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“Jail.”
“Yes. Well. Thank you. Bake this at three fifty. Everything is already cooked, so it only needs to warm. Half an hour, maybe. Forty-five minutes if you want it bubbling. Don’t add anymore butter, though, or you’ll ruin it.” She pressed the dish into his stomach, forcing him to grab it or let it drop. “Okay. Bye.”
A slightly younger guy moved to the agent’s side. Conrad had so filled her vision she never even realized someone else accompanied him to the lobby. The two were roughly the same height, but the similarities ended there. The new guy had hazel eyes and hair streaked by the sun.
“Hello,” he said, peering at Jane with a wide grin.
Conrad kept his lips set in a firm line. For the second time since she’d met the agent, he didn’t appear comfortable.
Hazel Eyes waved at her. “You must be Jane. The lady friend.”
She almost curtseyed but stopped herself in time. “Yes. That’s me. I mean, I’m she. Lady Jane. Or a lady named Jane. Jane Ladling.”
Hold up. She’d never met this man, yet he’d recognized her on sight. Giddy excitement fluttered through her, superseding her nervousness. What had Conrad told him?
New Guy smiled with pure delight and shouldered Conrad aside to get a closer look at her. “Nice to meet you. I’m Wyatt. Con’s brother. Please say you’ll come up with us. He’ll be busy making some calls—” he elbowed “Con”—“but I’d love the company.” He angled his head toward the bank of elevators. “Shall we?”
Brother? Her lips turned up in a smile of her own. Other than a few comments here and there, Conrad had remained tight-lipped about his brother. That these two looked nothing alike meant, what?
She glanced at Conrad, silently asking, Do I go? Do I stay?
He conveyed no emotion as he motioned to the elevator. “After you.”
Her knees knocked as she walked over and pressed the proper button. A new ding sounded, the doors opening right away. No waiting at all. Almost as if she were supposed to be here, meeting a member of Conrad’s family for the first time.
Breathe. Was she ready for this?
Out of respect for his paused call, no one spoke during the ride up. Or the quick journey down the hall and past the front door, led by both boys. A little flustered, she looked around. The same parquet hardwood floors stretched across the length of the condo. Large, panoramic windows offered a gorgeous view of the city. Twelve-foot ceilings added to the urban feel. Not to mention the modern, stainless-steel appliances and the glass tile backsplash certain to be the envy of every decorator. A tufted chesterfield sofa in a light, dove gray and matching armchair angled toward the biggest LED screen she’d ever seen. Two bar stools perched beneath the long peninsula that separated the kitchen from the living room.
The place made her think Conrad had picked each piece of furniture directly off a showroom floor and had it delivered, then never used any of it. Nothing like the cozy warmth of the cottage.
Which style did he prefer?
“I didn’t mean to interrupt a family get-together,” she said, glancing at Conrad as he passed her, soon disappearing through a door. To store the casserole, or escape her? “I can go. I should go. Yes, I’ll go.” She fidgeted in place, feeling like she was seconds away from breaking out in a full-on sweat. “Am I saying go too much?”
Wyatt seemed to fight a laugh. “I ambushed him with some trouble yesterday, that’s all.”
“Trouble with the law?” She winced for him. “Been there.”
The laugh broke free. “Yeah. I’ve heard about your vigilante ways. But my trouble is worse. It comes from a former foster mother.”
Um, had he called her a vigilante?
Eager, he led her to the couch. Once she’d selected a spot in the middle, he sat on the coffee table directly in front of her, rested his forearms on his thighs and looked her over more thoroughly. “Why aren’t you wearing a hat?”
“Oh. Well. I couldn’t find one that complimented my dress. But, um, what have you heard about my hats?”
“Only everything. Twice.” He hiked his thumb at the large screen that dominated an entire wall. “You want to watch the game over beers?” Before she could respond, he hollered, “Bro. She wants a beer. You might as well bring me a bottle, too.”
“You’re currently in time out. You get nothing,” Conrad called. “And don’t you dare ask her if she’s—yes, I’m here.” He said more, but the words were muffled.
Eek! What wasn’t Wyatt supposed to ask her?
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t let his grumpiness fool you. He adores me.”
Yes, she believed that 100 percent. “You’re so at ease with each other.” Nothing like Jane and her siblings. Some she’d only met once. Others she’d seen a grand total of four times. “You’re making me wish I’d gotten to spend more time with my brothers and sisters growing up.”
