Page 29 of Wicked Heat

At least I scored points for having the foresight to say I’d cut the interview off if it got too personal. But that attempt at putting up limits backfired because, hey, kidnapped.

And that’s personal by definition.

Despite all that, it could have been fine. Except it was Maggie Bridge. And she poked and prodded and insinuated stuff about Damien and the kidnapping and guilt and all sorts of bullshit until I wanted to race out of that room and have a shower. And—yay me—that’s exactly what I did.

I let her get under my skin.

I put myself out there, and she dredged it all up again.

Idiot.

At least I learned one thing. I’ll never sit down for an interview with that woman again.

With a firm nod, I push Maggie Bridge out of my head as I accelerate into a sweet curve that straightens out right in front of The Upper Crust’s parking lot. I’m going faster than I should, but Maisy can handle it, and I don’t even skid as I make a hard right out of the curve, practically soar onto the lot, then glide into a parking space that fate put there especially for me.

I’m grinning when I kill the engine. That’s one way to erase the lingering stench of Maggie Bridge.

“You look happy,” Kari says once I’m inside and at the counter. “You sounded annoyed when you called.”

I shrug. My flight’s a red eye, so I’d hung around to watch over the Stark girls until after Maggie was out of the house. Then I called Kari as I was leaving to tell her that I was on my way, and that I needed the biggest, most chocolatey cookie in the place, along with a giant latte. Sadly, the Upper Crust doesn’t sell the alcohol I desperately need. I figure I’ll get that at the airport.

She’s already got my order ready, and she passes it to me, then holds up a finger for me to wait while a broad-shouldered god with sun-blond hair slips up beside her. He puts his hand on her waist as he leans in to ask her a question. When he does, I notice his ginormous class ring. At least, I think it’s a class ring. It’s hard to get a good look at it because he’s using his thumb to spin it around on his finger.

Nervous habit, I think, and then I smile as I look between him and Kari.

She nods, then blushes, turning back to me only after he slips away, then parks himself at the cash register further down the counter.

“Martin Street,” she says when her attention returns to me. “New hire.”

“And what does he work besides the register?” I ask, adding a salacious little lilt to my voice.

“You have a dirty mind,” she says. “Let’s just say he’s a very… hard… worker.”

“He likes working with you,” I say, and she goes beet red.

“What makes you say that?”

I just shrug. No sense mentioning the ring. Poor guy hardly needs Kari focusing on that when they’re out together. But when a guy’s nervous like that around a girl, like is very much on the table.

“You really think so?”

“Yes, dufus,” I assure her, then roll my eyes when she fans herself, first looking around to make sure no one else is listening.

Kari’s a manager at the popular hangout, and we’ve become pretty good friends. Good enough that she’ll show her true colors to me… but will otherwise try to be professional.

Try being the operative word.

We met because my cookie addiction meant that I was popping in every day. We started out with small talk, then started hanging out together when she got off shift. After a few months I realized that she’d mostly filled the gap I’d created when I’d moved to Los Angeles without Aria.

A wave of melancholy washes over me. I love Kari—I do. But I miss Aria, and I’m beyond excited that she’s picking me up at JFK in the morning when my red-eye lands—that is a seriously true friend. Then we’re spending almost the entire day together in Manhattan. After that, I’m going out to dinner with my parents before crashing in the house I grew up in.

“Want me to put a dozen in a to-go box?” Kari asks as she turns back to me. “My treat.”

“Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?”

“Too bad I don’t go for girls,” she says. “Because considering the guys we both attract… and are attracted to….”

She’d dated Rory before I did, and now she acts like that’s all a big joke. I can barely conjure a smile.