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Had he left? It wasn’t like him to leave early. He always stayed until the end, making sure every last detail was completed to his satisfaction. He had a great work ethic.
    “Did you scare Todd away?” Jain smiled.
    I gave her a playful swat on the arm, “No, he’s probably roaming around somewhere.” Or at least I hoped so. Or maybe not. Sitting in a haze of lust and mounting anger, I mourned the feel of him, especially his lips, but I also wanted to slap him.
    “Oh, look. Here comes Erik,” Jain said, waving him over.
    I remembered Erik. He was a doctor who worked with Jain at Bastion Medical Research. They partnered up and were close to finding a cure for ALS. When Jain and Braydon broke up last year, Erik had made a play for her. I was surprised Braydon didn’t insist she get another research partner, because he was the classic alpha male when it came to Jain. But they overcame their trust issues, and it changed them for the better. Braydon realized Jain needed to keep her working relationship with Erik in order to achieve what she spent her entire adult life striving for. Jain’s mission was to honor her mom’s memory and find a cure. She also wanted to prevent any more suffering. I couldn’t be more proud of her.
    I hadn’t formally met Erik yet, so Jain did the honors. “Erik, I’d like to introduce you to my friend, Tiffany.”
    When I lifted my hand to give him a little wave, he captured it and placed his lips softly on my wrist.
    We locked eyes and he said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
    Oh. Erik was a bit of a flirt. I glanced at Jain, and she gave me a little wink. Feeling flustered in that moment, I blurted, “My dad’s name is Gerald Thompson.”
    He lifted an eyebrow and said, “My dad’s name is George Harper.” A slight smile graced his lips.
    I already made a fool of myself, so I decided to keep going. “My mom’s name is Clara Thompson. I’m an only child, and I still live at home.” That should do it. If he still wanted to flirt with me, he’d been warned.
    Erik’s eyes warmed, and he laughed. He had a great laugh that started low and seemed to take over his entire body.
    At that moment, Todd joined our group. He greeted Jain and introduced himself to Erik then leaned toward me and said, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
    “No,” I almost shouted.  Squaring my shoulders back, and crossing my arms, I gave him my best don’t-mess-with-me glare. Even though I embarrassed myself in front of Erik and Jain; I didn’t want to leave the conversation. Especially if it meant I would miss the ‘why I’m a mistake’ explanation. I could do without that for tonight.
    Jain rested her hand on Todd’s shoulder, and asked, “Tiffany, can I talk to you for a moment?” Then she mouthed to Todd, “Is that okay?”
    He nodded once.
    Great. Jain loved Todd and she would try to talk me into pursuing a relationship with him. I could clear it up in short order, but it would mean I’d have to rehash the unpleasant reminder Todd wasn’t interested in me.
    I leaned closer and whispered, “If this is about Todd, I’ll talk to him later. I don’t want to talk to him now be—”
    She cut me off. “No. It isn’t about Todd.”
    I turned to the two men. “Please excuse us. We need a moment.” I took Jain by the arm and maneuvered her to an unoccupied table, where I let out a deep breath. “This has been the most bizarre night of my life.” I smiled because, even though it turned out to be an eventful evening, nothing horrible happened. Well, except for Fletcher’s comments and Todd’s rejection. But that kiss…no, I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
    “It’s about to get a little more bizarre I’m afraid.” She shrugged.
    “What now?”
    “I think my water just broke.” Her smile made it to her eyes, and she let out a hysterical giggle.
    We had this all worked out. Both of us knew, when the time came, Braydon would freak the heck out, so Jain put me in charge of the