“Oh, like that?” Merl asks.
“Yeah, Fernando is trying to kill Robert—or something like that—and Blue and I almost got caught in the crossfire.”
“Oh.” Merl’s brows raise. “I see.”
Frank lets out a pained whine and I turn to him, laughing. His tail goes even faster, anticipating the moment of release that must be imminent. “Okay,” I say to him. He dashes forward but pulls up before smashing into me, performing an awkward pirouette to settle himself on my foot, then arches his head back so that the top of it presses against my belly. I lean over and rub his chest while he sighs in appreciation. “You’re a very good boy,” I assure him. “Yes, you are.”
I look over at Nila. Her tail thumps slowly—not the exuberant excitement of her brother, but she’s happy to see me too. “Okay,” I tell her and she comes forward, pressing against my right side. I pet her with one hand, while still petting Frank with the other. “How did they do?” I ask Merl.
“Great,” he says. “They are both awesome dogs.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “They really are.”
We climb in the van, this time with Merl at the wheel. The dogs maintain their previous seats with Frank and Chula in the back row, Lucy, Nila, and Michael in the front, and Blue right between our bucket seats. “So, how are you feeling?” Merl asks as we bump off the tarmac onto the dirt road.
“Well,” I say, taking in a breath. “In the last two weeks people have tried to kill me on three separate occasions—people who weren’t actually trying to kill me.”
“Sounds like a hell of a week.”
“Yeah. First, assassins tried to kill Petra—and I was there. Then I got caught in a random airline terrorist attack—who does that even happen to?” I don’t give Merl a chance to answer before continuing. “Then, mercenaries tried to take out Robert and I happened to be there.”
“That’s a lot,” Merl notes.
“Yeah,” I wrinkle my nose. “Trouble loves me.”
“And you love trouble. It’s a hell of a romance you two are having.”
I laugh as Merl pulls up in front of the hidden entryway. He hops out to key in the code and when he comes back, I smile at him. “It’s so good to have you here.”
Merl puts the van back into gear and eases it forward. “It’s good to be here, Sydney.”
We roll through the low tunnel and park the van, hooking in the power cord, and then head upstairs. “Want to get some food?” Merl asks as the elevator rises to the lobby floor. Our dogs sit around us, the small space very full with the six dogs and two humans…three humans, I guess. My hand rises to my belly, and Blue’s nose brushes my fingers as they rest against it.
“Yeah, I could eat,” I say—those two sandwiches were hours ago now and I’m not taking opportunities to eat lightly anymore. “How are you doing?” I ask Merl as the elevator doors open onto the lobby.
“Good,” Merl says, his tone a little hesitant. We wave to the member on desk and cross to the other set of elevators that can take us to the cafeteria. He doesn’t elaborate until we’ve all filed in and he’s pressed the button. “Mulberry is on his way here.”
My throat tightens and my skin heats. “He is?”
“Yes.” Merl looks over at me. “He and Dan are talking about a new system for receiving, categorizing, and investigating requests. They felt it would be better to be in the same place. I hope that won’t be an issue.”
“No,” I say quickly. “That sounds important.”
“I agree,” Merl says. “And I need to get back to Costa Rica soon.” I nod, because of course he does. “You could come with me if you wanted. We have medical staff, as you know, and it’s safe there.”
“Yeah,” I say, worrying my lower lip. “I guess I need to pick a place to have this baby.”
“There does appear to be a timeline,” Merl says, his voice teasing.
I roll my eyes at him. “Yeah, everyone likes to remind me of that. As if I can’t tell.”
The elevator doors open and the noises and sensations of the cafeteria reach us—low chatter and the smell of simmering food.
Is this where I want to have my baby? I have no idea how to answer that question. Maybe I should ask my mom. The thought tightens my chest. Involving my mother in my life in any way scares me.
We leave the dogs outside the dining hall on a stay command. Blue lies down and closes his eyes, Nila joins him, and Frank…oh Frank. He whacks his tail onto the ground making puppy dog desperation eyes at us as we walk away.
My phone pings in my bag as we get our trays, and I shift the small duffel around so I can grab it out of the side pocket. It’s a message from Robert. I swipe it open.
Just wanted to make sure you made it back safely.
I quickly type out a response and put it back in my bag. It pings again, but I ignore it until we’ve gotten our food and settled at a table near the large windows—we have a spectacular view out over the ocean. It’s a sunny day with just a few wispy clouds in the sky. But the wind has picked up since we landed and white caps crest the waves.
I settle down in front of my plate of pasta and pull out my phone again.
I miss you.
My lips tighten at the message. “What?” Merl asks.
“My husband misses me.” I draw out the word husband into something ridiculous.
“Isn’t that normal?” Merl asks with a smile before taking a sip of his iced tea.
“I guess,” I say, putting my phone back in my bag and concentrating on the pasta at hand.
“You two are an odd match, but I guess it makes sense.”
“You think?” I ask.
