Page 98 of Lawton

"Not 'til eight."

"Alright —"

"I mean," she interrupted, "eight o'clock in the morning."

Shit.

She sighed. "Speaking of which, I've gotta go. I've got like a million things to do before my shift."

I kept my tone casual. "Yeah? Like what?"

"You know. The usual stuff. Anyway, have some pancakes for me, alright?" And then, after a quick goodbye, she was gone.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared down at the thing. I felt my eyebrows furrow. Was that the brush-off?

If so, it was my first.

I recalled the previous night, wondering if there was something I'd missed. For me, the night had been phenomenal and not only because of the sex. She was warm and funny, sweet and sexy, and everything in between. There was something about her that made me feel almost human for the first time in years.

I loved listening to her. And I loved the way she treated me – not like a brand, but like a regular guy. It was nice.

As I shoved my phone back into my pocket, I tried to remember what we'd talked about. She'd mentioned her job in a casual sort of way, along with a few more details about her family – the kid brother, the grandma, and something vague about her parents being divorced for a while now.

Come to think of it, she managed to say a whole lot without telling me much more than the basics. As far as true personal information, I'd gotten her cell phone number, but not much else.

I was still thinking about it when my cell phone beeped with the sound of an incoming text. I pulled it out and took a look. It was from Chloe. Two words.Pancakes tomorrow?

I felt myself smile. Tomorrow. I couldn't wait.

The next day, we had pancakes in the kitchen and sex on the sofa. Together, we walked Chucky and played catch. We laughed. We talked. We chased each other around the house, with Chucky barking at our heels.

When darkness fell, we had a pizza and popcorn – and yeah, more sex – inside what my realtor had called the media room. Later that night, I held her in my arms and slept with her in my bed, with Chucky nestled at our feet.

For the first time since hitting it big, my house,thishouse, felt like a home. I felt like I had a family, a real family. I couldn’t help but smile. I even had a dog.

And I liked it.

Chapter 43

Standing on my doorstep, she stared up at me.

Not Chloe. Amber.

Her car was parked in the turnaround, just inside the front gate. I felt myself frown. The gate was open. It wasn't supposed to be. The landscapers must've left it unlocked on their way out. Next time, I decided, I'd rake the damn leaves myself.

Or not.

I looked down at Amber. "What do you want?"

She drew back. "Do you have to be so mean about it?"

"Yeah," I said. "I do."

By now, I'd gotten a few more details from Chloe about that whole scene at the restaurant. I knew that Brittney and Amber had gone in and given Chloe all kinds of crap. The details might've been sketchy, but I knew enough to be pissed.

Amber glanced past me, toward the inside of my house. "Can I come in?"

"No."