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Somebody knocked on the door, and I thought,Damn it, Colin,and went to see what he wanted, but when I opened the door, it was Cash.
He stood there, looking cocky and gorgeous, sure I’d be glad to see him, and I wondered for a moment if he had any idea I didn’t like him. But before I could say, “Not now, Cash, I’m having a moment here,” he held up a bag and said, “Lunch from the Red Box,” and let’s face it, a salad does not hold me, so I let him in.
He was smart for once and didn’t ask me for anything while we were eating, sitting on those couches by the door. He wasn’t getting near that bed. Yes, I was naked under my robe, but it pretty much covered me from neck to calves, and it was thick terry cloth, and there wasn’t anything on me that Cash hadn’t already seen, so I didn’t see that as particularly seductive. Although with men, you never know. But he was smart again and kept the conversation to the factory, everything they were finding there, and I had to admit, I was interested. He was surprisingly animated, more so than I’d ever seen.
“Together we can make a success of this, Lizzie,” he said, when I’d talked about low-income apartments and a community center and thrown the last of the Red Box wrapping papers away. “You have to admit, we were always good together.”
“No, we weren’t.” He’d just lost all the goodwill he’d earned by feeding me and listening to me make plans for his factory. “If your offer to pay me to write about the factory is contingent on seeing me naked, I decline. Vince has exclusive rights these days.”
“Vince,” he said, looking irritated.
“Yes,Vince,” I said. “Serious-looking cop, drives around in Darth Vader’s truck, would really like it if you resisted arrest. Vince.”
“I thought you’d moved out of the diner.”
“I moved here for the moment. This is temporary. I didn’t move out of the diner, my bags are still there, and I sure as hell didn’t move out of Vince.” I frowned at him. “Is that why you’re here making me offers? Because I am one hundred percent for Vince Cooper. Accepting no substitutes. Also, how did you find out I was here so fast? Are you stalking me?”
“No,” he said, recovering fast. “No, of course not. I saw your car outside. I want you to write the history regardless. I was just hoping—”
“No,” I said as firmly as possible. “No hoping. No hope at all. You are hope-less. I am Vince’s girl tonight and every night.”
He held up both hands. “Okay. But if you change your mind—”
“Will not happen.” I stood up and reached for the door. “Wonderful seeing you again. Don’t come back, please. This is where I come to get away from people.” I opened the door.
“Liz?” Vince said, and I realized he’d just been about to knock. He stood in the doorway, looking dirty and sweaty and very manly and then he saw Cash. “What the hell?”
“He was just leaving,” I said, “and don’t you even think for a moment that I’d cheat on you. You know me better than that.”
“I know,” he said, “but what is he doing in here with you in a bathrobe?”
“I’m naked underneath, too,” I said. “Go ahead and jump to a conclusion and we’ll have a Big Misunderstanding and then we won’t see each other for a week until you come to your senses and apologize.”
“Why is he here?” Vince asked, but he sounded tired, not angry.
“He was just leaving,” I said and turned back to Cash. “Good-bye. I wasn’t kidding about not coming back here. I am here to be alone.”
Cash pointed to Vince. “So he’s leaving, too?”
“No,” I said patiently. “He has an all-access pass. Go away now so I can talk him off the ledge you just built for him.”
Cash gave up and headed for the door, slowing as he passed Vince. They glared at each other, although Vince was lacking his usual extra oomph of threat. He didn’t move much out of the way and Cash had to brush by him to get out the door. Manly stuff.
“You’re kidding me,” I said to both of them. “I do not find this flattering, I find it annoying. Knock it off.” I grabbed Vince and pulled him into the room and shut the door in Cash’s face and locked it. “To bring you up to speed, I’m staying here for a couple of days, and Cash just suggested that I should write the history of the factory, and I’m thinking of doing it.”
“Why are you staying here?” he asked.
“Look at this place.”
He looked past me then for the first time and his eyebrows went up. “Okay. And?”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on, Vince. This is what happens when Anemone goes all out. Wait’ll you see the bathtub.”
He looked back at me. “Is that why you’re in a robe?”
“Yes.”
“You really are naked under there?”
