“Pringles. Got it. What aboutdrinks?”
“Water… and maybe…” she trailed off, nowhesitating.
“Maybe what?” If she asked for bottled elixir of the gods, he’d find it forher.
“Maybe… um… CapriSun?”
Jacques lost it. Laughter ricocheted out of him with unstoppable force. “Oh, that is so awesome,” he said, trying torecover.
“You’re laughing at me,” Rainey said, but, thankfully, he could hear the grin in hervoice.
“No, I swear I’m not,” he said, still laughing. “Pringles and Capri Sun. Gotit.”
“Original Pringles and Tropical Punch Capri Sun. But I’ll take Berry if they don’t havethat.”
Jacques attempted to catch his breath. “You got it. Anythingelse.”
“No, that’s good. I’ll make sandwiches,” she said, apparently forgiving him for his fit of laughter. “We have cold cuts. You like roastbeef?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned at the thought of her making him asandwich.
“How do you dressit?”
If Jacques were making himself a roast beef sandwich, he’d probably spend fifteen minutes engineering sandwich perfection that consisted of thin-sliced onion and tomato, mayo, brown mustard, and horseradish on bread toasted medium brown, but he’d be happy with whatever shemade.
“However you take yours isfine.”
“You sure?” she asked with skepticism. “Because Ireallylike horseradish on roastbeef.”
He laughed again. Rainey was the perfectwoman.
“Why are you laughing?” She soundedmystified.
“Sorry…” Jacques cleared his throat and tried to get himself under control. “I love horseradish. Gocrazy.”
“O…kay…”
“Okay,” he said with finality. “I’ll see you in twohours.”
She paused. “We’re really going to dothis.”
“Yeah. And it’ll be good.” He didn’t really know where the trip would take them, and he hoped like hell they’d succeed in talking to Gloria Lopez-Craine and at least meeting Rainey’s brother. It might not lead to a match for Holi, but he’d have whole days in the car with Rainey, and Jacques could only look at that as agift.
And as hard as it would be, Jacques vowed to himself that he would do this as her friend. He wouldn’t take advantage or try to manipulate the situation to make them more than friends. If this brought them closer and helped her to trust him more, great. But he wouldn’t even allow himself to imagine more thanthat.
“Okay,” she said, echoing him. “See you in twohours.”
They hung up, and Jacques made it two steps inside on his way to tell Pal when his phone rangagain.
“Hey,” hegreeted.
“I can’t go,” Rainey said, distress pinching hervoice.
Jacques froze. “Whynot?”
“Because Holi can’t take care of Archie, and I can’t board him for two or three days. He hates going to the kennel. He won’t eat. It stresses him out completely,” she said, sounding pretty stressed outherself.
“So, we’ll bring Archie,” he saidsimply.
