Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 99012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Bella: Happy Birthday!
An incoming text notification buzzed from my desk a few minutes later.
Christian: Thank you. What time did you get home?
Bella: 4:30. You?
Christian: 8:00. But I slept on the plane.
Bella: Do you feel up to celebrating your birthday tonight? I made a reservation just in case, but wasn’t sure how you’d feel.
Christian: Do you mind if we stay in and talk?
My brows knitted.
Bella: Do we have something we need to talk about?
I watched as the dots started to jump around, then stopped. A few minutes later, they finally started moving around again.
Christian: Sorry, I meant to write stay in instead. I just woke up, and my brain is still sleeping.
Bella: LOL. Okay. Staying in sounds good too. How about if I come to you? I’ll bring dinner.
Christian: Sounds good. Should be done at practice by six. Eight?
Bella: See you then.
I switched over to my text chain with the other Knox football player.
Bella: Practice is an afternoon team meeting today. Should be over by six. I’m supposed to meet Christian at his place at eight. Maybe we could meet you at eight thirty?
Jake typed back right away.
Jake: How about we surprise him at his place first? Once word gets out where we are, we won’t have ten minutes of privacy.
I wished I could offer to surprise him over at my place, but two people barely fit.
Bella: That would be great, but not sure we can get in.
Jake: Not a problem. Do you know the doorman’s name?
Bella: I think Fred usually works weekday evenings.
Jake: What’s he look like?
Bella: Maybe sixties, white hair, always smiling. Why?
Jake: Because when I stroll in like I own the place as Christian and tell the doorman I forgot my keycard, it’s better to know his name.
Oh gosh. Alrighty then.
Bella: What should I bring?
Jake: I got everything covered. What’s the earliest he’ll be home?
Bella: I’d say seven since practice won’t end until six.
Jake: OK. I’ll be there by 6:30, just in case.
Bella: I’ll do the same. But text me if anything goes wrong and you don’t get in!
Jake: Will do. But won’t be a problem. I’ve fooled our mother.
I laughed. I loved the relationship those two had, and I thought a little surprise party might be exactly what Christian needed. He’d been so stressed this week about the game and making it into the playoffs. So a double celebration for the win and his birthday should be perfect.
***
“Hey, Miss Keating.” Fred, the doorman, waved. He thumbed toward the elevator. “Christian got in a few minutes ago. He said you were coming by and to wave you up.”
I hoped Christian meant Jake, since practice had ended even earlier than planned. I smiled. “Thank you.”
When I stepped off the elevator inside Christian’s apartment, I still wasn’t sure until I saw Lara, Jake’s fiancée. She was in the living room with two women I’d seen at Lara’s party, but hadn’t had a chance to meet. They were hanging a happy birthday sign at the top of the windows, and there was already a big spread of food set up on the dining room table.
“Hey.” She came down and greeted me with a hug.
“I guess it worked?”
“It’s a little scary how easy those two can pretend to be the other.” She looped her arm through mine. “Come meet my sisters.”
Lara introduced me to Kara and Sara.
“Your names are Lara, Kara, and Sara? Do you have any brothers?”
“Thankfully, no. Because if Kara was a boy, our mother was going to name him O’Hara.”
Jake walked over and lifted me off my feet in a bear hug. “Hello, boss lady.”
I laughed. “Did Christian tell you he calls me that?”
He set me down. “Nope. But we share the same DNA, so that doesn’t surprise me.”
It really was uncanny how much they looked alike. “I was thinking on my way up in the elevator—do you think Fred is going to spoil the surprise? He’s going to see Christian walk in again when he never saw him walk out?”
“Thought of that earlier. So I called down a few minutes ago and said to let you and my twin brother come up when you arrive.”
“Oh, good thinking.” I looked around. “Was Tyler able to come?”
“Nah. He has to work until midnight.”
I nodded. “Practice ended earlier than scheduled, so we probably won’t have to wait long for Christian. Are we hiding when he walks in?”
“Absolutely. The two of us have been hiding behind doors and scaring the crap out of each other since we were kids. It would just be wrong if we didn’t.”
I smiled. “Alright. I’ll put my bag and jacket in the bedroom then. I need to use the bathroom anyway.”
Inside Christian’s room, I found that his bed hadn’t been made, and the throw pillows were strewn all over the floor. After I peed, I figured I’d make it for him so it would look nice if anyone wandered back here. When I pulled the sheet and cover up, there was something lumpy underneath. A manila envelope was buried halfway down, with a bunch of papers scattered haphazardly underneath. Neatening everything into a pile, I moved it all to the end table and finished making the bed. Then I walked around and picked up all the throw pillows. The last one was on the floor at the foot of the bed, and I tossed it toward the top. It created a little breeze, and some of the papers I’d just set down blew onto the floor. I bent to collect them, not really paying attention until the bold heading at the top of one page caught my eye: Bergen County Police Department.