Page 24

The phone started ringing, and Liz gave up her interrogation and went back to the bar to get it.

“Pull tabs?” Doug asked again.

“Ten bucks,” I said, fishing my wallet out of my jeans. “That’s it. And then I go home.”

Liz shouted at me from across the room. “Daniel! You’ve got a phone call!”

I looked over at her in confusion. “A phone call?”

She was grinning, holding her hand over the mouthpiece. “Alexis!”

I stared at her for a few disbelieving seconds. Then I ran to the phone so fast I tripped over a barstool and almost went flying. I limped the last few feet and took the cordless from Liz. “Hello?”

A tentative voice came over the line. “Hi…Hello. I don’t know if you remember me. We met last week? Alexis?”

A huge grin ripped across my face. “Of course I remember you. Hi.”

“Hi.”

“I didn’t think I was ever going to hear from you again,” I said, walking the phone over to the hallway by the bathrooms where it was a little quieter. “I thought maybe I did something wrong.”

She laughed. “No. You didn’t do anything wrong. At all.”

I smiled.

“I, um…I’m calling because I have a little confession to make,” she said, sucking air through her teeth.

“Yeah?”

“I stole your hoodie. I’ve been feeling really bad about it.”

“So let me get this straight,” I said, my smile so big there was no way she didn’t hear it in my voice. “You feel bad about stealing my hoodie, but not for running off on me in the middle of the night?” I teased.

“Yeah…about that. I’m sorry. I’m a hoodie thief and a runaway.”

“Well, you should know that one of those things ruined my whole week. The other thing was just a hoodie.”

She laughed. “Can I mail it to you?”

I shook my head. “Nope. Not fast enough. I’m gonna need that back immediately. Tonight preferably. I can come get it, just give me your address.”

“Tonight, huh?”

“Definitely. Poor hoodie, confused and lost. You’re probably keeping it in a dark closet.”

“Oh, no, your hoodie has been very well cared for, I promise you.”

I smiled. “Are you wearing it?”

“Well, you don’t steal a hoodie and not wear it. Otherwise it’s just another senseless crime.”

The idea of her wearing my hoodie made my heart pound.

“You know, I have a theory,” I said, switching the phone to my other ear.

“Oh, yeah, what’s that?”

“I think you took that hoodie because you wanted a reason to come back here.”