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Her eyebrow lifts.

I point between them. "Whatever history that sentence is carrying, put it down. I don’t have room for it today."

Gage exhales through his nose.

Evelyn's mouth curves.

"You should sit," she says.

"No." We are all just standing around the table.

"Maren."

I turn on Gage. "You’re one bad sentence away from getting hit with an airborne pumpkin."

His mouth twitches. "Not funny."

"A little funny."

"Why are you enjoying this?" I ask.

"I’m not."

"You are."

Something in his face eases, and it’s worse than the scowl.

"I’m enjoying you."

My brain stalls.

Just for a second.

Just long enough for the cold to walk down the back of my collar.

Evelyn clears her throat.

Gage looks away like a man who didn’t mean to say that out loud.

Did he mean it the way it sounded?

No.

Focus.

"Tell me the rest."

"Evelyn asked me to watch over the situation. I was assigned to you."

"Watch over me? "You were assigned? To me?"

He goes still again. Bracing.

"Maren."

"For how long?"

A beat. "Six months."