“I don’t know when I’m going to find time to sleep. I have to get some work done at the office this morning, and this afternoon, Rylie and I have our appointment with Matthew.”
“Explain what the plan is, again. I don’t understand how you’re going to divorce Rylie and still keep Gabe. Won’t that affect your adoption approval?”
“Evidently not. Matthew specializes in adoptions of all kinds, and he’s the one who advised me to marry Rylie. He said we would take care of the paperwork today, so I assume he’s going to either arrange an annulment or a quick divorce. And then I guess Carlie and I will have a civil ceremony to make it legal.”
Why did his stomach knot up every time he talked about marrying Carlie? Probably because he hated rushing into the marriage before they’d had time to settle their differences.
“I just don’t see how that’s going to work. I know how meticulous our home study was before we adopted Larkin. Seems like they wouldn’t approve of you divorcing and remarrying like that.” Finn shook his head. “But I guess Matthew knows what he’s doing.”
“I’ve already had a home study. Matthew made a bunch of calls and I managed to get one the day after we got Gabe’s diagnosis. That was when I’d planned to adopt as a single father.” Jarrett packed his things in his duffle bag.
“Seems like they’d check out the home again now that you’re married.” Finn shrugged and reached into his messenger bag, retrieving his laptop. “Maybe it’s different adopting from Puerto Rico. Ours was an international adoption.”
“Maybe that’s it.” He certainly hoped so. “By the way, Juanita’s supposed to come up around three o’clock.”
“Great!” Finn grinned. “She’s a hoot. Doesn’t cut me a bit of slack.”
“No, she doesn’t go easy on anyone. She chewed me up and spit me out for talking Rylie into getting married, even though I told her we did it to save Gabe’s life.” Jarrett winced, remembering her biting condemnation. “She said marriage is sacred and I should’ve trusted God to take care of Gabe for a few more days instead of arranging a fake marriage and a divorce. She was still mad at me yesterday. That’s why I’m hoping Matthew can pull off an annulment. Juanita might not be as upset if we avoid a divorce.”
With a parting kiss on Gabe’s sleeping cheek, Jarrett trudged toward the door.
“It’ll all work out,” said Finn. “Try not to worry.”
“I’ll try,” he said, anxious that his plans might be on shaky ground.
By the time Jarrett showered at his downtown apartment and arrived at Phantom Enterprises, it was almost ten o’clock. He detoured through the work stations on Rylie’s floor and stopped at the corner of her cubicle, hesitant to disturb her while she was concentrating. He felt bad that he hadn’t been there for her work orientation. She hated meeting new people as much as he did, so she must’ve been uncomfortable.
She was in her non-Carlie disguise, hair pulled back in a ponytail, navy-blue glasses framing her eyes. And something else was different… something he couldn’t put his finger on. She was still as attractive as ever, but she looked cuter. Perhaps the word that best described her appearance was sassy.
With her elbows on her desk, her chin resting on her entwined fingers, she stared at the computer screen, and a cute furrow appeared between her brows. After a full minute, he gave up waiting for her to notice him.
“It’s okay to ask for help, you know.”
She jumped, a squeak escaping her throat.
“Jarrett! You’ve got to stop sneaking up on me!” Her blue eyes shot daggers at him. Then she clamped her hand over her mouth. “Oh… sorry… I should call you Mr. Alvarez.”
“Doctor Alvarez,” a male voice corrected through the wall of the adjacent cubicle.
Her cheeks flamed red. “Doctor Alvarez. Sorry, again. I forgot you have your Ph.D.”
“Don’t worry, Rylie.” Jarrett spoke loudly enough to be heard by the eavesdropper, whose voice he couldn’t quite place. He must’ve been one of the newer hires. “As long as we’ve known each other, you’ve definitely earned the right to call me by my first name.”
He found a pen and a piece of paper and scribbled, “Appointment at 2. Leave at 1:30?”
She gave him a silent nod, her teeth chewing on the fleshy part of her lower lip in a way that shouldn’t have been so enticing. He gave his head a shake, reminding himself of his purpose in stopping by. Poor Rylie had not only started a brand new job, but she’d also been spending all of her evenings at the hospital, even though Jarrett had Juanita and Finn to help him. She was stretched so thin she had to be close to the breaking point.
“Is there anything I can help you with?” he asked.
She took her glasses off and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Todd’s putting me on a research and development team, so I’ve been reviewing everything they’ve done the past nine months. I think my brain is cooked… not just a little. It’s breaded and deep-fried in lard.”
“You’ll get it. But there’s a learning curve. You can’t grasp everything you need to know in the first week.”
“If I’m getting a paycheck, I want to be earning it.”
He admired her gumption. “I promise we’ll get our money’s worth out of you. But not if you kill yourself in the first week.”
With a noncommittal grunt, she turned her attention back to her computer screen.
“I’d wager what you’re really worried about,” he said, “is whether or not you can be the top performer on the team.”
“That shows how little you know about me.” She stuck her chin out as far as it would go. “Why would I worry about that? I already know I’m going to be the top performer.”
“I don’t doubt it,” he said, truthfully. “You look different, today.”
Her lips pursed as her hand rose to touch the hair on her forehead. “I got my hair cut. I’ve never had bangs before. Do you think I look goofy?”
“Not at all. In fact, I like it.”
“Really? You don’t think my bangs make me look too young?”
“Hmmm…” He rubbed his chin as he pretended to ponder her question. “Not a day younger than sixteen.”
Something flew through the air, directly toward his face. He flinched, but not in time to avoid the soft impact. The object fell to the floor—a foam koozy.
“Violence is never the answer.” He was surprised by his own laughter. Worrying about Gabe had consumed him night and day, even invading his dreams.
