“Are you serious?” he asked. “No, I’m not home. I’m at Bob’s Place in Harlem—the jazz club.” He listened to his sister. “No, I’m not alone. I’m with Audrey.” He ruffled his hair distractedly. “We’re on bikes. I guess I can be there in about thirty minutes. What do you want me to do?” After a brief pause, he said, “Sure.” He hung up. “Great.” He looked ruefully at Audrey. “My sister and Luna have some stomach bug. They’re both throwing up, so she asked me to come help. Luna woke up and threw up in her bed. Fiona took her to her bed, and then Luna threw up in that, although mostly on the towel. Fiona then puked too—and not just from cleaning up the vomit. So now both of them are hugging the toilet in the bathroom. Thomas luckily is still sleeping and seems okay. She wants me to come over and sleep on the couch in case Thomas wakes up, because if she’s still sick, she doesn’t want to infect him. And I should put the sheets in the wash.”

“That’s terrible.” In more ways than one. So close. Jake handed in the ticket for their helmets, and they went out the door. The warm evening air hit Audrey like an embrace. It would have been such a perfect night to bike home and invite Jake over. Audrey clipped on her helmet. They thanked Lenny for watching their bikes.

“Should I come with you?” she asked. “I can help with the laundry.”

“Ha! That’d serve Fiona right—if she met you again in her current state,” he said. “But I don’t think she’d ever forgive me. And this might be contagious. Now that’d be a ploy from Pride and Prejudice. Doesn’t Mrs. Bennett send Elizabeth over in the rain so she gets sick and has to stay at Bingley’s house?”

“Ha, but not a stomach bug. That’s a little hard to work with if you’re trying to seduce someone.”

Jake stilled, but then smiled at her. “Especially in front of your sister.”

They unlocked their bikes. Jake looked over at her and shook his head.

“Here, let me check your helmet, since we’re biking home at night.” He adjusted the helmet on her head and then tightened the straps, his fingers lightly touching her face. It looked as if he might lean down and kiss her. Suddenly the door opened from Bob’s Place, light spilling out onto the sidewalk, and a chatty crowd descended the brownstone steps.

Jake smiled wryly, and his hands left her.

“Let’s go down the St. Nicholas bike path. That’s probably the safest route.”

She nodded yes.

As he turned on his bike light, he glanced at her and said, “You didn’t check your work phone once today.”

“No,” Audrey said. “I’m trying.”