Odd Woman Out (Book 4 of The Triad Series)

6. And In The Center Ring...

Emily was thankful for good friends and the fact that Leo and Sofia treated her pretty much the same as always, the next few times she saw them. She'd grabbed a coffee on Sunday, and again on Monday morning before heading to work at SCAN. It was her turn to grab the midday jolts of java as well for her and Kiara, so she saw them at least twice a day for the next several.

"How was the wedding?" she asked Beck when he wandered over to her desk to ask about some files he couldn't find. They were on the top of the pile she was currently collating and getting ready to place back in the daunting, wall-long filing system.

"Boring, as usual."

Her brows rose. "Boring? Not a fan of matrimony, I take it."

He smiled, just a quick upturn on one side of his mouth. "No, it's not that, actually. It was just a really long-winded service at St, Andrews. Took so long to get through the service you'd think it was a double ceremony instead of two middle-aged people getting hitched for the second time."

"They were both married before?" She knew the bride had been married to a cheating scumbag before meeting her private investigator-fiancé, but she hadn't been aware of the PI being previously married.

"Yeah. Former cop that did a little research of his own when he felt his wife was stepping out on him," Beck explained. "Decided to become a PI when he realized he had a knack for it. I've used him on a couple of cases since, surprisingly. He's good at what he does."

She handed over his pile of legal briefs and placed an extra blueberry scone on top. For the past two days, Leo had given her a freebie or two in her pastry bag. It may have been seen as sucking up to some, but Emily knew it was just Leo being Leo. He'd done it before often enough in the past that she didn't think anything of it.

"Thanks," he replied, immediately taking a bite of the still-warm blueberry confection. "Jesus, these things are like crack."

She nodded, smiling. "How was the reception then? That couldn't have been all that boring. Bouquets and garter belts flying, and all."

He made a face. "It was even more dull. I don't think they played a song later than 1995 the whole damn time. It was all 80s music."

"Not a fan?"

"Depends on the genre, I suppose." He bent his neck like he was attempting to crack it. "Hard rock was alright back then. But the s**t they played—f*****g Madonna and Prince? No, thanks."

She smiled. "Well, heavy metal back in the 80s wasn't really meant to get people dancing. It was more of a statement."

"That's true of rock throughout the ages."

"Agreed."

Beckett wandered back into his office with his files and the uneaten portion of his scone, while Emily went back to collating some of the other documents still left on her desk. Nearly being complete and the constant threat of papercuts almost over, she would be glad to be getting back to her usual work instead of being faced with endless piles of paper. Hell, she'd even started having dreams about being buried alive under a mountain of clean white sheets, all of them completely blank and useless.

She had no problems with her job usually, though she had to admit she would have preferred taking notes for meetings on her laptop over the tedious task of filing. It was one of her least favorite things to do, along with dodging the stares at her chest and ass from her all-too-handsome boss.

Of course, that made her start thinking about other handsome men, Leo making the top of the very short list she had going on in her head. There were a few celebrity crushes that differed sometimes daily, so nothing to note there. It's not like she would run into Chris Evans or Jacob Elordi on the streets of San Francisco.

Right about the time she started to make her way over to the filing cabinet to get rid of another backbreaking heap of legal jargon, her phone rang. Without looking down, she figured she could call whoever it was back during her lunch break or when she got home, so she didn't falter as her feet took her closer to her destination.

Luckily, she had her phone quite low, just barely above silent mode, so it didn't disturb her boss or any of the other office workers that floated on by. It went to voicemail after about six muted rings.

She hadn't gotten any closer to making a decision about what to do about Leo and Sofia's offer, but the soft brush of his kiss still made her tingle between her legs, even days later. Sofia's soft embrace, while confusing—well, that was all she could say about it right now. Just two warm chests pressed together for a brief moment, soft arms, soothing touch.

She shook the thought from her head and went back to filing, hoping her feelings would work themselves out and become clearer soon.

In time, probably. At least, she hoped they would.

***

She didn't get to check her phone until lunch, and when she did, she saw that it was her brother, Stefan. As Case wasn't one to usually call out of the blue, it sort of made sense, not that Stefan was one for wanting to chat her up in the middle of a workday.

Still, Emily would have to wait to call him back as she was going to lunch with Beck and a new client, and by the time they got back to the office, she had just enough time to complete her work from earlier that morning. Once the filing was completed, she had about enough time to go over the next day's schedule with Beck, and then she'd take the short bus trip back to her small studio apartment.

She'd been spacing out and almost missed her stop, so she hurried to the backdoor to push her way through before the people wanting to board could hustle their way in through the door. It was a dog-eat-dog world even when commuting, especially during the busier hours when the buses became packed with wall-to-wall people just trying to get home on a transit system that wouldn't know the term on time if it came up and smacked the Director of Transportation in the face.

Sometimes it was less of a hassle—and quicker—just to walk the fifteen blocks home, even in her heels.

Her phone started to ring once she was inside again, stretching her toes after being stuffed in four-inch pumps for the day. She groaned with satisfaction, reached into her purse, and picked up her phone.

Stefan again.

"What's up, little bro?" she asked before unzipping her pencil skirt and scooping up her heels with her fingertips.

'Christ, it's hard getting hold of you. Do you work in a hospital with no reception inside now? Why you avoiding me? I'm the good brother, remember.'

"Not avoiding. Working. There's an obvious difference. What was so important you had to call during a workday anyways? Need help finding the right YouTube makeup tutorial? So long as you steer clear of pink sparkly eyeshadow, you should be good. And The Crow look? So 1993 it almost hurts."

'Ha. Ha. You're the least hysterical of the Reznick clan, you know that? Next you'll be trying to work out whether Jimmy Choo styles heels in a size 14 wide.'

"A shame. I really like Choo's shoes." She dropped her skirt into the hamper and started to root through her dresser for something comfortable to wear. "So, what you need?"

'What? Can't a brother just call his big sis to shoot the s**t anymore? Christ, you make it sound like I'm only calling you for advice and shit.'

If Stefan had been in front of her, the glare she gave would have been withering. "This if you we're talking about. I could get one of the dads or Alex or Jay to have a chat easier than you or Case. So, what do you need?"

"Okay, you got me there. But if it wasn't so important, I wouldn't be calling.' He paused, drawing in a deep breath. 'I'm sending you an email.'

She stopped rifling through her clothing. "That's it? You're calling me to make sure I check my email? A text would have been sufficient, you know."

'No. I'm sending you an...an important email. It's ring designs. I want your opinion—and Mom's—on what type of ring I should get Shelly. Case and I are going to propose.'

A lot of things sifted through her mind to say. Not one for holding back on her younger—or older—brothers, she let loose in a torrent. "About f*****g time. I was starting to think I'd get hitched before you two asked her, and that's saying something since I've been boyfriend-less for over a year. Have plagues of locusts arrived yet? Death and pestilence? When do the four horses of the Apocalypse get here? I'd like video for my Rapture vlog. And why do I have to give my opinion? I won't be the one wearing the rock you're fixing on sewing to her finger once she says yes."

'You think she'll say yes?'

She rolled her eyes straight up at the ceiling and set the phone on speaker so she could take off her blouse.

"Of course she will. Is that what this really is? A pep talk? Feeling anxious, bro? Okay, here goes." She took a deep breath and wound up. "You're awesome, I love you, don't change, Shelly wouldn't be with your miserable ass if she didn't love you and want more with you. Am I done? Was that enough of an ego stroke? Where's Case or Mom for this type of crap? I'm tired of being the Reznick resident cheerleader. I suck at it—especially now that I don't get to use my pom poms or wear a pleated skirt."

'Well, first off, I always knew you thought I was awesome, love you too, never gonna change 'cause someone has to keep Case in line, and yeah, I know Shelly loves me—I mean, us. But I really actually want your opinion on this. Case and I want to present her with rings that match somewhat. He thinks my selections aren't big enough, and I think he's attempting to break Shelly's finger off at the knuckle with the ones he's selected. I had him send you his selections too. Be fair. Just because I'm your favorite brother doesn't mean you can't be an unbiased third-party."

Em snorted, trying to stifle the sound as she pulled a long t-shirt over her head.

"Okay, fine. I'll tell you both what shitty taste in jewelry you have in the most diplomatic way I can. Is that it? Have we reached out to touch someone enough? I'm starving and there's a gallon of ice cream in the freezer that's calling my name."

There was a pause on the other end of the line as Stefan took in her words. Normally, his sister only ate ice cream for dinner for one of two reasons: bad breakup, or she officially arrived at s**t just got serious mode.

'Ems, why you eating Ben & Jerry for dinner instead of making your signature entree of spaghetti and garlic bread? You date some d**k again and I need to rearrange his face? My offer still stands on the last asshole up here in Tahoe. I know he's around. Just saw him and his baby mama in the store the other day.'

She almost choked on a wad of her own saliva. "They had the baby? Did it come out with horns like any decent son of the devil would? God, I hope that b***h is still fat. Hope she's so damn big she can't reach down to shave the crotch critters from her pubes. I hope they start to bungee jump down to her infested asshole and—"

"Had the baby, yes," Stefan interrupted. 'Now stop deflecting. What's on your mind, big sis?'

She sighed, long and deep. Her chest ached, so she rubbed her palm over the space where everything seemed so tight and tangled. "I had someone ask me out. Two someones, actually."

She heard a breath shudder in. She'd shocked her brother, which was something of a miracle in and of itself. 'Two guys? I mean, at the same time?'

"No, not two guys. A couple—but don't you f*****g say a word to anyone, Stef! If you do, won't give you my expert jewelry advice a là Hardcore Pawn, or I'll come down on Case's side and agree that buying a diamond the size of my eyeball is a grand f*****g idea to give to Shelly. She'll never massage a hairy old man back again!"

'Right.' He sounded like he didn't believe her. 'I won't say anything as long as you tell me what's going on. Scout's honor, pinky swear, cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die, and shit.'

So, she spilled everything, letting the sharp ache fade into a low flutter in her belly when she mentioned the proposition Sofia and Leo had offered. Even Stef's resulting laugh made the tangle of emotions in her chest dissolve a little more. She gave the first genuine smile of the day at the boisterous sound.

'Sounds like you got something to think about, but it doesn't surprise me. I think I have a few friends that definitely wouldn't mind digging you out, especially if you came with another female. It's like a guy's biggest fantasy. Two p*****s for the price of one.'

Her nose wrinkled as she fought the disgust crawling up her spine. "Please, Stef. This is kind of like having a s*x talk with Mom. I know she's seen as the cool MILF in Tahoe, but it's really, really creepy for me. Let's keep it to giving me bad advice that I'll think about and then ignore, okay?"

He laughed heartily at that. 'Seriously, though. You have to figure out what you want. If it's both, I say go for it. If you're not into taco, then abstain and find yourself a nice little normal relationship.'

She groaned. "You say normal like it's a bad thing."

'Kinky threesomes aren't for everyone, sis. Hey, what about just getting nice and loose by drinking a few shots before figuring out whether you can hang in the Land of v****a?'

Closing her eyes, she thought, traitor. "You and Kia. Both of you just want to get me drunk enough to dive headfirst into the first available snatch just to laugh at me when I tell you I gagged afterwards."

Stef rolled with laughter at that. 'Trust me, if you're not gagging with your mouth stuffed full of a nice, juicy cunt, then you've got potential. Always knew you had a potential freak in you, Ems.'