Page 35 of Lawton

I woke early the next morning, alone by choice. I'd gone to bed alone too. Again, by choice. After the scene outside the restaurant, I'd driven the girls straight to Amber's place, some swanky condo in mid-town.

I'd left them there, sulking in their skimpy dresses. The way it looked, they'd been expecting a sleepover. Things were getting out of hand.

Amber and I had an agreement. She was firmly in the friend zone. She knew that. Or at least, sheusedto know that, until Brittney came along.

The way it looked, I'd be losing a friend either way.

I was mulling all this over while I sat alone in my study, reviewing the next round of security checks for the Vegas thing. After this, I had to hit the office, meet some promo people, and stop by a fundraiser later on.

I shook my head. A fundraiser. In a million years, I'd have never seenthatcoming.

Today, I wasn't in the mood for any of it. It was just after eight. I wanted to hang out here and catch Chloe the next time she walked by. The dog seemed to like me, so that made us friends, right?

Hey, it was a start.

I shook my head. Maybe it was already finished, thanks to that whole fight scene in the parking lot.

Sitting at my desk, I glanced out the window. No Chloe. No dog. The sidewalk was empty, just like it had been the hundred other times I'd checked.

Screw it. I pushed back my chair and grabbed my stuff. Better to work in my office downtown, where I might actually get something done. Five minutes later, I was pulling out of my front gate, driving the same car as the previous night.

I'd just hit the highway when I spotted something that changed everything. It was a small silver I.D. tag in the shape of a classic dog-bone. The thing was just sitting there on the passenger-side seat. I reached for it and read the engraved name. Chucky. I felt myself smile.

A half-hour later, I was standing on Chloe's front doorstep. By now, I had a plan. I'd tell her that I'd seen her at the restaurant. I'd explain what happened. I'd tell her the reason for the fight and the reason I'd been out with two girls. I'd make it clear that Brittney and Amber were just friends.

And then, I'd take it from there.

Maybe I'd make a joke of it, tell her I was here for steak and eggs. I'd been teasing her about that just last night. She liked to laugh. She'd get it.

Standing on her doorstep, I rang the bell. From somewhere inside, Chucky started going nuts, barking like his life depended on it. I waited. Other than the barking, nothing happened for a long time.

Not wanting to leave, I waited some more.

Finally, maybe five minutes later, the door flew open, and there she was – once again, looking nothing like I remembered.

Her hair was a wild mess, like she'd fallen asleep while it was still wet. She was holding a pink hairbrush in one hand and a small paper bag in the other. She wore an oversized gray T-shirt and pink pajama bottoms dotted with some sort of black-and-white pattern. I glanced down for a closer look. Tuxedoes? No. Penguins.Ninjapenguins.

I felt myself smile. She was so adorable I could hardly stand it. I looked up, catching her eye. That's when I noticed something else, the dark circles under her eyes.

I froze as a horrible thought occurred to me. She'd been sleeping, obviously.

For the first time, it hit me how rude this was. It was only nine o'clock. How late had she worked last night? I hadn't left the restaurant until nearly one in the morning. How long hadshebeen there?

Shit.

In front of me, Chloe's gaze narrowed. The way it looked, I was about to get my ass chewed. I waited, figuring I might as well take it like a man. I owed her that much at least, along with an apology afterwards.

But then she smiled. The smile was wickedly big and filled with mischief. "Hi!" she gushed like a rabid fangirl. "I'meverso glad you stopped by."

What?

As I stood there, she practically leaped out of the entryway and slammed the door behind her. When she spoke again, her voice was half Marilyn Monroe, half serial killer. "Steak and eggs, right?"

I took a half step backward. "Uh, did I wake you up?" Yeah, the question was stupid. Obviously, I had. But what else was I supposed to say?

She leaned closer. "Of course not," she gushed. "I've been waiting for hours and hours for you to show up. Look!" She lifted her hand and shoved the paper bag in my direction. "I made you breakfast and everything, just like you wanted." She lowered her voice. "Baby."

I eyed the bag. It was too small for a severed head. Wasn't it?