Page 20 of Heart Me Up
I caught up to him in the kitchen, where he was raiding my fridge for a beer. “Didn’t you say you were going out with Jaime tonight?” I managed not to wrinkle my nose. Greg had been dating Jaime for a little over three months. He had his reasons for picking guys who were all about surface appearance and no substance, but I didn’t enjoy hanging out with them myself.
“Oh, yeah, but we’re not meeting for another hour.” Greg rooted around in my junk drawer for my bottle opener, making awhoopnoise when he found it. I leaned against the counter and waited.
After his first swig of beer, Greg remembered why he’d come over. “Oh!” He set the bottle down and fished in his back pocket. “Here you go.” He handed me a neatly folded but otherwise pristine Bark & Purr envelope. My first name was scrawled across the front.
“So, what did you think of him?” I asked Greg as I pretended to examine the outside of the envelope for any additional information or hieroglyphics I might have missed at first glance.
“Hmm.” Greg swallowed more beer while he considered his answer. I sighed and got a beer for myself. Ignoring Greg’s theatrics was the best way to get him to respond.
Finally he allowed, “I can see why you like him.”
I chortled to myself. Odds were Greg had tried his mafia don intimidation tactics on Foster. Foster must have pushed back.
I went into the living room and sat on the couch, putting my beer and the envelope on the coffee table. Greg sat down next to me.
I glared at him and he grinned. “Go ahead. Open it.”
Well it wasn’t like he was going to leave until I did. Sighing loudly, I stuck my finger under the seal and ripped open the envelope. The message on the single sheet of paper inside was… underwhelming.
Craig, sorry I had to take off last night—emergency all hands on deck situation at work. Please call or text.
Foster
He’d written his number at the bottom.
“Huh.” It was all I could say. I handed the note to Greg.
“Thefuck?” Greg threw the paper down on the coffee table. “I left him alone in the office so he could write something meaningful. Not…that.” He gestured dismissively at the note.
“Maybe your mob boss impersonation intimidated him after all,” I suggested.
Greg snorted before pausing. “Are you gonna text him?”
I considered. The note might have been less than sentimental, but Fosterhadgone out of his way to stop by the pet resort. And to be fair, he was a cop, not a professor of Renaissance poetry.Andhe hadplayed along with my dog collar gag. I smiled at the memory.
“Yeah, I’m going to give him a shot.”
Chapter10
Foster
I racedthrough my front door at 6:50pm. Craig would be here any minute, and I wasnotready. I should’ve texted him I needed more time. But it was only thirty minutes ago when Silvia had called asking me to come over “for just a second” to help her put “some things” by the curb for heavy trash pickup. You’d think I’d know better, but my mind had been on my date with Craig. So I’d trotted across the street expecting to return within five minutes. Hah.
Hoping Craig wouldn’t be early, I ran up the stairs and jumped in the shower for the second time that evening. I just sort of sluiced off the worst of the sweat and jumped back out again. A little cologne helped; maybe Craig would just think it had musky undertones.
By 7:00 on the dot my hair was still wet but at least I had underwear and jeans on. I heard a car door shut in front of the house so I pulled a button-down out of my closet and headed for the stairs.
I opened the front door before he knocked, still breathing a little heavily from rushing to get ready. Craig stepped up to the door at the same time, and he rocked back a little in surprise.
“Sorry,” I told him as I struggled to button my shirt. “I had a last-minute… thing.”
Craig cocked his head. “Do you need me to come back later?”
Oh, shit. “No, no, please come in.” I gestured him inside. “Silvia called like thirty minutes ago. She wanted to put some stuff by the curb, so I ran down to help because I only thought it would take five minutes. But it was more like twenty, and I was sweaty and had to shower again.”
I shut the door behind Craig, using the time to catch my breath. He’d taken a great deal more care with his appearance than I had. His light green short-sleeve button-down didn’t have any wrinkles. He wore it over some jeans that hugged his body in the best way. His socks were a pink and green pattern which matched his shirt, and his brown leather lace-ups were casual but stylish.
I ruefully smoothed my shirt before rolling up my sleeves. “Um, I just need to find my shoes. Do you want a drink before we leave?”
