Page 96 of Heartbeats & Highways

“No. I haven’t.” He paused. “I should text her.”

“Yes,” I said gently. “You should text her something sweet.”

“I’m not sweet.”

“Be sweet for her. Trust me, she’ll love it.”

“Or she’ll think I’ve had a lobotomy,” he muttered. He pulled out his cell and stared at it.

“This is the part where you unlock your phone and send her a text,” I teased.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“How about something like, ‘I didn’t like waking up without you.’”

Homer nodded quickly. “Yeah, that sounds good. Wait . . .”

“What?”

“Does that sound like something I’d say?”

I held in a smile.

“It doesn’t sound like me,” he rasped.

“You’re going to have to show her a different side of yourself,” I said. “That’s the only way it’s going to work.”

“Yeah.”

“Just press send, Homer.”

He sighed. “Here goes nothing.”

“She still hasn’t texted me,” Homer said as he leaned on the counter after his last client of the day left.

“She’s playing hard to get,” I said.

“Why?”

“What do you mean,why?She doesn’t want to make it too easy for you.”

He raked a hand through his disheveled hair. “I’m going insane.”

“Okay, here’s what you’re going to do.” I slid him the list I’d made. “Read this over and implement these items one by one. But for now, you’re going to go buy some flowers and you’re going to show up at her apartment with them. Then you’re going to ask if you guys can take the dogs for a walk.Together.”

“Together.”

“Together,” I repeated.

“That might just work,” he said, looking relieved. “Thanks.”

I smiled. “Good luck.”

Homer rushed out the door.

“Were his pants on fire?” Virgil asked as he strode out into the reception area.

“He had somewhere to be,” I said vaguely. I looked at Virgil’s customer; a cute, curvy woman sporting a shoulder bandage and a new tattoo. “Ready to square up?”

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