Page 14 of The Ampersand Effect

“I’m honored to take my three favorite ladies out for a root beer float. We can bring a couple of pizzas home from Vinny’s and gorge ourselves before a movie. Deal?”

All three of them answered together, “Deal!”

“Wait, I still don’t know when you’re coming,” Grier demanded.

Grove sighed, “I really tried to make it home for the gala, but this leopard mama is not cooperating with our guides. We don’t expect to get the shots in time, so I’ll be home the following week.” Grove looked into the screen, crestfallen. “I’m sorry, Grier. I really wanted to be there to watch you accept that award.”

Grier’s chest pinched slightly at her sister’s apology for a wish she hadn’t even realized she’d made. It would have been wonderful to have her sister at the gala, but waiting another week wouldn’t diminish her excitement. “It’s really sweet of you to try. I’m excited to see you at any point, though. And all of you need to stop acting like I’ve already won. You’re going to give me a complex!”

Five

“Fuck me,” Tobin grumbled under her breath as she slammed her iPad shut on its keyboard case. It slipped from her lap and tumbled off the oversized couch in her open living room. She rubbed the palms of her hands over her face and groaned.

This is more absurd than Tinder.

“Isn’t that defeating the purpose?” Harrow waltzed into the kitchen, sweaty and frizzy-haired, still steaming from her morning run.

“What do you mean?” Tobin wasn’t convinced she wanted to hear the snarky answer from her dry-witted lawyer sibling, but she asked anyway. She uncrossed her legs and followed Harrow into the adjacent kitchen, joining her sister at the large quartz island.

“I assume you’re trolling sperm banks again?”

Tobin refused to answer. She pursed her lips and lifted her eyebrows in a silent admission of guilt.

“Right. So, the point of a donor is to circumvent, as you said, being fucked.”

Legalese.

“You’re not wrong. But why does it have to be so complicated? Excusing the creep-factor that is inherent in literallyshoppingwould-be genetic contributors, why does it feel so cheap critiquing bodies, education and personal biographies? I wouldn’t get to hand- pick any of those if I was having a baby with a dude. It makes me feel pretentious. I just want ten fingers, ten toes, a perfect little Buddha belly and button nose!”

Harrow let her finish, her expression softening. “Do you want me to answer that, or do you want to tell me what provoked this stroll through the dark abyss of all things genetic?”

Tobin sighed heavily, refilling her coffee mug before wandering toward the door that opened onto the covered deck—her favorite spot in the house. She’d chosen this lot for its secluded perch on the cliffs of Aetheridge. Nestled in a clifftop of trees, high above the sprawling freshwater lake the town was named for, the view stretched for miles—crisp air, glacial-blue water, and skies that could shift from stormy steel to brilliant sun in a heartbeat.

It was the kind of place unique to the upper Midwest— somewhere between lake country and logging history—far enough north to see snow in April and auroras on the clearest nights. The breathtaking sweep of Lake Aether from her balcony was the home’s crowning glory.

“Come out when you’re done,” she mumbled.

She opened the door, then slid nimbly onto the outdoor sectional that sprawled across her deck, careful not to spill a drop of her black coffee. With a sigh, she stared out at the water, relishing the cool gray of the sky mirrored in the lake on this gloomy April day.

Her thoughts, however, continued to plague her. The doctor lingered in her in mind, as did the looming hospital gala with Eddie— the one where she was almost certain to run into heragain, seeing as she may be the guest of honor. It was a lot to digest. Despite her efforts to cling to her carefully curated plans, thoughts of the doctor wheedled their way into her mind, distracting and confounding her. She was losing patience with herself.

The sound of the patio door sliding open startled Tobin from her ruminations. Harrow stepped onto the patio, protein shake in hand.

“Damn, you look lost,” Harrow curled herself into one of the cushioned wicker chairs. “I’m guessing you haven’t slept yet, have you?”

Tobin arched her brows and cocked her lips to the left, remaining silent. Harrow met her silence—but only briefly.

“Why are you so edgy? You look like an overinflated balloon ready to pop,” she prodded.

“Because.”

Harrow just stared at her, took a long drink, and continued to stare. Sisters could be maddening—caging you before drawing you out of your shell. Tobin would have been irritated if she didn’t also appreciate the patience Harrow had shown through so many missions, so many traumas andsomany dramas.

Tobin exhaled and spoke, voice tight. “Eddie’s being honored at that children’s hospital gala next week, and she wants me to escort her. I love supporting her, but these things… they always remind me of Talia—or rather, the lack of Talia.”

Harrow remained quiet for a few seconds, allowing Tobin the space to continue. When the quiet stretched, Harrow set her empty shake on the end table. “T, Talia’s absence is exactly why you should escort Eddie.”

Tobin felt her sister weighing her next words and bristled in anticipation.