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As Han took a backward step toward the elevator, Devin held out his hand. Another little thrill ran through Zoe as she slipped her palm into his.
And hey, the vein in Han’s temple bulged only a little, so that was progress, right?
A nurse was kind enough to show Zoe and Devin to Uncle Arthur’s room, but they didn’t really need the guide. Her mother’s voice rang out as clear as day the moment they rounded the corner. “Jeopardy!gets you too worked up.”
“Youget me too worked up.” Her uncle muttered a more colorful rebuke in Mandarin.
Zoe shook her head and sighed. Well, at least it was good to know he was feeling better.
She knocked on the door, eyebrows raised. “You two playing nice in here?”
Her mother and her uncle both looked up and smiled. Zoe didn’t miss the way they were still silently wrestling over the remote, though.
“Zoe,” Uncle Arthur said, swatting at his sister’s hand. “Devin.” Then he seemed to notice the fact that they were holding hands, and his head tilted in question.
“Uh…” Devin rubbed the back of his neck.
Her mother followed his gaze and did a double take, though she recovered quickly. Letting Uncle Arthur have the remote, she stepped back, one brow raised.
With Han finally in the know, Zoe and Devin hadn’t held back on the casual PDA while they’d been hanging out in the waiting room, but they hadn’t made an announcement or anything, either. Her mom was usually uncannily observant, but apparently she’d been too busy pacing a hole in the carpet to notice all the shared glances or the occasional moments when Devin would put a hand on her back or her knee.
Zoe’s face warmed, but she held her head high, meeting her mother’s gaze.
Her mom clicked her tongue behind her teeth and shook her head fondly. “Guess you did know what you were doing after all.”
Zoe huffed out a breath. “Sure did.”
“Good,” her mom said, firm. A sly smile curled her lips, and Zoe’s throat went tight.
It would scarcely count as approval from anybody else’s parent, but for Zoe’s mom? She might as well have thrown her a “Congratulations on Nailing the Hot Guy” party.
Uncle Arthur’s reaction wasn’t nearly as subdued, his pale face eclipsed by a bright grin. “About time.”
“Hey,” Devin protested.
“‘Theoretical,’” Uncle Arthur scoffed, tucking the remote under his leg to make air quotes.
Zoe didn’t know what they were talking about, but that was all right. Letting go of Devin’s hand, she stepped forward to kiss her uncle on the cheek.
He squeezed her palm and winked. Quietly, he murmured, “Good choice.”
“I know.”
She moved aside, and Devin took his turn giving Arthur a careful hug.
Her mom slung her purse over her shoulder. “I’ll give you two a minute.”
“Really?”
She patted Zoe’s hand. “Just a minute. I’m starving. Did you know vending machines here charge two dollars for a Kit Kat bar?”
Okay, yeah, her mom running to the car to grab a free snack from the stash she kept there made a lot more sense than her actually giving them privacy. “Outrageous.”
Her mom made a disapproving sound in the back of her throat, calling out Zoe’s sarcasm, but with a quick pat to Zoe’s shoulder, she kept walking.
Zoe turned her attention back to Devin and Uncle Arthur, who were engaged in a little sidebar of their own. She rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to threaten Devin if he hurts me. Han’s already got that covered.”
“You?” Uncle Arthur huffed out a breath and waved a hand dismissively. “You can fend for yourself. I was telling Devin that if you hurt him, you’d have to deal with me.”
