Hidden in the Blood: A Novel of the Terribly Acronymed Detective Club (Book 5)

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Tej, Saturday

"We're still divorcing, but he has a right to see his kids, and they were missing him terribly. How could I stand in the way? As it happens, he said he went out with a coworker last night, so he's already moving on."

Lauren looked over her shoulder at Joe, who was pulling meat out of the fridge for the barbecue. "Well, bully for him," she said. "Emma, will you take Agnes downstairs to see Al and Rachel?"

"Sure! Come on!" Emma grabbed Agnes' hand and began walking. Agnes stumbled after her in surprise, unused to the girl's directness and lack of self-consciousness. Naomi accompanied them, asking Agnes prying questions.

Tej and Lauren watched them walk away. "Naomi's going to grow up to be an investigator like you, Lauren," Tej said.

Lauren had heard that before and made no comment on it. Instead, she leaned in and said, low and throaty, "Joe's in."

"In?"

"You know... the thing you wanted to do..."

"Oh!" she said. "Right. Really? He's okay with it?"

Lauren nodded, biting her lower lip. "He has one condition, though."

"Oh, yeah?" Tej asked, feeling her heart race. "What's that?"

"He wants to be with you."

"Me?" She looked around quickly, making sure Joe wasn't in the room. He probably went outside to barbecue the meat. She leaned into Lauren's ear and whispered, "What about you? Are you okay with it?"

Lauren shrugged and said, "I might be. I noticed you're not saying no."

"Um..." She felt heat come to her cheeks. She fanned herself and said, "Whew, this is starting to get real. I wasn't really sure it would get this far."

"We can still call it off, if you're uncomfortable now."

She let out a breath and said, "You know, when it was just the idea of Sunny being with you, it seemed easier to think about. Me being with someone else... I don't know..."

"You're more comfortable with the idea of your husband cheating on you than with you cheating on your husband?"

"With another man, yeah. When I was with the two of you, it seemed easier to swallow."

Lauren leaned in and said into her ear, "You won't have to swallow Joe if you don't want to."

Tej gasped and smacked Lauren playfully on the arm. "You're terrible!" she said, but she was blushing again, she knew it. "Have you talked to Rachel? What about Al?"

"She said he won't stand in our way, and that if you'd like to be with him too he won't turn you away."

"Oh, my God, suddenly I'm the star of this show?" This was starting to go too far. What was she thinking even bringing this up? It would collapse into hurt feelings and broken relationships if it went ahead. "Look, Sunny doesn't know anything about this, yet. I think before we go any further I'm going to have to talk to him about it. He might not be keen on sharing me, even if it would get his own fantasies fulfilled."

"Of course. Everybody has to agree, and even if it happens, it will be once we're all a hundred percent." She tapped her boot with her walking stick to illustrate the point.

Before they could say anything further, Emma and Naomi emerged from the basement stairs, leading Agnes, Rachel and Al to the main floor, Al out of his hospital gown and in street clothes again. The only signs he'd been hospitalized were the scar on his head, surrounded by shorter hair than the rest, and his use of the handrail to help him climb the stairs.