Page 40 of Hiss and Make Up
“Leave him in the car,” Marc said. It was still warm out, but not too warm with the windows down.
“No way. He’ll freak out at being trapped in here and tear up my seats.”
“Bring him with us.” It wasn’t his favorite option, but at least it would get her out of the car and keep her by his side.
She considered his suggestion for a second. Then she walked to the trunk, revealing what looked like a bunch of junk: a small plastic animal carrier, old towels, a half-folded blanket, paper towels, trash bags, a first aid kit, an open box of latex gloves, and a cardboard box.
“You always this prepared?”
Sierra dug in the cardboard box until she found a blue, nylon leash. “Never know when you’ll run across a stray. Or, you know, a snake.”
Marc watched while she opened the backseat door just enough to slip the leash inside and over the dog’s head while using her hip to block the dog from jumping out.
He turned his head to look away. The last thing he needed to be doing right now was staring at Sierra Menard’s hips.
They walked to the end of the block to a little coffee and gelato shop. Downtown Lafayette had a hip vibe—filled with trendy restaurants, museums, and night clubs—and was the prime location for city festivals throughout the year. Despite being only a short drive away, it was a starkdifference from the antique shops and cozy little restaurants down Main Street in their hometown of Breaux Bridge.
Sierra led the dog to a water dish and fished a treat out of the glass jar near the front door. The dog gobbled the treat like a half-starved creature. Marc almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
“Sorry, buddy. Too many of those’ll make you sick.” Sierra squatted beside him, scratching the sides of his face. “I promise we’ll get you more to eat once we’re done here.”
The two of them were just about the cutest thing Marc had ever seen. The dog licked at Sierra’s chin, which normally would have grossed him out completely. But the smile on her face erased all worries of dog germs from his mind.
“Come on,” Marc said. “He’ll be fine out here for a few minutes.”
Sierra frowned, but wrapped the leash and around a bike rack and followed him inside. With one hand on the door, Marc glanced over his shoulder to find the dog sitting calmly beside the dwarf azalea bushes. The darn thing was actually smiling at them.
Inside, Sierra gawked at the brightly lit gelato case. Marc had every intention of satisfying her sweet tooth, but they had business first.
He pointed to a small table along the wall and placed his other hand against the small of her back. That touch sent a warm little zing through his palm. He didn’t have time to debate what that zing meant though, as her whole back went stiff with tension.
She leaned her head and half-whispered, “You didn’t say it was her.”
Chloe stretched and waved at Marc from the back of the room, a mega-watt smile plastered across her face.
“Does it matter?”
“I’ll wait outside,” Sierra said and spun towards the door.
“Wait a second.” Marc put a hand on her arm. “I thought you wanted to find out who sent that letter?”
“It’s been a long day, the dog is probably scared, and you need to get information from her. I don’t need to be there for that.”
“I know it’s been a long day, but that dog is not scared.” He waited for her to sneak a look at it through the big windows along the front wall. “And Iwantyou with me for this.”
He stopped himself short of saying,for everything.
“Besides,” he added, “I promised I’d keep both eyes on you. Liz doesn’t strike me as someone I should break a promise to.”
Sierra looked at the dog then back at Chloe. If he knew anything about Sierra, her curiosity and loyalty—to Liz, if not to him—would win out here. No question. He just had to wait for her to realize that too.
“Fine,” she said. “But, for the record, I’m not pleased about this.”
“I still don’t know why not.”
She frowned again. “Not exactly thrilled about watching you flirt information out of that woman, so I don’t know why I need to be here.”
“Flirt information? What are you talking about?”
