body—and her heart.
