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“I’ll take that as a no. Have you called the cops?”
Amy turned her head and glared at her cousin. “Of course I’ve called the cops. Every single damned time. The problem is, nobody knows where she’s living. She’s either sofa surfing or holed up with the latest skeevy boyfriend and God only knows who that is and where he lives, so the cops can’t go back and serve her or arrest her.”
“So she just keeps showing up and hassling you. Has she shown up at the restaurant again?”
“Not since the last time. She realized that there are too many people who will hold on to her until the cops arrive. Now that they’ve fixed the comm system at your door, your apartment should be secure. But I’m screwed until I move into someplace better.”
“Understood.”
“Look, I’ve got to get home. I’ve got to get to the restaurant early tomorrow. Thanks for letting me sit with the boys tonight.”
“You are such a crazy girl. You’re the only person I know who would thank me for the pleasure of doing me a favor.”
“Well it’s true, I love spending time with those two little guys.”
Carla put down her glass and hugged Amy. “And they love you. Thanks for everything. You holler if you need anything.”
“What I need is jewelry.”
“Anything but that.”
Ryker got up and did his normal run before work. He pushed himself harder than normal because he’d asked for a half day of PTO, it was Monday and he wanted to Skype with Amy. He had a plan. He’d had enough of the bullshit and it was now time for Operation Face-To-Face. He was positive he could talk her into a trip west.
By the time he got back to his townhome, he was a sweaty mess, so he took a long, hot shower and plotted out exactly what he was going to say. First, he was just going to go with the flow, then would come the invite. He knew Amy had more than enough time off accrued that she could leave her restaurant for a long weekend. What’s more, part of her was already out the door after some of the bullshit that Noreen had pulled.
After he’d gulped down his protein drink and poured himself a cup of coffee, it was time. He settled in the corner of his favorite leather couch, pulled his laptop onto his lap, and dialed Amy’s number. He didn’t have to wait long for her to answer, but she didn’t show her face.
“What’s the deal? Don’t I get to see Amy-bedhead this morning?” he gently teased.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” she asked grumpily.
Ryker laughed. “I took the morning off. I’ve been up for hours, and I would have thought you would have been too. Don’t you have a shit-ton of laundry to do?”
“Go to hell,” she yawned. “I was out late.”
Ryker’s hackles rose. “With who?” He tried to keep his tone mellow.
“Lawrence and a bunch of others from the restaurant had tickets to this new club, Rising Desire, so I went with them.”
She yawned again.
“When did you get home?”
“Three.”
It was eight a.m. Ryker thought about calling back, but he was too jazzed.
“Did you have a good time?”
“The best. I think I found a chef.”
“That’s great! You’ve got to put the video on now.”
“Okay, okay, okay. But I’m warning you, Medusa would look better than me after a late night at a club.”
“I’ll risk turning to stone.”
When the video went on, Ryker did his best not to snort, but it wasn’t easy. She wasn’t kidding, she looked like she’d been rode hard and put away wet.
