She laughed. “Those are my only two options?”
“Okay, so who are you pissed at?”
Darn, he’s good.Cori knew how to turn that around to benefit her research. “My sister. You know how it is. They think they know best and tell you what to do, like you don’t have a million of your own things that need to be done.” Please let that hit your button.
“Oh, I know that feeling all too well.”
“Is that what happened this morning when you called your... brother, was it?” She knew exactly who it was, but Shaun was feeding directly into her plan.
“I have a different lifestyle than he does.”
Fuel the fire.“That doesn’t make it less important than his.”
Shaun looked at her. “Are you some kind of counselor or something?”
She laughed. “Nope. Just a baby sister. I guess we all go through the same thing. I keep telling myself one day she’s going to realize I’m all grown up. Of course, I might be ninety by then.”
“Some days I agree with you. He’s a good guy. All my brothers are. They’re outspoken. You should see us when we’re all in a room together. If it weren’t for our wives, we’d probably end up knocking each other out.”
So things aren’t as sweet as they look.“You’re all married?” She knew that answer, but she needed to keep him talking.
“All except Logan. Maybe someday he’ll meet the right one, and she’ll tell him he’s not always right.”
“I need my sister to get married so she can nag someone else. I love it.”
They both chuckled as they pulled up to the front door of her apartment building. Shaun put his car in park and got out. When he opened her door, he said, “My wife—and parents-in-law—will kill me if I don’t walk you to your door and make sure you’re inside safely.”
“And you know this how?”
He pulled out his cell phone and showed her the text. He’d said it almost verbatim. “Well then, I guess you’re escorting me to my door.” Once they were there and she opened the door, she turned to him and said sincerely, “I really can’t thank you enough for taking the time to do this. You’re not what I expected.”
He arched a brow. “Why would you have expectations about me; you don’t know me, or do you?”
Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!She was so close and then her big mouth almost fumbled. “No... I mean you didn’t look like you wanted to help in the beginning. I’m glad I was wrong.”
He stood there once again staring at her. She forced an I’m innocent smile at him and hoped he fell for it. Shaun nodded and said, “I’m glad you’re okay.” Then he left without another word.
She went directly to her bed and lay down. Her morning was gone, and she wasn’t going to move from that spot for the rest of the day. That wasn’t good because she had a feeling damage control was needed. The all-so friendly Shaun Henderson wasn’t a fool. Something told her he was going to dig into her story. She hoped she was wrong, but she’d asked too many questions that seemed innocent until she blew it a moment ago.
It wasn’t like she could do anything about it. If that was the case, and she was found to be a reporter, it was over. She’d lost, and they won. As Hendersons always do.
She closed her eyes and thought back to Logan. Why would he have cared about a woman he’d never met? She didn’t like him, but as a physician she totally respected him. Too bad that kind heart didn’t go all the way through. It was only for the sick. She guessed that wasn’t such a bad thing unless you were someone close to him. And I’ll never have to worry about that.
“I’m telling you,Logan, there was something weird about it.”
“Shaun, I can’t call and get her medical records. It’s against the law.” There was no way he was putting his medical license on the line because Shaun had an odd feeling about some woman he’d met at his in-laws. “If you’re worried about it, just tell your in-laws not to speak to her again. Simple.”
“It’s not about my in-laws. Something about how she asked questions about our family. She didn’t come right out and ask, but she seemed to line up the conversation, so it left an opening.”
“And you think she threw herself in front of a moving vehicle hoping that your in-laws would come out and help her? That is if she didn’t get killed in the process? I hope you know how crazy this all sounds.” Logan knew Shaun was leery of anyone new coming into their lives. Not for himself but for his adopted son, Tyler. Being autistic made him more vulnerable. Tyler, unfortunately, would go with a stranger without a fight. Logan needed to remind himself Shaun’s heart was in the right place even though he was overreacting.
“Glad you’re not concerned about this since she seemed really interested in you.”
That piqued his interest. “Me? What did she say?”
“It’s not what she said, but more what she didn’t. She asked about everyone but you.”
Logan laughed. “So you think she’s interested in me because she didn’t ask about me? Are you sure you’re not the one who got hit by the car? You’re not making any sense.”