Page 47 of Flyboy
Jack blew out a breath. He wasn't getting out of this without more of an explanation. "Can I tell you more tomorrow? When Roark is here? I'd rather not get into it tonight and I need to check on Lys."
"It's Gina, isn't it?"
"Partly."
"Yeah, well I probably should have told you I thought I saw her outside the school the other day."
It seemed Lys wasn't the only one keeping things from him. "Thought or did?"
"Thought. Out of the corner of my eye when we were in the pickup line. The day Essy and I went to Paige's house."
"Wednesday. When I was at work." He'd picked up Penny every day except when he'd been on shift. "Okay, from now on, you'll have Roark with you."
"How's that going to work when I'm in class?"
"He'll be on the door. We'll clear it with the principal and inform your teachers."
"Wow. I'm either going to be the coolest kid in school or the weirdo with a bodyguard."
"Either of those is better than the alternative."
Their eyes locked. "Yeah, I'd rather that than seeing Gina up close."
"You and me both."
"All right. I'll take that for now, but I want to sit down with you and Roark tomorrow before school and if you try and dodge me, I'll just pester Roark for answers," she said with a grin.
He had to smile back. His friend could handle himself, so Jack wasn't worried. "I'm sure you'll do that anyway."
Laughing, Penny headed for the door. "Definitely. I want to know what this thing is he's got for me."
Jack had no doubt she'd have the personal alarm either pulled apart or hacked within an hour of getting it. "Night."
"Nighty-night." Grinning at him over her shoulder, she added, "Sleep well."
Dammit, he had hoped she wouldn't think about where he'd be sleeping. Unfortunately, Penny wasn't just smart, she was observant; she didn't miss a thing that went on around her. And if she saw something she thought might make him uncomfortable, she wasn't above digging at him about it either. "You too, smartass."
Her laughter trailed off as her footsteps echoed up the stairs. Shaking his head, he made sure his laptop was turned off and his files were locked away before leaving the room and walking though the lower level. He checked doors and windows while he thought about the best way to handle Gina being in Sunnyville.
He couldn't have her arrested. Unless she did something to threaten Lys or Penny. Could they work that angle? He'd hash the idea out with Roark tomorrow. Right now, with the downstairs secure, he had nothing to keep him from calling it a night.
Taking a couple of deep breaths, he steeled himself for the argument to come. Then again, if he was lucky, Lys would already be asleep.
Jack went up the stairs far slower than he had come down them less than an hour ago. When he got to the top, he glanced at the only closed doors. Behind one was Penny. Behind the other, the wife he'd had for over a week and not slept with.
He didn't kid himself that she might agree to have sex with him again, but he hoped she'd be okay sharing the bed because he didn't care what she thought about the physical aspect of their marriage, he was sleeping beside his wife.
There wasn't much point putting it off any longer. With a confidence he didn't feel, he opened the door to the master bedroom and braced for the onslaught.
It never came.
Alyssa lay curled in a ball beneath the quilt, the sound of her soft snore the only thing that greeted him. Smiling, he walked over and looked down at his sleeping wife.
Wife.
He loved calling her that. Hopefully she'd want to acknowledge the title soon. Not that he would hold his breath. She barely tolerated being in the same room as him at the moment. Telling anyone she was his wife was probably the last thing she wanted to do.
He'd been waiting for her to talk to him about a divorce. They hadn't discussed what would happen after they ensured Penny's future, but he had no doubt one of the first things she'd want to discuss was a divorce.
