Page 35 of Elevate With Me

I wrung my hands in front of me, chewing at my lower lip. “I don’t even know where he lives exactly.”

“If that’s the part of this plan you’re disagreeing with, it’ll be very simple.” Glen laughed. “There are only four apartments on the tenth floor. You’ll knock on them all until you find the right one.”

We took our perfect pasta ingredients to the kitchen. Then Glen went over my wardrobe for the best casual wear that wouldn’t be too casual but wouldn’t be screaming ‘scheming bitch’ the moment Luke laid eyes on it either. What was wrong with my current attire, she didn’t say.

After she was happy with the way I looked, she practically dropped Drixie into the hallway, whispering, “You better play your part in this. You know where to go,” and closed the door in her meowing face.

“If she gets lost, you’ll be searching for her,” I warned Glen.

“She won’t get lost.”

“But if she does—”

“Yes, yes, I will be searching for her.”

Gorgeous, kind, funny and patient

IWAS WAY TOO NERVOUS?to even look like I was searching for Drixie when I knocked on the second door on the tenth floor, after the first one had opened to an elderly woman who hadn’t seen any cats. Didn’t own a cat of her own, nor did she want anything to do with the furballs whatsoever. I’d asked her just to stay in character, and she babbled away for quite some time before she left me standing in the corridor. I felt the lie slipping away when Luke opened the second door, drinking me in like seeing me was a pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.

“Haylee,” he greeted with a soft smile that did all kinds of strange things to my stomach. “You can’t possibly be ready with the pasta yet, even if you’re using dry spaghetti.”

He was searching for the obvious—a plate of pasta to taste—which I didn’t have because Glen’s plan didn’t involve actually making any pasta ourselves.

I swallowed hard, trying to make room in my mouth for the words to come out. “Oh, um...no?”

“No?” Luke studied me while I fidgeted on his doorstep, his smile turning into a look of concern. “Haylee, is something wrong?”

“Why would—” I stopped, swallowed again, and as practised said, “I’m looking for Drixie. I thought she’d come here again.”

She hadn’t, though. I saw it on his face that she hadn’t. If I was jittery before, my stomach made an horrified somersault that left me nauseous now.

“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I’m sure she’s somewhere. I’ll find her.”

“Give me a minute, I’ll come and help you look.” He rushed back into his flat, leaving the door wide open.

I heard him talking to someone in the other room, and despite telling myself to wait outside, like was proper, I couldn’t help myself. Curiosity got the better of me, and I stepped inside, pulling the door closed behind me, and sneaked closer to the noise.