“I probably would’ve too,” Addison said with a sympathetic pout. “It’s a broken leg, baby, not a brain injury. Thank God. And obviously he’s well enough for extracurricular activities; it’s why he probably felt guilty having you spend money on someone to wait on him hand and foot.”

“He knows money is not an issue.”

He handed Addison a beer and then grabbed one of the Chinese takeout boxes and told Addison to grab whatever she wanted. They were moving this into the bedroom. AJ still wasn’t done with the conversation Isaiah had interrupted. Not by a long shot.

Just as he put down his beer and the takeout box on his nightstand, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He was ready to ignore it until he saw it was from his sister Emi. She didn’t call too often, usually just texted if it were something quick she needed to ask or tell him, so he answered it.

“What’s up, Em?” he said, tossing the remote closer on the bed for Addison.

“Where are you?”

“Home,” he said, instantly feeling slightly alarmed. She sounded weird. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. Is anyone within hearing range?”

“Addison’s here.” Addison glanced up curiously at the sound of her name.

He heard Em smack her lips. “Can you go somewhere where she won’t hear your conversation?”

That got his heart going again. What could Emi have to tell him that she didn’t want Addison to hear? The possibility that maybe she’d seen Addison today with her ex or maybe knew something about it got him moving.

“I’m not sure,” he said, motioning to Addison that he’d be right back as he headed for his bedroom door. “I’ll check if it’s here.” The moment he was sure he was far enough, he slowed down. “I’m in another room now. What’s going on?”

“Are Nathan or Isaiah anywhere nearby?”

“Nathan’s at work,” he said, already losing his patience. “Isaiah’s on a date. What is it, Em?”

“You gotta promise you’re not gonna do what you always do and start interrogating anyone, because I don’t have all the facts yet.”

“I promise,” he said, knowing full well that was bullshit, but she was making him nervous, so he needed her to spit it out already.

“This has nothing to do with Addison,” she said, relieving some of the new tension he’d begun to feel. “Only reason I don’t want her to hear is because she was there last night when I told Isaiah I’d keep something to myself, and I don’t want her to think I’m ratting anyone out. I’m just worried.”

“Jesus, Em, can you just tell me already? You’re worrying me now.”

“Okay, okay,” she said quickly.

She told him about seeing Isaiah and Kelli chatting last night on her way to the ladies’ room. How Kelli had given her some lame excuse for why she’d taken so long to get to the cocktail party and how Isaiah had asked both her and Addison to keep what they saw to themselves. That alone annoyed AJ. Why the hell was he asking Addison to keep shit from him? Even if it were nothing since Em explained Isaiah’s reasoning.

“I hadn’t said anything to anyone because I felt bad even thinking it, but way back the first time we all met her, you were out of town, and we were all over at Uncle Manny’s for his birthday. Nathan said they had other plans nearby that evening but wanted to stop by and see Manny for a little bit. She was sweet enough, and there was nothing strange or off-putting about her behavior until Isaiah arrived. I happened to be talking to her when he walked out into the backyard, and the girl looked like she’d seen a ghost. I almost asked her if she knew him, but Nathan beat me to it and introduced them, and they both acted like they’d never met. After that, it was weird city. She seemed really uncomfortable; then she started saying they should get going, so they leave on their supposed date, and Nathan comes back to the party not a half hour later and said he took her home because she was feeling sick. Nothing major, right?”

AJ nodded as if his sister could see him taking in what she was saying. “Yeah, so what are you getting at?”

“I didn’t think it too big a deal until the next time I saw Nathan and he mentioned he wasn’t seeing her anymore. It’d only been like a week since Manny’s thing, and while I thought it odd because I didn’t think he’d ever bring anyone around us unless it were more serious, I didn’t make much of it. I hadn’t put any of it together until last night when I started watching her a little closer. I wanted so bad to get a moment alone with her so I could interrogate her a little, only they didn’t stick around, but I did watch her as they said good-bye. There was something so poignant in her eyes when she said good-bye to Isaiah and something so strangely uncomfortable in Isaiah’s. I started wracking my brain.”

For a moment, AJ had started losing interest in his little sister’s hair-brained suspicions. But then he remembered and told her about the strange exchange he’d witnessed between Isaiah and Kelli last night too.

“You see!” Em practically squealed. “Oh thank God it’s not all in my head. I felt so guilty even thinking Isaiah might be keeping something bigger from Nathan than just the fact that she’d asked him for advice. It wasn’t even until I told Sydney today about what I thought I might’ve imagined yesterday or maybe it was just a harmless touch.”

“Touch?” AJ asked, feeling even more annoyed with Isaiah now, but he waited because she did say she still wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it.

“Yeah, when they said good-bye and she gave everyone that obligatory friendly hug, maybe it was coincidental, but she hugged him last. I was busy watching the way they looked at each other, when I happened to glance down, and she slid her hand over his discreetly and he flinched. It happened so fast I couldn’t decide if I’d actually seen something incriminating or if at that point I was just making myself crazy trying to see something that wasn’t really there.”

“So you think maybe they knew each other before Nathan met her?” AJ asked, as confused by this as Emi sounded. “Isaiah never mentioned a Kelli in the past.”

“I know it’s weird, but it got me thinking about everything else. Nathan had asked me if Sydney or I wanted to come out with him to your Los Angeles game last month, the one Isaiah ended up going to. He said you’d already gotten him suite tickets, and Kelli, who’d previously agreed to go with him, couldn’t make the game after all. Neither could we, and then Isaiah got the day off at the last minute, and lo and behold, at the last minute she shows up too. I don’t know.” She exhaled loudly. “Am I looking too deep into this?”

“Oh shit!” AJ felt his eyes go wide. “Did either of them tell you what happened out there?”

“No, what happened?”

“She left.” He stopped mid-thought when it came to him. “That little conniving bitch!”

AJ explained about Isaiah and Kelli disappearing for a good ten to fifteen minutes and how Isaiah came back alone.

“He said she got a call about her mom being in an accident. Her mom’s dead by the way,” he said, pressing his lips together, not sure what the hell to make of all this. “Isaiah said she’d been upset and she left. She didn’t even bother to come back and say good-bye to Nathan. Then get this.” AJ opened the freezer and grabbed an ice cube then rubbed it on his neck. He could feel himself getting hot again. “She calls him a few minutes later and breaks things off.”

“Get out!”

“No. She fucking breaks up with him just like that over the phone then calls him again about a half hour later to say she was upset and not thinking straight. That’s when I knew I couldn’t stand her.”

“You’re kidding me,” Emi said, sounding as annoyed as he felt. “Why is Nathan still seeing her?”

“That’s what I want to know. He said just two weeks ago at the hospital he was done with her. It was why I was so pissed last night when I saw him show up with her.”