Free Deadshifted by Cassie Alexander

It’s the least I can do.” She asked me, not him.
    “Oh, that’s okay—” I began. I felt bad for her, she seemed genuinely nice and a little lonely, but I didn’t want to volunteer to spend my free time with her husband.
    “Sure,” Asher butted in, calmly. “What time?”
    Liz smiled even more, all of her even white teeth showing. By us accepting, her child’s behavior would be forgiven, and calm would be restored. Something about the way she held herself, her facial expressions, the place she stood—I’d seen this eggshell walk before, and it made my heart bleed a little for her. Oh, Liz, you’re definitely too good for him.
    “Seven. At the, uh, fancy one on the ninth floor,” she said, not willing to try the French.
    “Thanks. We’ll see you there,” Asher answered for both of us. Freed to leave, Liz carried Thomas away.
    “If I’d had a child, he would never, ever, act like that,” Claire said, and rearranged her blanket carefully back over herself. I didn’t say anything—but I didn’t think I’d ever get to be as freely judgmental as Claire again. In a few years, that kid might be my kid, no matter how hard I tried. At least Asher wasn’t Nathaniel, though.
    Asher was quiet while I pushed Claire back to where Hal was now waiting.
    “I can’t believe you conned this nice couple into pushing you around,” Hal said with the kind of over-enunciating that hearing loss sometimes brought on, as if by making himself more clear, the world would return the favor.
    “Only the one. Him, I’m not so sure about yet,” Claire said, pointing to Asher, who manufactured a good-natured grin. “Don’t try flirting with me, young man,” she warned. “I’m a taken woman. It will get you nowhere.”
    Abashed, Asher laughed and smiled for real.
    “That’s better, boy. I can tell when people are faking,” Claire said, and then turned back to me. “Thank you for the lovely walk. See you at dinner soon, I hope.”
    “Thanks. You too.” I waved as Hal pulled her away.
    The second they were out of earshot, Asher turned to me. “Are you really okay?”
    “Honestly. I’m fine.” We walked off the deck and caught the next elevator. As soon as we’d stepped inside, he started touching the arm I’d fallen on, for medical purposes. I hissed, and he frowned deeply.
    “You didn’t fracture it, did you?”
    “No. It’s just a bruise.” I swung it around to prove to him I still had my full range of motion.
    “And … your stomach?” he said tentatively.
    “Is currently fine too.” The doors opened, and we walked without talking down the halls until we got to our room. “You’re not going to try anything out again at dinner, are you?”
    “Probably not.” I blinked at him, and he half shrugged. “I thought you’d appreciate my honesty, rather than me lying and disappointing you again.”
    I stared at him flatly. “You’re a better study of human behavior than that.”
    He held his hands up. “Oh, come on, Edie, I was teasing. I won’t touch the man. But there’s no rule against talking to him, is there? I mean, there’s probably a reason his kid keeps running away.”
    “I think we’re a little far for a children’s protective services call out here, Asher.” But I had seen that cowed look on Liz’s face. I couldn’t just ignore it.
    “Besides, I was just being polite,” Asher went on. “And the opportunity presented itself. I’m an opportunity taker.” He took a step nearer me, as though an opportunity were around. I frowned.
    “This is currently not super-sexy.”
    He got a devilish gleam in his eye. “What if I told you we were getting married next week?”
    I squinted up at him. “I’m listening.”
    “On a secluded beach in Hawaii,” he went on, his voice as smooth as a late-night radio host.
    “Did it involve bribery?”
    “It leaned more toward highway robbery. But it looks beautiful in the pictures they showed me. I didn’t think you’d mind.”
    I wrinkled