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“To a better week.” Royce clicked his can against hers.
She couldn’t have said it better. Just seeing him had erased the misery of the past few days. “To a better week.”
They sipped their beer and attacked their hamburgers. Her mother would have been pleased to see her suddenly ravenous.
“Still upset with me?”
“No, Royce. I could never hold a grudge against you. I was a nervous wreck for two days, and then I tried to calm down, but then—”
“Please don’t hate me. I’m sorry about what happened.” He caught her hand between his. “I promised myself I’d never do anything that could jeopardize your safety or wellbeing. You have to believe me.”
“I know Royce. I was enjoying our time together as much as you did. It’s my bad luck that we were caught.”
“Not caught. Just interrupted. Our unwelcome visitors turned out to be real gentlemen. No report or gossip on their part. I paid them a visit last Sunday to make sure all was well, and remembered I forgot the sleeping bag in the basement and should retrieve it.”
Her eyes opened wide and her throat constricted. “Oh my God, don’t tell me it’s…still there,” she groaned.
“Still in the basement, on the carpet, at the foot of the sofa.”
Shit, with her pantyhose still hidden in its folds.
Too nervous to comment, she tightened her fingers on her knife and it clanged on the plate.
“Easy. No need to panic. I’ll go get it tonight.” He removed the knife from her hand and set it aside.
Her pulse suddenly erratic, she bit her lip. “What will you do with it?”
He shrugged. “The easiest thing is to fold it and stow in the basement storage room, in case anyone needs it later.”
Throwing her two hands, she squeezed his wrists. “No way. Don’t do that.”
His eyes rounded. “Why not? Where else will I put it? I don’t have enough space in my condo.”
“I’ll take it. I’ll… I’ll keep it.”
“What for?” He grinned. “You plan to use it again?”
“Of course not.” Her lips pinched, but she couldn’t get herself to tell him she’d forgotten her special pantyhose there. “I’ll come with you.”
He tilted his head, staring at her. “You want to come with me to the house tonight?”
She nodded. “We’ll be there for a few minutes, right? Just in and out to retrieve the damned things?”
“What things? It’s just the sleeping bag.”
“Right. Exactly. Just the sleeping bag,” she uttered.
And my damned panty hose.
She couldn’t let anyone find it.
“All right.” Royce’s huge grin attested to his good mood. “To be on the safe side, I’ll call our friends Cortez and Grant and notify them that we’ll be there for a few minutes. They should reassure the old neighbor in case he sees lights again.”
A sigh of relief escaped her.
“Any dessert?”
“Can I have ice cream, then coffee?”
