Free Fun With Rick and Jade by Kelli Scott Page B

healthy,” Trudy said to Coral in baby talk, complete with tickling her belly.
    Jade went rigid. “By robust, do you mean fat?” Her head whipped around to Rick. “Is Coral fat?”
    He read the concern in her eyes. “Babies are supposed to be fat, Jade, honey. Robust is good.” He feared the kid would grow up with an eating disorder and she wasn’t even off the breast yet.
    Trudy added, “She’s perfect.”
    “I was wondering,” Dave began. “Trudy was, too. Why you told us your wife’s name is Sue and you have a one-year-old son named Timmy?”
    “I…uh…that’s a good question,” Rick stammered. “With a perfectly logical explanation.”
    Jade folded her arms across her chest, giving him a smoldering, angry look. “You didn’t?”
    “I…well…yes…sort of.” And he’d known this would come back to bite him, which was why he should have had a good excuse ready. “But I can explain.” If I had more time on my side and less alcohol in my system .
    “You see,” Jade said, “Rick has a small problem.” He braced himself for her to tell his potential investor that Rick was a pathological liar. Or worse yet, the true story of how they met and married. Might as well throw in the news that the baby wasn’t his. As a matter of fact, up until a few days ago he’d never set eyes on either one of them. “He’s a tad mistrustful of putting personal information online,” she said. “A bit of a conspiracy theorist, if you must know the truth. But aren’t all brilliant minds a little crazy?” She spun her finger near her ear—the international sign for nut-job. “Instead, Rick floods the Internet with misinformation about his home and family life. Keeps people guessing and protects our privacy.”
    “I see,” Dave said. He didn’t. Not really, if the skeptical look in his eyes was any indication. Trudy had an equally dubious demeanor, but she’d probably let the lies slide due to how dang cute the baby was. Her husband wasn’t under the baby spell.
    “He came by his paranoia honestly,” she continued and he wished she wouldn’t, although as far as lies went, him being an eccentric genius almost sounded plausible. “We had our identity stolen by a potential investor trying to scam us. Nasty business. A nightmare. I’d rather forget all about it. Nearly ended our marriage.”
    Hopefully, that would be the end of it.
    “Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Trudy shook her head. “What is this world coming to?”
    When the Honeycutts weren’t looking, Jade plastered her thumb and index finger to her forehead in the shape of an L so Rick wouldn’t forget she thought he was a loser. Like I could forget . Her eyes betrayed her disdain for him.
    Dave yawned. “Well, we are beat.”
    “Long day,” Trudy agreed.
    “Jet lag,” Dave added. “Tomorrow we’ll all get to know each other better.”
    “Can’t wait,” Rick said.
    “Tomorrow is going to be a great day.” Jade smiled, her words wrapped in a bubble of sincerity Rick truly wanted to believe.
    Or maybe that was the alcohol talking.

 
     
     

Chapter Nine
     
     
    Rick lay out on top of the bedspread in nothing but pajama bottoms and a pair of those black, round-framed glasses nerdy, smart guys wore. He looked altogether too cute. Bare-chested. Ankles crossed. Five o’clock shadow. He read one of Bob’s smut mags like the secret of the fucking universe was embedded in secret code and he had the ability to crack the cipher.
    “It’s not even nine-thirty.” Jade massaged moisturizer into her elbows.
    “Time is all relative.” He patted the mattress. “Come to bed.”
    In her least revealing nightclothes and her hair piled unattractively on top of her head with a clip, she slowly crossed the room. Bringing the Honeycutts into the house was supposed to keep her and Rick from doing the nasty, not throw them in bed together. Who cares? She had a mouth and knew how to use it to say “no thanks.” Jade slid between the clean sheets. He didn’t