Page 59 of Code Name: Atticus
“You didn’t have to. It’s written all over both your faces.” Emma’s expression softened. “How are you going to handle telling Luke?”
“We’re having dinner with him tomorrow night.” I twisted my hands together. “Atticus thinks he’ll be happy for us.”
“Based on?”
“Something Luke said to him over coffee about how people can change. Atticus thinks it was Luke giving him permission.”
Emma tapped her cheek. “Maybe he was. Think about it—if Luke knew you had feelings for his best friend, and he knew Atticus wasn’t ready for something serious, warning you offprotected both of you. You from heartbreak, Atticus from losing his best friend when things inevitably went wrong.”
I hadn’t considered that angle. “Do you really think Luke is that astute?”
“Brothers aren’t as oblivious as we like to think they are. Especially protective ones.”
My phone buzzed with a text from Atticus.Miss you already.
Emma saw my expression change and laughed. “You’ve got it bad.”
“Shut up.”
“This is good, Brenna. You deserve to be happy. And from what I’ve seen of you two together, he makes you happy.”
“He does,” I admitted. “Happier than I’ve ever been. Which terrifies me.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re in the middle of an undercover operation where we’re pretending to be married while actually falling in love, my brother’s in town and doesn’t know we’re together, we’re about to spend three days trying to convince criminals to trust us enough to make us part of their espionage ring, and somehow, in all of this, Atticus and I are making plans for a future together like it’s the most normal thing in the world.”
Emma reached over and squeezed my hand. “Maybe it is normal. Your normal, anyway. You’ve never done anything the conventional way. Why should falling in love be any different?”
Before I could respond, my phone rang with another call from an unknown number.
“Bronwyn Nolan,” I answered.
“Mrs. Nolan, Patricia calling for Mr. Morrison. I’m following up with some details about this weekend’s gathering.”
“Of course.”
“The dress code is California casual, though you’ll want to bring athletic wear for Saturday’s activities. Tennis, golf, hiking trails—the resort has wonderful amenities.”
“That sounds lovely.”
“Mr. Morrison also wanted me to mention that the retreat has limited cell service, and he encourages guests to embrace the digital detox. The focus is on genuine connection without distractions.”
“I understand completely. Sometimes, it’s nice to unplug.” Though internally, I was calculating how this would affect our communication with the team.
“Exactly. Mr. Morrison is very much looking forward to getting to know you and your husband better. He thinks you could be valuable additions to his circle.”
“We’re looking forward to it as well.”
When I hung up, Emma was already texting Kodiak about the cell coverage issue.
“That’s going to make things interesting,” she said at the same time her phone buzzed. “Kodiak says they’re discussing communication contingencies.”
“Good.” I stood and walked to the window, looking out at the bay. “Can I ask you something?”
“Always.”
“How do you separate the job from everything else? When you were undercover at the FBI, how did you keep the two worlds from bleeding together?”
