Progress of Love

Chapter 3: Shell Game

El didn't have a chance to see Peter before she left for a rehearsal with her community theater group. She had a leading role in the play which was scheduled to premiere at the end of the month. It was a comedy. Should she treat what happened in the Arkham Files story as a comedy too?

By the time the rehearsal ended, it was late in the evening. As El parked the car, she agonized yet again over how to address the issue. If only she'd been upfront with Peter when they worked on the plot, it would have been so much simpler. Could she make a joke of it? After the matchmaking conspiracy, it felt odd not to have any hidden personal agenda.

Diana posted the chapter yesterday. Peter hadn't read it because he spent most of his free time stripping off wallpaper in the upstairs spare room they were remodeling. She'd made a ham loaf for dinner to thank him for the tedious chore while debating if she should go ahead and mention the changes in store for Arkham El. But if she did, would that place undue significance on it? As June had assured her, it was a natural development of the storyline. Peter might not suspect a hidden meaning.

But deep down, El knew that was wishful thinking. Peter didn't believe in coincidences. He was bound to believe she was the one who'd injected the development.

Was the chapter the topic of today's water-cooler chatter? El felt her cheeks grow hot. Perhaps Peter was too busy to take part.

She knew what she needed to do as she walked up the front steps. They'd chat about it over a nightcap. She'd casually bring up the subject as something to laugh about. There was absolutely no reason to stress. Right. She took a deep breath, willing herself to believe that was true.

When she opened the front door, both Satchmo and Peter were there to greet her. She breathed a silent sigh of relief when Peter didn't act as if anything was wrong. She hadn't waited too long, after all.

Peter asked her about the rehearsal while she hung up her coat.

"I'm sorry you hadn't returned home by the time I needed to leave," she said. "Do you have a new case?"

He nodded. "I can't go into the details, but I can share this much. Sara's in town, and it will be a joint operation with Sterling-Bosch."

"Neal must be thrilled."

Peter hesitated for a moment making her wonder if there were warning flags hoisted. "Neal counts himself very fortunate," he said noncommittally. "Would you like some sherry?"

"You read my mind." She puzzled over Peter's answer. Was the case particularly challenging? If so, the silver lining was that he might have been too preoccupied to discuss anything in Arkham Files.

El walked into the living room. Peter's laptop was on the cocktail table, the monitor facing the couch.

"Go ahead and sit down," he suggested. "I'll get the drinks." He didn't stop to log off so El knew whatever he was working on wasn't case-related.

As she sank onto the couch, she couldn't resist taking a peek at what was on the screen. Her heart dropped when she saw it was a chapter from Standing Stones. Not only that, the key page was being displayed. Despite her best intentions, El reread the words. They suddenly acquired a different connotation.

Peter sat down beside her and placed their drinks on the table. "Whose idea was it for Arkham Elizabeth to be pregnant?"

"Mine," she admitted. "June and I discussed it. We thought it would add more depth to her character."

He gave a neutral nod, betraying no emotion. "Is there any other significance to it?"

"It's hard to say," she said, keeping her voice calm. She was simply discussing the arc of a fictional character. There was not necessarily any connection to the two of them. "What with algolnium now a component of El's body chemistry, there could be unforeseen complications. Mozzie suggested some rather dramatic developments, but I don't believe Diana's signed off on any of them."