Page 15 of Dangerous Secret

Jeez, she was really needy if his mild praise filled herwith warmth. “Well, you’re probably busy, so I’ll let you go. Just wanted to tell you about Anthony showing up.”

“I’m not busy. In fact, I was going to call you later.”

“Oh. I guess I should have waited to hear from you.”

“Harlow, never hesitate to call if you need to tell me something.” He paused. “Or if you just need to talk.”

“Thank you.” He had no clue what that meant to her.

“What’s that noise?”

She glanced around, wondering what he was hearing. The only sound was Einstein’s chatter. “That’s Einstein, my cat. He’s a talker.”

“He got anything interesting to say?”

She smiled at the amusement in his voice. “He thinks so. Right now, he’s grumbling because I’m not giving him enough attention. You said you were going to call me later?”

“I’d like to check out your apartment. Make sure there aren’t any cameras or listening devices.”

“You think there might be,” she whispered, afraid now that Anthony might be hearing every word she said. Her gaze bounced around the room, looking for… Well, she had no idea what to look for.

“I hope he hasn’t gone that far, but I’d feel better knowing for sure.”

“Believe me, so would I. How do I check?”

“Will you be home in the morning?”

“Yes.” She was pretty much home all the time. How much more boring could she be?

“At ten, a plumber will show up to clear up your stopped-up drain.”

“I don’t have a…oh.” She rolled her eyes at herself. “Right.”

“Don’t say anything else until we know for sure that noone is listening to your conversations. For now, we’ll assume the worst. Write this number down.”

She grabbed her laptop and opened Notes. “Go.”

After he gave it to her, he said, “In thirty minutes, call that number using your own phone and request a plumber to unstop your drain.”

“On it, Snoopy.”

He chuckled. “I think it best that we hang up now, Cat.”

“Okay.” But it wasn’t. She wanted to stay on the phone with him. Talk all night. She forgot to be lonely when talking to him. When the thirty minutes were up, she called the number he’d given her.

“Acme Plumbing. This is Wile speaking. How may we assist you today?”

She laughed, then slapped a hand over her mouth. It was Grayson speaking with a British accent. Wile didn’t speak with a British accent, did he? “Yes, Mr. Wile, I seem to have a stopped-up drain.”

“Oh, dear girl. That is dreadful. Would tomorrow morning at ten be convenient for us to take care of your drainage problem?”

“That would be perfect.” She gave him her name and address when he asked for her information, and then, she reluctantly disconnected. Grayson would be in her apartment in the morning, and she couldn’t stop grinning.

Later that night, she went to sleep with a smile on her face.

Chapter 7

Grayson put his feet on the railing and tipped his chair back. The night was balmy, only a sliver of a moon, so stars glittered in a black velvet sky. A storm was brewing in the distance, stirring up the ocean. What he loved most was the sound of the waves crashing on the sand.

---