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“I know. I promise, it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Then I will stop hovering.” Marley stepped out of the car, waving as Rylie drove off and went into the house. Her little gray house with white trim was the perfect size at just the right price. She would have saved money a lot faster staying with her mom, but as much as she loved her, Marley liked her own space.
And there was no way she would have brought a guy home to hook up in her old bedroom. The pink canopy bed alone would have been a real mood killer.
She walked through the door and found Butters sprawled on the couch with his legs straight out, his eyes opening slowly as she made her way over to him. Running a hand across his soft fur, she tsked, “You think you run this house, don’t you?”
His ears flicked in response and she laughed, stripping off her sweaty shirt when she reached her bedroom. She flipped on the TV as she peeled off her work out clothes and laid out her dress for the day, a teal blue chiffon sundress with lace around the neckline. It was just after nine, so there wasn’t much on besides the news. She liked it for background noise.
The minute she turned the shower on, Butters came racing into the room, and sat outside the glass doors, his little tail bobbing impatiently.
“Dude, no, this is my shower. Get your own.”
He completely ignored her, of course. With a heavy sigh, she opened the door and he hopped in, shaking and jumping around in the water. It was the craziest thing, but from the first time she’d bathed him in the sink, Butters had loved the water and never passed up an opportunity to sneak in before her.
“Okay, that is enough mister. I have to get ready for work and I prefer my shower hotter than tepid.”
Butters hopped out slowly and shook, while Marley bent over to dry him off with a towel. Finally, she was able to take her shower, letting her mind drift as she rinsed off the soap and shampoo.
It had been three days since Luke left, and so far, she’d managed to secure a place for the bridal shower, book the band that Sonora had dubbed the least horrible, and reserve a suite in Tahoe for the bachelorette party. It had taken a lot of finagling and ass-kissing, but she had to admit, she was pretty awesome.
An hour later, Marley walked into work, and found Sonora and Dustin in her office. Sonora was sitting in a chair with her hair swept to one side, showing off her bare shoulders in a creamy white sundress. Her legs were crossed and a pair of strappy sandals encased her delicate feet. Dustin leaned back against Marley’s desk, his arms folded over his expensive charcoal gray suit. His blue eyes twinkled when he looked up and found Marley in the doorway.
“Good morning, Marley. We were just talking about you.”
Marley’s mouth tightened and her eye started to twitch. “Dustin. Sonora. I hope you were saying good things.”
Sonora fluttered her lashes at Dustin. “I was just telling Dustin how you’ve managed to pull so much together in a short amount of time.”
Marley doubted it, unless Sonora had told him out of disbelief. “It’s my job. Now, Dustin, is there something I can help you with? Because if not, I believe Sonora and I have a meeting.”
“Of course.” Dustin stood up, nodding at both of them. “Ladies, enjoy your day.”
Once he was out the door, Marley sat down across from Sonora, who appeared irritated.
“Did I interrupt something?” Marley asked.
Sonora’s face flushed even as she sniffed. “Don’t be stupid. I am happily engaged.”
Marley sat down in her office chair and spread her hands out. “Then what have I done to piss you off so early?”
Sonora straightened, and pinned Marley with a critical gaze. “I wanted to be sure whatever is going on between you and Brent’s Neanderthal best man has been squashed.”
Marley fought back the urge to tell her to eff off and it was none of her business, but unfortunately, it was. “Yes, of course. To be honest, it wasn’t anything really to begin with.”
Sonora cocked her head to the side, but Marley wasn’t buying the fake concern bit. “Good. I was afraid you might be upset.”
“Upset about what?” Marley asked.
“Oh, there was a bank robbery this morning and Luke’s team went to…what do they say? Neutralize it?”
Marley’s heart started pounding erratically.
“Anyway,” Sonora continued, “I guess he was shot.”
Oh my God. Oh my God. Her stomach bottomed out and she waited for Sonora to say more, but instead, she seemed to be studying her cuticles.
Finally, unable to stand it anymore, Marley snapped, “Are you just going to sit there or tell me whether or not Luke is okay?”
