Page 22 of Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice

“I have to run.” He cast a furtive look at the street and unlocked the front door.

I narrowed one eye at him, before following him inside. “What’s going on? You’re looking very suspicious.”

He let out an indignant huff. “Nothing, and no, I don’t.”

“You sure? Because you look like you’re hiding something. Are you in some kind of trouble that I should know about? Follow-up question, are you running away from the authorities?”

“No. I just need to change before my next meeting.” He gestured at his attire from this morning. “Stop asking so many questions. Don’t you have better things to do? Weren’t you supposed to be busy at your store? Chopping off trees for firewood or something?”

“Yep. Day one of my To-Do List successfully completed,” I lied through my teeth. “Tree’s almost gone.”

“And all your limbs are still intact? Congratulations.”

“What meeting is it? Since you’re my landlord for the next few weeks, I need to know if you’re planning a criminal activity.”

“You caught me. I’m plotting my next move to topple the free world.” He placed his keys and phone on the kitchen counter. “Want to join the cause? I could always use another henchman.”

“Again, I appreciate the offer. But honestly, I’d rather be sucked into a supermassive black hole instead.”

“First piranhas, now black holes.” He shrugged his suit jacket off. “I’m starting to think you don’t like me.”

“Well done, you finally figured it out. Is it a cult?”

A corner of his mouth lifted at the tiniest, most miniscule angle. “I asked you to stop with the questions. Terrible at following instructions, are we?”

“Not a criminal, not a cult. Secret girlfriend, then?”

“Wow. The things that go through your mind.” Disappearing into the laundry room, he came back wearing a dark pair of jeans and a fresh light-blue shirt. “Must be fascinating to live inside your brain.”

“It’s the happiest place on Earth. You know I won’t stop until you tell me what it is.”

“Fine.” He released a long-suffering sigh and cast a cautious look at the front windows, as if someone were standing outside with a recording device, ready to catch him saying something illegal. “I’m meeting a woman named Audrey.”

“Oooh, a secret girlfriend,” I sing-songed. “I was right.”

“Not my girlfriend. I’m paying her to be one.”

My eyes widened. “You’re hiring an escort?”

“I said a girlfriend, not an—” He stopped, his lips pursed into a thin line. “Why am I explaining myself to you? Forget I even said anything. It’s none of your business.”

“Seriously? You can’t just drop a juicy bombshell about hiring a girlfriend and expect me not to question you about it.”

Alec smirked. “Watch me.”

“But why? Are you really that desperate for some human touch?”

He choked a laugh as he pocketed his keys. “I’m not desperate.”

“If you’re hiring a girlfriend, you are. I can even smell the stench of desperation,” I said. “Here’s an idea. You’ve had girlfriends in the past, right? Why don’t you just get back together with one of your exes? Send them flowers. Grovel and beg until they take you back. Wouldn’t that be easier than paying an esco— I mean, hiring someone to be your partner?”

Alec stared at me, looking like he wanted to strangle me and feed me to the wolves.

“You can be a bit annoying, sure. But maybe one of those exes is gullible enough to be willing to sacrifice their prime years and spend their precious free time with you?”

“You don’t know when to stop, do you?” He arched his eyebrows. “Still as stubborn as ever. Some things never change.”

“Not stubborn. I persevere. There’s a difference.”

---