Touché.“Oh,” he muttered doubtfully. “Mine’s not a very good story. My books are better.”
She laughed for him again, and Gray found he liked the sound. A lot.
“Look, it’s been so nice of you to keep me company on my walk, but I can see the house from here, and I’ve taken up too much of your time tonight.”
She wasn’t home yet, and he knew he wouldn’t be at ease until she was, but Gray didn’t lie to himself. He also wasn’t ready to say goodnight.
“Are you on St. Landry yet?”
“Almost,” she said, sounding timid again.
Gray shook his head. “You’re not past those outbuildings.”
“What?” she asked, clearly confused.
“Those outbuildings behind the coliseum. They’re wide open. No security. And you’re walking alone down a dark road. I don’t like it.”
He heard her breath hitch. Had he just freaked her out?
“I didn’t mean to scare you, Meredith.”
“You didn’t… scare me.” Her voice came out different, somewhere between meek and distressed.
Had he offended her? “Then—”
“Nobody…” she began, sounding only a little surer of herself. “I mean, it just took me by surprise.”
He was about to ask what she meant when she plowed on.
“Let’s talk about tomorrow. What do you need me to do tomorrow?”
Gray drew a blank. He could think of nothing he needed, but, after she’d come to his house again and they’d spent the last twenty minutes on the phone, he’d lost some of the panic of meeting her face to face. In fact, now, the thought of not seeing her the following day felt like a weight around his neck.
Or it reminded him of the weight already around his neck.
But what reason could he give her to come? The answer rose like a spring.
“Tomorrow, I need you to go to Academy.”
“Okay. What do you need at Academy?” she asked, all eagerness.
“Well, I need you to get some pepper spray for yourself… and…”
“And?” Seconds ticked by.
“… and…” he trailed off.
“Do you really need anything from Academy? Or do you just want me to get some pepper spray? Because if it’s the latter, I can’t go to Academy on your time.”
“Maybe I just can’t remember what I need,” he ventured, smiling at his own evasion.
“Oh,really?”
His smile grew at the way her words dripped with irony. They also gave him an idea. “In fact, I think you should come pick me up tomorrow and drive me to Academy. I’m sure I’ll remember then what I need.”
“Gray, that’s—”
“That’s what I need to do tomorrow,” he said, trampling over her objection. “You’re my personal assistant, right? You can drive me around where I need to go, right?”
