“It’s none of—”
“Hannah. Who ordered this monsoon? Didn’t they realize we had plans?”
Emma’s eyes, so much like mine, widened. “Plans?”
“Okay, gotta go.”
“Oh, no, you don’t.” Emma’s nose was practically in the lens.
“Of course, I didn’t bring an umbrella.” Asher bustled in, whipping his suit jacket off and dumping his laptop bag on the bench just inside the door. And he had to be wearing his glasses today. I was so weak against them. “Hannah?”
I tried to hit the end button, but suddenly forgot how to work anything, including my mouth to tell Alexa to end the call. Asher’s white dress shirt was stuck to his body. Evidently, today he hadn’t worn one of his white T-shirts under it either.
Dear God, he was positively soaked through.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were on a vid call.” He leaned down and kissed Lily on the head. “Can’t pick you up, sweetheart. I need to change.”
“Hello!” Emma, who had no chill, shouted.
Asher came up behind me. “Oh, hello.” He leaned down and kissed me as well. Not on the lips, thank God, but he was behaving far too familiarly when my sisters were watching.
Boy, were they watching.
What the hell was up with him? First singing in the car, then singing in his office to a Matt Nathanson song last night. I hadn’t even known Asher listened to music that wasn’t classical.
I was so confused.
“I’m Asher. Can’t wait for you guys to visit. We’d love for you to stay for part of the summer.”
“We would?” I asked.
“Yeah, with the baby coming, I’m thinking you girls will want to enjoy the summer as much as you can.”
“Baby!” My sisters shrieked in unison, and the video went black. “Sorry!” Emma righted her unit. “Baby? What baby?”
“Oh, shi—Skittles.” Asher frowned and pushed his glasses up. “You didn’t tell them?” he asked me out of the corner of his mouth.
“I was getting to it.”
“Oh my God, what?” Emma looked downward, but of course, I was too close to the camera to see much.
I scooted back. “Not showing yet. I was going to tell you.”
“Talk about burying the lead,” Asher muttered.
“What? Now you start talking like a newspaper guy?”
He held up his hands. “I see you need to talk. I’m going to go change.”
“Don’t have to change on our account.” Rachel smiled dreamily. “Nice job, sis. Rich and hot.”
“Oh, God.”
“I mean I’m assuming this is your boss. Man, I think I watched this on the Hallmark channel. Or was it read the book?” Rachel’s eyes were dancing.
“Shut up.” I was mortified. And I didn’t want my sisters, or Asher for that matter, thinking that I was in this for the money.
“Actually, I knocked her up before she worked for me.”