Page 17 of Heart Me Up
I sighed. Best friends are a blessing and a curse. “I may have had a mini meltdown thinking he ditched me.” He opened his mouth to speak, but I held up my hand. “I got myself out of it. I agree; I’m sure he had a legit reason to leave.”
Greg stood up and patted my shoulder. He walked over to his desk, pulled his laptop out of its bag and began setting it up. “So what now?”
“What do you mean?” I knew exactly what he meant. I just didn’t want to.
Greg gave me hisAre you shitting me?expression. “Didn’t he give you his card the other day?”
I couldn’t stop myself from glancing to my left, where I’d tucked Foster’s card under the edge of my laptop. “Maybe.”
“Thenmaybeyou should pull up your big boy panties and call him to ask him out.”
I stuck my tongue out at him before sighing. “I’m considering it.” I touched the corner of Foster’s business card. “But first I’m going to call Lisa.”
I was damn proud of myself for getting my mind out of not one but two thought spirals last night, but I hadn’t hadanyfor months prior to that. Which meant Lisa was going to remind me this was the first time in those same months I’d taken any emotional risks. Huh, maybe I didn’t need to call her after all.
“That’s a good idea,” Greg told me. I nodded. Yeah, even if I thought I knew what she’d say, I should check in with her anyway.
“And, if you don’t do it on your own today,” Greg continued, “Tomorrow I’ll come over to your house and nag you until you call your detective to ask him out.”
Fuck, he’d do it, too.
Chapter8
Foster
The setting sunglared through the windshield of Amy’s sedan as she pulled into a parking space in front of the pet resort. I peered at the cars in the lot and grumbled, “It looks busy. I should come back another time.”
Disapproval emanated from Amy as she stared me down over the top of her sunglasses. I felt solidarity with her two teenagers.
“Even if he’s tied up, at least he’ll know you stopped by. Wasn’t coming here your idea in the first place?”
I sighed. “Yes. I just feel a little awkward, and….” I gestured at all the people. “I didn’t think I’d have to grovel in front of an audience.”
“That’s the most sincere type of groveling.” Amy grinned. “Ask Mike. He’ll tell you.” I barked out a laugh. She said, “Come on, I’ll hold your hand so you don’t have to do the scary thing all by yourself.”
I made a face at her back as she opened her door and stepped out. Crap. I scrambled to get out of the car and make it to the sidewalk at the same time she did. I couldn’t trust her not to ask for Craig herself if she got to the lobby first.
Luckily there weren’t any other customers inside. The woman with the ponytail—Melanie, I remembered—was laying in wait behind the counter to infect us with her enthusiasm. “Welcome to Bark & Purr!” Was she actually that perky in real life? “Oh, hi, Detective! How are you today?”
“I’m okay, thanks.”
Melanie then aimed her cheerfulness in Amy’s direction and didn’t seem to notice when it bounced right off. Smiling to myself, I introduced my partner before getting to the point of my visit. “Is Craig around?”
Her energy dimmed slightly. “Sorry, he’s left for the day.” She brightened again. “But Greg’s here. Let me go get him.”
“Wait, I—” She didn’t hear me. She’d already dashed toward the office I’d been in the other day, her ponytail bobbing merrily behind her.
Well shit.
I turned around to find Amy, who was examining an oddly phallic-shaped dog chew toy. She waggled her eyebrows suggestively as she waved the toy at me.
“No.” I said.
“Come on, please?”
“No.”
“Detective?” A man’s voice interrupted us. Greg was an extremely attractive man in his mid-thirties, with sharp, almost vulpine features. He was about my height with short dark hair and striking gray eyes. Had he and Craig had ever hooked up? Fuck, none of my business. I needed to focus on why I was here.
