Free Undercover Professor by December Gephart

more strictly. And I can’t fault her: no liars, no dating a friend’s ex, stuff like that.”
    No liars. Well. He wasn’t lying about his entire reason for being in town. His mom really was recovering from hip surgery. Guilt ate at a little corner of him. “That makes sense. What other rules?”
    Becca scooped up a forkful of food. “Let’s see. The lying thing is the biggest. But also, doesn’t live with his parents. Has a job, a career, goals for the future. Doesn’t date a friend or relative. Those are the main ones. The rest she’s been known to waive. Like, no socks with sandals, athletic, doesn’t watch TV all the time.”
    Drew stared into space. He broke all her rules. At least, the fake person he was pretending to be broke the rules. He was trying to break them all.
    Every single one. It was no wonder she fought their attraction so hard.
    “Lucky for you, I’m not nearly as neurotic.” Becca smiled under her lashes at him, and he nearly choked on his soda.
    “You’re a rock, Becca.” He managed to keep a straight face.
    “I just don’t think Dell is the guy for her, though,” Becca continued.
    “Why’s that?”
    “I don’t know. He’s perfect on paper. Has a great job, has his own apartment, isn’t a liar, as far as we know. But something about him just seems...I don’t know. Not right for Lucy.”
    “Yeah?” He encouraged.
    “Nurse Greene, I’m so glad we bumped into you!” A woman rushed up to the table with a stroller and diaper bags.
    Becca leaped out of her chair to hug the woman. “Mrs. Dorring, I’m just thrilled to see you! This must be Tyler! So big and so healthy.”
    “It’s all because of you. We’re here for our eight-month checkup. But we wouldn’t have made it eight days without you.”
    Becca smiled. “Entirely my pleasure, I’m just so happy to see you healthy and here again! Who’s the doctor?”
    Drew listened with half an ear as they talked about pediatricians and growth charts and sleep patterns. He tried to process the information Becca had given him. There must be one doozy of a story behind Lucy, to make Becca sober up so much. What was her history?
    “This is my boyfriend, Andy,” Becca announced, interrupting his thoughts. The mother swiveled the stroller to look at him. Inside a drooling baby with shining eyes and rosy cheeks gummed its fist. Drew gulped as he rose to his feet. The scent of baby powder surrounded him.
    “Such a pleasure. This woman was an absolute saint. I mean that.”
    Becca blushed and curled herself into Drew’s side.
    “Isn’t Tyler just the most adorable thing ever?” she cooed.
    In slow motion, she turned to him. “I wonder how ours will look.”
    Blackness.

Chapter Five
    Drew blinked a few times once outside the hospital. Somehow he’d excused himself, said a polite goodbye to Becca, ruffled the hair of the chubby Tyler and bolted for the outdoors. He gasped for breath, wiping sweat from his forehead.
    “It’s like signing a pact with the devil, just having lunch with her,” he muttered as he headed toward the apartment complex. It was almost three o’clock. Tuesday. A week exactly since he first ran into Lucy in the laundry room. Was she a creature of habit? Would she be folding T-shirts again?
    Maybe she’d have some idea of how to get through to Becca. And maybe he could piece together some bits of Lucy’s past and crack the code.
    Grinning with anticipation and renewed energy, he hurried to the apartment complex.
    * * *
    Lucy peeked into the laundry room. The coast was clear. Exhaling lustily she marched in, dropped her backpack on the vinyl couch and started loading the washer. She tried to convince herself it was relief, but she was a little disappointed her extra efforts for her laundry day outfit went to waste.
    Andy had been creeping into her thoughts way too much lately. She kept daydreaming about the kiss. She caught sight of a broad pair of shoulders, blond shaggy hair, and her heart would race. Or