Page 32 (1/2)

"Ignore it," he said against her, and did soet the phone and cry out

And then he did it again and just like that she was back on the very edge, her toes curled, her ht and--

The house phone rang this time, obnoxiously loud, and she lost her place "Dammit!" She pulled him up and let out a breath hat she really wanted to do was cry

But ignoring a phone call went against the grain She didn’t get all that many calls, and some of the ones she’d received in the past few years had been life-changing The news of the car accident that had nearly killed Darcy, for one "I’ like a lunatic--or like a wo And damn, she’d been sooooo close "I have to at least look"

Parker pulled back, his hair tousled froers, his eyes liquid jade, torso bare, sweats untied and sagging low thanks to her wandering fingers, his breathing not any more even than hers

She wanted to jump his bones, but instead she slid off the counter and pulled her top back on before pointing at him "Remember where ere," she said

He s anywhere"

Da she’d ever seen She looked at the ID screen on the phone and it was like a bucket of ice water "Hi, Mom," she answered

Parker slid her a look

She turned her back on hi okay?"

It was a valid question Her parents didn’t check in often, and when they did it was always for a specific reason

"Everything’s fine," hertinny and far away Luckily she didn’t respond in kind to ask Zoe how she was because the ansas an inch froot an e-mail notice that our security deposit box payment has come due," her mom said "We’ve always paid in cash, so I don’t have an online account set up for it We need you to go pay that for us from our account"

"Sure," Zoe said She often handled their financial affairs when so needed to be done froood, darling, thank you We’re traveling for the next few days Be sure to tell Wyatt happy birthday for us"

"His birthday was last ot their birthdays wrong every single time How hard was it to keep track of the three children she’d borne herself? "I got hio by so differently over here," her mom said "Give him a kiss for me And Darcy, too"

"I know they’d love to hear from you yourself," Zoe said "Darcy especially, she’s--"

"You’re breaking up Zoe?"

"I’ed To AJ"

"Well, damn," her mom said, presumably to Zoe’s dad "I can’t hear her at all, do you think she’s still there?"

"Yes, I am," Zoe said quickly, louder now "Mom? Can you hearZoe," her mom yelled into the phone "E-mail me when you make the payment, okay?"