Page 43 of Aftermath
“I was with Beck,” I admitted.
“Lenore, seriously?” she said. “When will you learn to take my advice?”
“I do take your advice,” I promised.
She groaned, joining my hunt for food. We settled on leftover cheese pizza I added some leftover pieces of bacon to. I diced up the meat and added a bit to each of our slices.
“You don’t even have time for groceries, so how do you have time for a man?” she asked.
I shook my head.“I don’t need time for a man. I was just helping him.”
Mallory made her way to the couch and kicked her feet up. Her pizza was gone before I even made it over. I settled next to her and pulled my legs in close, savoring each bite.
Comfort food was the best solution to such a long day.
“What’s wrong?” Mallory asked, tilting her head.
“Nothing. What are we watching tonight?” I asked, deflecting.
“Len,” Mallory warned. “Don’t do that.”
I finished the last bite of pizza and searched the side table for the remote. The television clicked on as I picked it up and hit the power button. Alonzo and Birdie both made their way up onto my lap.
“Even they know something is up,” Mallory said as she nodded to the cats.
Damn cats, giving me away.They always knew when something was bothering me, but it didn’t mean I needed them to reveal it to everyone else around.At least wait until guests were gone to give me pity cuddles.
“Hello?” Mallory said, waving a hand in front of my face.
“What?” I asked, shaking my head and glancing to her.
“You went vacant,” she sighed.
“I just had a long day, that’s all,” I said.
When I met Mallory, I was in a low place, but there were still secrets I kept from even her. She knew Jake left me, and she knew I’d been completely ruined by it. I had zero self-esteem, no job, and no place to live when he kicked me out. She’d been there and picked me up off the ground.
“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Who?”
“You know who,” she said and narrowed her eyes.
“I’m not.”Why did the room feel a thousand degrees hotter? I glanced to the thermostat on the wall and saw it was still the same exact temperature.
“You always have the same look when you think about him,” she pointed out. “Is this because of that FBI agent? Did he try to push you into doing something? You clearly aren’t ready to go back to relationships anytime soon.”
“No, no, it wasn’t like that at all,” I assured her.
“Len-”
Thud, thud, thud.
I nearly jumped out of my seat as a knock on the door startled me. I was on edge. The case, the driver grabbing my purse, and now this?
I heard a piece of paper slide under the door and stood from the couch. Mallory strained her neck to see, and I walked down the short hallway to find a single piece of paper on the floor. I spotted the pitch black writing before I was close enough to read it.
I picked it up, and my breath caught in my throat.
