Page 17 of The Sexy Part
Mackenzie looks down at me. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”
“Don’t let him get in your head,” Harper says fiercely. “He’s the asshole here. Not you.”
“Why’re you both so nice to me?” I ask, sincerely baffled by the solidarity and friendship.
“Because we’re decent human beings,” Harper says.
“We really feel for you,” Mackenzie says. “If I were going through what you are, I’d want someone to be there for me in my time of need.”
My throat tightens. “Thank you. One day I’ll find a way to repay you both.”
“You can clean the litterbox,” Harper says.
Mackenzie shoves Harper’s shoulder. “Rowan, you don’t have to do that. Geez, why not ask her to scrub toilets?” She returns to the stove.
“Isn’t that what I just did?” Harper asks.
I go back to eating pancakes. Their easy banter makes me feel like I’m part of a family for the first time in a long time.
* * *
I’m in the city by early afternoon and walk briskly to the brownstone, where we have an apartment on the third floor. My gut churns.
Okay, I just need to get the most important stuff and go. I’ll come back with a moving truck for the rest once I know where I’m going to live. We put a deposit on a condo, but we don’t own it yet. We were going to close the deal after we got back from our honeymoon. I can’t afford the mortgage payments without Dave. Hopefully, it won’t take too long to get the deposit back. Add that to my to-do list for Monday.
I stop on the sidewalk, look up at our apartment, and take a deep breath. Here we go. I do the code on the keypad, go inside, and walk up to the third floor.
Once I’m inside our apartment, I look around. “Dave?”
Nothing. Good. I timed this well.
I head to the bedroom for my laptop. It’s not on the nightstand shelf where I left it. My heart pounds. I have everything on that laptop. All client presentations and company records. When was the last time I backed it up? I can’t remember. Okay, okay, don’t panic. Maybe I didn’t put it back in its usual spot.
I look around the small bedroom. There’s not too many places it could be. I search through every dresser drawer and even look under furniture.
No, no, no. I yank the comforter off the bed and pat down the sheet, looking for a laptop-shaped lump. Panic drives me to the bathroom, searching in the vanity drawer.
I race to the living room, searching under cushions, in the coffee table drawer, even behind the sofa. Sweat runs down my spine. He stole my laptop. It has to be.
Kitchen! I check all the cabinets and drawers, and move on to the refrigerator and freezer.
What else did he steal? My noise-cancelling headphones? I need those to focus. I rush back to the living room, where they’re usually on the end table. Not there. I don’t remember seeing them on my previous search. Mom’s jewelry!
My breath comes faster as I make my way to the bathroom. I keep Mom’s pearl necklace and diamond earrings in a velvet pouch in the vanity. It’s the only thing I have of hers. My dad gave them to me after she died because he thought I might get some use out of them. I never wear them, but I’ve carried them from place to place with me.
I slowly pull open the vanity drawer, my heart thundering in my ears. Dave knows what this jewelry means to me. I pull out the velvet pouch and instantly know by its lightness it’s empty. I turn it inside out to be sure. Gone.
I stand there, heart pounding, muscles tense for a long moment of shock. Dammit. I whirl and march out the door. Time to confront Dave.
I grab my purse and race out the door of the apartment, run down the stairs, and burst outside. A quick glance for traffic, and I run across the street to Riley’s Pub, where Dave likes to entertain the bar crowd with his stories.
I barrel through the door and find him at the bar with a beer. A few guys near him laugh at something he said.
“Excuse me,” I say, working my way past people to get to him.
His eyes widen when I invade his space. He plays it casual. “Hey, Rowan, this probably isn’t the best time to meet up. I’ll text you for a better time.”
I clench my jaw. “I want my laptop, headphones, and jewelry back.”
