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Derek: Ugh. Another year older.
Lee: Better than the alternative.
Derek: Morbid.
Lee: How about I bring you a cake tonight? A real one.
The incoming message dots appeared and disappeared a few times. A new personal low, inviting myself to a man’s house. Or was it bold? I had no fucking clue.
Hiding behind my cell phone’s keyboard, I could be silly and funny. I forgot all the reasons why being interested in Derek was a bad idea and instead could tell him to nap naked and indulge in cake. In cyberspace, I was more than a criminal cowering in the shadows.
Derek: I’ll make dinner. And I’m only having one slice of cake.
I read the text three times. A wide smile cemented itself into place on my lips. I probably looked goofier than Onyx.
Lee: 7pm.
I shoved the phone into my top desk drawer. Time to quit while I was ahead. I grabbed my purse and told Onyx to guard the store while I was gone.
There was a euphoric lightness in my step as I sailed from my office. I paused long enough to congratulate the young couple on the ring purchase and tell Sara I would be out for a few minutes. She absorbed my news with a head cock similar to Onyx’s when I confused him. It must have been my ridiculous smile. As a rule, I grinned or smirked, but a big stupid smile was rare. It didn’t fit the persona of Lee Vance, haute jewelry store owner.
Four stores down from Oleander was an exquisite French bakery. They had the perfect cake for Derek’s birthday. I would have to convince Josett, the owner, to personalize one on short notice for me. I’d bring a tray of croissants back to the store for my staff too. Everyone was celebrating today.
Especially me—I’d lost my mind!
Chapter 18
Derek
Ishookthelighterand tried again to light the candles on the dining room table. I’d bought the candelabra for staging two or three house flips ago. I never thought I would actually light the damn thing, but here I was hoping that the one Bic lighter I found in the junk drawer had enough juice left to do the job.
I set the table with a real tablecloth and bought flowers… for my own birthday. Who was I kidding? They were for Lee. This was a date. I ignored the tiny wave of guilt that I was making moves on Ray’s sister. I didn’t care. Lee and I were old enough to figure this out without his memory butting in.
Fulfilling my promise to Ray today looked a lot different now than it did twenty-some years ago. The closer I was to Lee, the better chance I had at getting her on the right side of the law. And less chance she would tell me to fuck off if and when I explained the truth about Ray’s death.
I glanced at the tracking app; Lee would be here any minute. She was on my street.
Instead of a knock at the door, there were a few loud barks. Onyx, I assumed. I cursed at the four lit and three unlit candles. Fuck it. I chucked the lighter on the buffet and went to get the door.
“Coming, Lee.”
I opened my front door to chaos in the form of a flurry of brightly colored balloons and Onyx. The dog spun, nipping any balloon he could reach and wrapping himself in their dangling streamers. A balloon popped, and Lee, in a panic, shoved a fancy bakery box into my chest without a word. I couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing. It was something out of a slapstick comedy.
“Onyx, no! Down.” Lee swatted at a happy birthday balloon. One of at least twenty that had tangled around her and the dog.
Onyx wasn’t listening. He and his mistress were under attack. And the helium-filled threats must be neutralized. He growled, twisting to reach another balloon that came within range of his jaws, popping it and two more.
Lee issued her commands again, in a voice so deep that I felt the urge to obey. But the dog barely registered it. I wasn’t sure how to help, so I did my best to keep myself and the cake safe from the fray.
Onyx was out of his mind, jumping and barking like a dog possessed. He lunged after a red balloon, and his claws snagged on the skirt of Lee’s pretty emerald-green silk dress. Her pain-filled curse jolted me into action.
“Enough! Down!” I bellowed.
Lee froze. Onyx froze. A single yellowIt’s your birthdayballoon floated past my face and bonked into the porch ceiling. Its tattered streamer trailed behind, swishing happily in the breeze.
Calmly, I passed the cake back to Lee and used the knife I carried on my belt to cut free enough balloons that Onyx wasn’t in fear for his life. I caught his collar and led him inside. He looked thankful to get away from the demonic floating things that had attacked him.
“Onyx, sit.” His ass hit the foyer floor at my command, and I closed him inside the house to decompress.
