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The drive hoot fussy "He’s tired," her mom explained as he squir

Nellie handed Roni her phone "Find the app onball He likes playing with that one" She turned back to Gus as she reached the stop light "You wanna play with auntie’s phone, Gus?"

Immediately, he reached his hand out "Fom!"

She so"

Glancing up in her rearview mirror, she could see that, unlike Gus, Jack wasn’t the only one who’d dozed off; so had her dad Herto droop as well She frowned, feeling terrible that she’d been so busy that she’d hardly been able to help thean just disappeared?" Roni asked as she straightened back out in her seat

"Yeah," Nellie nodded as the light turned green "I didn’t hear from him for a few days, which eird because he was supposed to be doing the financials for the mixer and fro and texting"

"I re he was kind of pushy even"

"Exactly," Nellie could admit it now He was on the pushy side "Then suddenly he emailsand said he’d gotten an offer out of state and couldn’t pass it up" She shrugged "When I interviewed him initially, he did say he’d been in a real financial bind forpermanent and with more pay, I can see why he’d just up and leave, but now I’e project I’ve been up to my eyeballs with it"

Roni frowned, shaking her head "Well, that sucks Is it too late to get a replacement?"

"No, I’ve actually interviewed a few ency sent over I think I finally interviewed one that’ll do She’s a retired accountant looking for soood about what she does"

Thecall The screen flashed Sam’s name and Roni smiled Nellie was too tired and wasn’t about to have a public conversation with him anyhow since her phone was hooked up to her speakers She’d ignored his earlier calls and was about to do the sanore button on the screen disappeared and now read: Connected to Saured out the culprit i off, his little fingers were still hitting the screen on her phone

"Nellie?" Sam voice came over the speakers

Roni turned around and took the phone out of Gus’s hands, les with her other hand

"Hi, Sa her nose, but one look in her rearview mirror and she could see his voice hadn’t woken anyone

"I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all day I’ether"

"OhYeah, I spent the day at the zoo with my faonna have to pass"

"You sure?" he asked, sounding very disappointed "After tonight, I’ to see you, even if it’s just a few minutes Any chance we can do just coffee maybe, or if you’re in theat is on a private beach I’ve stayed there before The sunset is beautiful We can chill on the beach, watch the sunset, maybe have a little wine, and then I can take you hoht I need you there with ht on those stateyo that this understanding with Abel was not going to work Then she got that one text from him with those three si things After seeing one back to her original thoughts, and then he called her last night

She had to stop letting a feords fro to overlook the obvious He wasn’t spending every wakinghis downtime with the touchy-feely little fitness model--someone he had an intimate past with and very likely a present one too And fro it This entire time she’d been away from him, she’d forced herself to look at the photos, and every day there were new ones Even today, the day after what felt like a genuinely heartfelt call, there’d been new ones of the two of theether than she had with hi at Roni, who zipped her lips like a good girl but lifted a very telling brow, she sone into workout lockdown, she’d only left her place to work After taking the entire day off today, she’d be back in the office working long hours to try to get the mixer coas Her social life was on hold again for more than one reason "Actually, Sam, that sounds nice It’d be a perfect way to end the only day I’ve had off in over a week"

"Excellent Text me when you’re ready for me to pick you up, and I’ll be there"