Page 26

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It’s been a week since Goldy died.

For a couple of days after the funeral, things were tense between me and Krista. She refused to believe that Whitney could be behind the goldfish’s untimely death. And whenever I brought it up, she didn’t want to talk about it.

But she’s been cooling off. Last night, while Whitney was working a late shift, we watched a movie on TV and were laughing together, and when it was over, she even decided to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies—something she hasn’t done in weeks. And because Whitney was out, we had sex right on the couch—something we haven’t done in months . So maybe we’re good.

Tonight is Saturday night, and when Krista gets home from work, I’m taking her out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, which I haven’t done since I lost my VP job. She’s going to put on a nice dress, and I’ll put on my nicest cologne or some shit like that. I’ll turn up the charm and win her over like I did in the first place.

If I don’t, she’ll be gone. And I really don’t want that.

After lunch, I went for a run through Central Park, which I haven’t done in a few weeks. I pushed myself till my legs ached and my T-shirt was soaked in sweat despite the forty-degree weather, and then I ran home and took a cold shower. I’ll pay for it tomorrow, but when it was over, I felt good .

While I’m waiting for Krista to get home from the dry cleaner, I flip on the television and grab a few of Krista’s cookies to snack on. The adrenaline from the run has worn off, and I doze off for a bit. I don’t wake up until I hear Krista’s keys in the front door. I scramble to my feet, brushing cookie crumbs off the dress shirt I changed into specially for our date.

Perfect fiancé. You can do this.

Krista enters the brownstone, her strawberry-blond hair pinned on top of her head, smelling vaguely of dry-cleaning chemicals. She looks great though. The smile that spreads across her face when she sees me makes me realize that we are going to be okay as a couple. Whitney will not rip us apart.

“You don’t have to stand on my account,” Krista teases me.

“Of course I do.” I cross the room to take her warm body into my arms. “I missed you.”

She giggles. “I haven’t been gone very long.”

“Yet I still missed you.”

She tilts her head to smile up at me. I love it when she looks up at me like that. “I’m sorry I was late. You got my text?”

I didn’t. Usually, my phone dinging with a text message wakes me when I have drifted off. I pat my pockets, feeling for my phone, and it’s not there. I glance over at the coffee table, where I often leave it when I’m watching television, but it’s not there either.

“Shit.” I dig deeper in my pockets. “Where’s my phone?”

“In the bedroom?”

“Probably.” Except I’m sure I had it downstairs. I remember checking the reviews of a few restaurants for tonight. “Let me go check. But after I find it, we’re going out to dinner.”

Her eyes light up. “I was hoping you would say that. Anywhere special?”

I grin at her. “Make sure you dress up.”

She loves to dress up. Krista and I are going to be okay. That fish ordeal was just a blip.

I go upstairs to look for my phone, and Krista follows me to change into something nice (and hopefully sheer and sexy) for dinner. When I reach the bedroom, my phone isn’t readily visible. I usually keep it on the nightstand, which is where I keep my charger, but it’s not there. It’s not on my dresser either. I even yank the blankets off the bed, searching the sheets, but there’s no sign of my phone.

“What the hell?” I mutter. “Where did it go?”

Krista whips out her own phone. “Do you want me to call it?”

“Yeah, you better.”

I’m the first listed contact on Krista’s phone. She hits the button to dial my number, and after a second, I hear ringing. At least my phone is definitely in the house.

But the ringing is distant. Is it coming from downstairs? Maybe I left it in the kitchen, which would make sense since I’m certain I used it downstairs.

Except when I get out of the bedroom, following the sound of my ringtone, it’s clear the sound is not coming from downstairs. I raise my eyes to look skyward.

It’s coming from upstairs. The third floor.