Page 149 of Masters of Secrets

“Don’t touch that!” Julie’s sudden command made him jerk back from both the coffee table and the cat.

Avery yowled indignantly as Connor pulled away. Tipping his nose in the air, the cat stood up with a faint popping sound.

What the…

It wasn’t until Avery hopped down from the table, leaving behind a little circular spot on the glass—just like the one Connor had been about to rub—right where he’d been sitting that Connor started to understand. He stared at the little circle.

“They have no hair, so they get kind of… suctioned to the glass when they sit on it. I keep telling my parents to get a different kind of table, but mom likes the glass one, so she usually just cleans it twice a day…” Julie’s voice trailed off, caught somewhere between exasperation and amusement.

“Thank you so much for not letting me touch it,” Connor said, straightening up. He hadn’t thought about that aspect of a hairless cat. Butt marks on the furniture… good grief.

Granted, he knew cats put their butts on everything—that was a running joke of most cat owners he knew—but they didn’t usually leave behind such clear evidence. Most people got to be ‘out of sight, out of mind’ about it.

“You’re welcome,” Julie grinned at him as she handed him a soda. She’d gotten herself a glass of wine. “Okay, everyone should have had enough time to talk about us and get used to the idea that I really did show up with a new boyfriend, so we can go back out there, and hopefully, it will be a little less awkward.”

Ah, so that was why she’d gotten them inside the house right away. That made sense and made him feel a little better about being introduced to her parents, then immediately dragged away. It was just to let her family take a minute. If he was really lucky, Sandra had taken that time to talk him up.

“I can’t believe I didn’t realize you worked with Sandra,” she said, as though his own thoughts of Sandra had summoned hers. “But I have so many cousins, I never remember the names of the places where they work.”

“And there are a lot of physical therapy places around here,” he said reassuringly. “I doubt you would have expected us to be at the same one.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure I even remembered that she’s a physical therapist,” Julie confessed as they walked through the kitchen. “I…”

Her voice trailed off as they faced the large back window and sliding glass door. The entire yard was visible through it, and it only took Connor a moment to realize there was a newcomer to the party. Mostly because he stood out, as he was tall, white, and standing in the middle of a small circle of people, throwing his head back in jovial laughter.

“Fuck.” Julie cursed.

“What?” Connor felt a sneaking suspicion in his stomach, as if something really bad was about to happen. Surely her parents wouldn’t have…

“That’s my ex.”

Apparently, her parents had.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Julie

Her parents had invited John.

Again.

She wanted to scream into the void.

Actually, she wanted to scream at her parents, but truthfully, that was about as useful as screaming into the void, and at least the void didn’t scream back.

“We should go.” Dammit.

“What? No. Don’t let him chase you off.” Connor gave her hand a squeeze. “This is your parents’ house. This is your family. And we came here today so I could meet them and help get them off your back. If we leave now, he not only wins, but we don’t get to show your family how much better off you are without him.”

Emotions were tumbling through her, making her stomach churn like a washing machine. The problem was none of them were coming out clean. None of them were coming out clear. The waters were full of mud, and as much as she wanted to leave and hold the boundary that she’d set down with her parents, Connor had a point.

This was her family. This was her parents’ house. Why should she have to be the one to leave?

Because the second my parents get an inch, they’ll take a mile.

Dammit. She didn’t know what to do. She needed a minute to think.

She needed John to disappear.