Page 10 of Amore
“Woof!”
“Ah,” I groaned and grabbed my phone to check the time. It was light outside, but that didn’t mean anything since I’d fallen asleep close to four. Checking the time quickly went out the window when I saw that I had a text message.
Hey, good morning, Franks. It was good seeing you last night. It’s Luke, BTW. If you’re up for it, I’d love to catch up and grab that coffee you mentioned. Let me know.
My breath caught. “He texted me,” I said to Amore, as though he knew what those three words meant or who I was talking about. “What do I say?”
“Woof!” He nudged my side, trying to push me off the bed.
“Right. Let’s go.”
Amore followed me down the hallway, and I let him outside, leaving the door open for him to come in and out and allowing some fresh air into the house. Finally, looking at the time again, I realized I’d only gotten six hours of sleep. Luke had texted me an hour before, and I needed coffee before I could come up with a reply.
I didn’t know why I was so nervous, but I was. I didn’t think we would meet up for coffee and discussthat night. That was years ago, but I felt it would be the elephant in the room. If I had known beforehand that it would ruin my friendship with him and Lucy, I wouldn’t have gone to him that night. Or maybe I would have because there was no one else I wanted or trusted.
It was my fault everything changed.
Amore came running into the house just as my cup of coffee finished brewing. I poured in some creamer and went to my couch, my phone in one hand and the mug in the other. I still had no idea what I was going to say. I was twenty-seven but acting as though I was back in high school.
With a deep breath, I texted back:Morning! I would love to get that coffee.I hesitated but then went for it:I’m free this afternoon if you are.
A few minutes later, he texted back:I am ? Tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.
I figured three o’clock wasn’t a bad time for coffee, and I would more than likely need a pick-me-up by then.
* * *
Before I showeredand headed to the coffee shop, I grabbed Amore’s leash to take him for a quick walk. I tried to walk him every day. Even on location, he was with me because I was usually away from home for a long period of time. He was always excited for a walk, and all I had to do was grab the leash by the front door, and he came running.
“Ready for a walk, buddy?”
“Woof!” He wagged his tail and started to wiggle his butt.
“All right. Let’s go, but we have to be quick. Mommy has a d-date.” The word started to slip out before I realized it and I stuttered because it wasn’t a date, was it? It was coffee with an old friend.
Walking out the front door, I set the alarm, locked it, then made my way through the gate that secured my property. I lived in a wealthy neighborhood, and a few other celebrities also lived in the area. It wasn’t as though we announced where we lived to the public, but folks knew through the grapevine.
Sticking with my usual route, Amore and I made our way around the neighborhood. Usually I put my earbuds in, but it had slipped my mind. I wasn’t sure if it was because I didn’t have music blaring in my ears, but I noticed a guy in a dark baseball hat walking not far behind me. He followed every turn I made. My hand wrapped tighter around Amore’s leash, needing him to come to my aid. He wasn’t a guard dog per se, but I had to hope if anyone attacked me, he would attack back.
I knew not to go home, but I didn’t know where to go. There was nothing around except houses, and bringing a predator to someone else’s home wasn’t the best idea either.
Reaching into the pocket of my yoga pants, I pulled out my phone, ready to call one of my neighbors to pick me up. Luckily, I saw someone I recognized walking his dog in my direction. I didn’t know Elliot King firsthand, but I knew of him. I would normally smile, wave hello, and keep walking, but this time, I stopped, letting our dogs sniff each other.
“Elliot, right?” I smiled and looked over my shoulder to see that the man had slowed his pace. His hands were stuffed into his black sweatshirt and he was looking off to the side.
Elliot grinned in return. “Yeah. Frankie Borelli, right?”
I stood with my back toward the man following me. “Yeah. Would you mind walking with me? There’s a guy following me.”
Elliot looked over my shoulder and then nodded. “Sure, no problem. Do you want me to walk you home?”
“I’d rather not lead the guy back to either of our houses,” I admitted.
“Right.”
“But we can walk to the neighborhood park, and I can call someone to come pick me up.”
“All right. Let’s do that.”
