Page 128 of What Started In Deception

He frowned. “That sounds cold.”

She jerked her shoulders again. “But it’s true. Luckily, it’s not a big deal because they do love and support me, so it’s easy for all of us to do what we need to do.”

He trailed his palms up and down her back. “I wish I could be there for you today. Unfortunately, being an undercover agent while the press’s cameras are out doesn’t mix well.”

She shook her head. “It’s not a big deal. I’m going to read a story to a group of children—like I do for the kids in my classroom one hundred and eighty days out of the year. I’ll pose for a few shots with Everly, Maverick, and Mac, and we’ll come home.”

He shrugged. “I just like the idea of your boyfriend being there to support you.”

“And that’s very sweet, but your girlfriend understands your predicament. She also knows that you have a meeting with your FBI buddy.”

He nodded as he twirled her hair around his finger. “Can I ask you something? About Will?”

She hesitated, then nodded. “Sure.”

“Is it crazy to think that Will would borrow money from Asher?”

She frowned, surprised by his question. “It’s not crazy, but I don’t know why he would. He makes more than a decent salary.”

He shrugged. “Will mentioned something about becoming a partner when he and I first met. That usually comes with a steep buy-in, especially for a big, fancy firm like the one he works for.”

“That’s true, but I know that he and Mac put aside the money from the sale of Mac’s business for the partnership, so it doesn’t make sense that he would borrow money for that. Mac most likely doesn’t want to own anything again—or that’s her current way of thinking while the kids are so little, so it made sense to use that instead of touching their savings.”

He nodded.

She held his gaze, knowing that he was trying to work something out in his brain. “Why?”

“I heard Will and Asher arguing yesterday. I walked into the locker room at the tail end of their conversation, but Will said, ‘I’m going to get it back to you.’ That sounds like a money conversation to me.”

She shrugged as she shook her head. “I’m not sure.”

He nodded again.

“I can try to ask Mac about their finances…”

“Is that something you guys usually talk about?”

She shook her head. “Not really. We both usually have access to plenty of funds, so it doesn’t come up.”

Ty shook his head. “Then that’s not a good idea. If it’s not a topic that usually comes up, then it shouldn’t now.”

“Okay.” But then she sighed when she couldn’t help but worry. “Something’s going on with him, Ty. Something’s different. It scares me a little because he’s not acting like himself at all. The Will you’ve met this summer is not the Will that I’ve known and loved my entire life.”

He wrapped his arms around her as he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. “We’re going to figure stuff out.”

She nodded, knowing they needed to get up when all she wanted was to stay right there, cocooned with him.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Ty opened the gym door, hearing the familiar blast of music as Will did barbell squats toward the back of the room. Finally, he would get a chance to talk to the man whom he’d had a hell of a time catching a moment with over the last couple of days. “Morning.”

Will set the bar back on the rack as sweat dripped down his face and chest. “Morning.”

“How’s the workout going?”

Will nodded as he wiped himself off with a towel. “Not too bad.”

Ty headed toward the treadmill for his warmup but stopped, knowing that he didn’t have a lot of time before Will would head upstairs to get ready for his workday. “Look. I know you and I don’t know each other all that well, and I’m not trying to pry, but if you ever want to talk, I’m here.”