Page 37 of Amore
“That can be arranged.”
I crossed my arms and leaned on the door jamb. “And what would Candace think?”
“All right, fine. Then only Amore is getting rubbed.”
I smiled tightly, his words confirming he hadn’t broken up with Candace. “Okay, so where are we going to dinner?”
“Do you still like hot dogs?”
I balked. “Hot dogs?”
“Yeah, you know, what we used to eat at least once a week during the summers?”
“I don’t think I’ve had one since college,” I admitted.
“Then I have the perfect afternoon planned.” He beamed.
I grabbed my white summer hat, purse, and Amore’s leash. We got into Luke’s car after I set the alarm, and he pulled out of my driveway, the gate closing and locking behind him.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Santa Monica.”
“You know there’s a chance paparazzi will see us again, right?”
“Is that a problem?” He looked over at me briefly as he headed out of my neighborhood.
“Not for me. Is it for you and Candace?”
Luke sighed. “I don’t know if we’re going to work out.”
“Really?” My heart thumped a little faster with excitement.
“This is going to sound really shitty, but I feel as though I’m trapped and have to continue dating her.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re partners.”
“Oh, right.” I nodded. “But you don’t want to be with her?”
“Don’t get me wrong, she’s a great person and an excellent cop, but she’s not the one, you know?” He lifted a shoulder. The light we were at turned green.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Since we’re partners, it’s harder than a typical breakup. I didn’t even mean to date her, but after our drunk hook-up, we kept messing around after shifts, and she assumed we were dating.”
“Does she know you don’t really want to date her?”
Luke shook his head. “I don’t think so. I mean, now she might know something is off.”
“Because of me?” I questioned.
“We were never going to work out, even before you, Franks.”
Before me …
“Can you get a new partner?”
