Sky couldn’t help but be a bit pleased with herself as Mrs. Burnoise inspected the lab. Miss Donahue knew the woman would not find any dust on the machines, no matter how many she checked. Still, it was a good thing Nathan was being so protective considering somewhere in the lab, Simon was hiding. They couldn’t afford to have Mrs. Burnoise looking too closely, no matter how proud Sky was of her work. The older woman paid her a slight compliment, but immediately segued into a question that sounded dangerously like a challenge. Taking a sip of her own coffee to hide a scowl, Skylar mulled over an appropriate response. Deciding to play dumb, she tilted her head slightly, “I’m not sure I understand.”

“Oh come now, as if it isn’t obvious. You’ve done a good bit of work on the lab, I’ll admit, but Nathan is still far from being an eligible bachelor.” Choking on her coffee, Sky took an incredulous step back, “Oh, I…. I thought that was a joke. I’m here to help Dr. Burnoise with his research not-”

“Don’t be foolish, Skylar, as if Nathanael needs help to spend even more time in this warehouse. That was just a cover so he’d let you in. Surely by now you’ve realized how paranoid he is.”

“But what about my reference for grad school?” Sky looked over at Nathan, her eyebrows knit with worry. She didn’t want him to lose this experience because the young scientist mistakenly believed her to be a conspirator. The lab assistant was certain she would have to prove her innocence later and hoped Nathan would listen to reason long enough to believe her.

“No need to worry about that, sweetie. I’ll take care of all that.” Mrs. Burnoise waved her hand dismissively, as if the subject was hardly an issue. Sky, still unsure, waited for Dr. Burnoise to say something as she looked at him expectantly.