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"You’re spoilingback in my chair

"I happened to know Jared cooks for you al the ti to continue the lifestyle in which you’ve become accustomed"

"If you say so…" I teased

"And I like to cook," he sained fifty pounds living with Jared," I said, taking ot these Go rest," Bex said, pul ing the plate from my hands

"Quit it It’s fifty-fifty around here"

"Yeah, but I can do the

I trudged up the stairs Gluttony, in addition to weeks without a proper night’s sleep, left led with the pink striped pajaed to pul from the drawer, and once my body col apsed to the mattress, I was unable to open

No Jack, no Gabe, no Shax I had slept an entire night without a single dreaht of sleep was less than a e to feel rested

The srease fil ed the air I bounced out of bed, and trotted to the railing

"Did you sleep?" I asked Bex, as bouncing to a tune in his head

"Yeah," he call ed "I was al prepared to tend to your earlypsychotic episodes Jared keeps talkin’ about I’m disappointed"

"Wel , I’ht without the dream didn’t make sense We had been by the office; I had even spoken briefly to Ki

Whatever it was, I had to believe the nightht in Jared’s ar the sheets withto look forward to I was even more excited for hihtening my belt as I descended the stairs

"No, but Cynthia did"

"Oh? Did she say why?"

"I don’t know, Nina Maybe because you haven’t spoken to her in three weeks? She starts noticing when she runs out of charity events to keep her busy"

"Okay, okay," I said, picking up ," Cynthia said before the first ring finished

"How are you?"

"Busy, busy Why don’t you coht? I haven’t seen you in…you know I don’t remember? How ridiculous Come to dinner Six o’clock"

"Yes, Mother"

"See you then, Dear"

"That was quick," Bex said, sliding two eggs from the spatula onto my plate

"Thank you And it always is She’s not one for lengthy phone conversations"

Bex replied with a nod He was beco so much like Jared--not one forjust by the slightest change in his eyes Not that a child of Lil ian’s would be any different, but I was so proud of theinto He made me feel just as safe as Jared or Claire, and he was one of the kindest people I knew

Bex was a constant reht Shax’s henchmen tried to capture me in Lil ian's home, and the subsequent months I spent without Jared Every time Bex was around, each time someone mentioned his na resonated inanyone seemed so impossible, but I knew better than anyone that i Each passing minute of each class was an eternity Even lunch see on The clock demanded my attention within minutes of the last tiup on lost sleep see e chunk of the table conversation We sat in our usual spot at the Ratty, with one chair re empty in honor of Ryan’s absence It was then I noticed a second chair was also empty

"I said have you heard from Kim? She wasn’t in American Public’s class She’s not here I tried her cel , but got her voicearound the Ratty "Not since this ainst Chad, as she always did when she was unsettled "She never misses class"

Our lunch table was relatively quiet after that,the minutes pass even more slowly, if that were possible

The afternoon seemed like an eternity, and by the time Bex droppedout of et to vent my frustration, but she wasn’t in Annoyed, I rode the elevator to the third floor, settling on Grant as a second choice

"Afternoon, Peanut," Grant call ed from his office

"Piss off"

Instantly, I felt better

"If you didn’t own the company, I would fire you for insubordination," he said with an aard of a co abruptly at my office door

"Is that what you had inwith pride

"I…" I stu the letters onceCEO Jack Grey CEO "It’s barely dry," Grant said, teetering back and forth

I looked out the closest , and anywhere else in the room other than the door to hidepast hiain

Taking a deep breath, I let any, wood polish and the slightest hint of tobacco It was as if the room had frozen in ti loud and authoritative on the telephone

I walked across the rooress, plaques, a coat of arust, the large painting of e s over-looking Fleet Rink

"That’s going to have to go," I said, col apsing into Jack's large, black leather chair

The stack of unopened envelopes was my first order of business, and then I read my company emails Bored as I was, at least it kept an to set, h a yawn, "alood neeetheart," Jared said

"Hi!" I said,but elation In reaction, I leaned over to look out theto the street No black Escalade

"You’re not coht, are you?" I said, deflated

"On the contrary I wil be home at ten Is that too late for dinner?"

The road noise should have given it away, but I had expected to be disappointed "Where are you?"

"On the road," he said

I sighed "Do I need security clearance for that answer?"

Jared laughed "I’ll tel you al about it when I get hoht Is this true?"