Say It's Not Fake

Busying myself with my normal morning tasks, I brewed a cup of coffee and checked the messages, jotting items down to be left for the other partners.

When the front door opened, I could sense him before lifting my eyes.

“Hi again,” Kyle greeted, and once again I was picturing him with his clothes off.

This was becoming a problem.

“Yeah, hi. Long time no see.” Super, I was joking. Being easy-breezy. Small steps, Whitney. Small, tiny baby steps.

“Still can’t stay away from me, can you?” I teased, then instantly wished I hadn’t. Something about those words seemed to make Kyle tense up. What had been sort of light and carefree between us had now turned frosty.

Okay, so we were definitely not at that level in our whatever this was. I couldn’t make light of his former feelings like that. It wasn’t right. Even if I didn’t mean it that way. It had sounded bitchy.

“I didn’t mean—”

“Adam texted me,” Kyle interrupted, not letting me finish. “He told me to come over. Sounded important. Meg hasn’t gone into labor or anything has she?” His voice was cool, and he wouldn’t look at me now.

Way to go, dummy.

I frowned, pulling out my phone. There weren’t any messages. “Not that I’m aware of. I’m pretty sure I would know if my baby sister was giving birth to my nephew.”

Kyle pulled his lip between his teeth, a nervous gesture I remembered from when he was younger. And I was younger. When we were younger together. My head tried to take me back to sexy, sweaty places it shouldn’t go. Now was most definitely not the time for that.

“Well, can you let him know I’m here—”

Adam’s office door flew open, and he came out in a rush of energy that instantly put me on edge. I had never seen Adam so off-kilter. What was going on?

“Web, there you are. Good. I need you to come into my office.” Adam turned to me. “Whit, do you mind getting us some coffee?”

Kyle’s frown deepened. “Whitney doesn’t need to get us coffee. You just need to tell me what’s going on. You’re freaking me out, man.”

Adam clasped Kyle’s shoulder. “Don’t freak out. We got this. But we need to talk privately.”

“I’ll get you guys some coffee,” I said, hurrying to the break room. I watched Adam and Kyle from my periphery as my brother-in-law ushered them both into his office and shut the door behind them.

I quickly made coffee. Adam’s black and Kyle’s with milk and sugar, just how I remembered he liked it from watching him make coffee at the Decates’ house over Christmas. Okay, that definitely sounded stalkery. I knocked on Adam’s door, waiting for permission to come in.

When I entered, my heart went into my throat. Kyle was bracing his head in his hands, his elbows propped on his knees. He looked as if someone had just punched him in the face.

“We have some options, Web. I know this sounds bad, but the important thing is not to jump to worse case scenarios.” Adam thanked me as I put his mug down on his desk, but his attention was on Kyle.

“This is worst-case scenario, Adam!” Kyle yelled, making me startle. I had so rarely seen Kyle truly angry that it was a little terrifying to see. “How can she do this to me? After everything? After all the shit she’s put Katie and me through!”

They were talking about Josie. And I knew that was my cue to leave.

I handed Kyle his coffee cup, and he took it, staring blankly ahead. Unable to help myself, I lightly touched the back of his hand with my fingers. I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t help myself. He looked so desolate. So wounded. So angry.

He looked up, his eyes pulling me in. They weren’t cold like they had been earlier. There was devastation there. And it tore me apart.

“I don’t think she has much of a leg to stand on, but it’s important to remember that courts usually side with the mother in custody cases,” Adam went on, and I straightened.

Was Josie filing for custody of Katie? Seriously?

I knew I couldn’t ask, so instead, I quietly made my exit. I went back to my desk, answering the phone that was ringing off the hook, glancing at Adam’s door, waiting for it to open.

Lena and Jeremy came in a little while later. Lena stopped at my desk as she always did, handing me a muffin.

“Thanks,” I said distractedly.

“Adam already at it?” she asked, sipping from her to-go mug.

“He’s in there with Kyle,” I told her, not saying anything else. It wasn’t my place. I figured Adam would fill her in later.

Lena frowned. “Kyle? Why is he meeting with Kyle?” Jeremy asked, coming up to stand beside her.

“I don’t know,” I lied.

“Huh. That’s strange.” Lena went and knocked on her brother’s door, poking her head in then promptly withdrawing. “Whatever it is, it doesn’t look good,” she reported, looking worried.