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I let out an exasperated sigh. “Fuck. How do you know?”
His eyes were crinkled with amusement. “Sidney may have mentioned something, but I have eyes.”
“It started in Vegas. Probably because you put the idea into my head,” I accused him half-heartedly.
“You’ve been together since Vegas?” He seemed surprised.
“It started with a friends-with-benefits kind of thing because she has a kinky side. I was feeding her fantasies. Who the fuck knows what she wants now?” I shrugged like it didn’t matter too much to me.
“Maybe you should ask her?”
“That was the plan, but I thought I’d hook her a bit more first. I’m not sure how well it’s working.”
His intense eyes bored into me. “You need to tell her how you feel. Tell her that you love her before she starts looking elsewhere for what she needs.”
I turned my back on the city and leaned back against the railing. “Did you know that she has her MBA from the University of Chicago? She graduated at the top of her class, too. Man, she’s super smart. She practically runs Castle Music right now. She’s smarter than the five of us combined. I’m just a dumb drummer.”
He frowned. “You went to college.”
“Community college doesn’t compare to the University of Chicago. It’s not even in the same ballpark.” I gazed at my feet, scuffing my shoe against the concrete.
“Why are you putting yourself down? She sees something in you that she likes.”
“I’m just the guy that fulfills her kinky side.” I thought about that guy on the pier who’d called her baby girl. “Do you know a guy named Liam Wright? I think he’s an ex-boyfriend.”
“I don’t know.” He tilted his head as if thinking hard. “She was with that Theo guy for a while. Never heard of a Liam.”
I jammed my hands into my pockets. “She’s back at my house right now babysitting Kody. I’m going to take off soon so I can spend some time with her.”
“I hear you, man. Just remember to be honest with her. Don’t let your fears get in the way of opening up and being vulnerable with her. If you can do that, then you have a real chance of making it work with her.”
Ghost clapped me on the back as he walked past me towards the door.
Chapter 30
Lacey
I was disappointed that Bash had to go downtown to meet his band and was more than a little curious as to what it was all about, but I didn’t mind watching Kody. The fact that Bash trusted me with his son brought a grin of happiness to my face. I enjoyed spending time with Kody and our deal meant that I’d be spending all day Sunday with them both.
It was cold and windy outside, so Kody and I played indoors. He took me to his playroom, where he showed me all of his favorite toys. We ended up playing cars and a game of catch until the pizza arrived.
While we ate our slices of cheese pizza, Kody helped me pick out flavors of cupcakes that I was getting delivered for dessert. I had to steer him away from ones that I didn’t think he’d enjoy, like the coffee cupcake which looked delicious in the photo. In the end, we ordered several each of double chocolate, chocolate and peanut butter, s’mores, and a black forest cupcake for me.
We played hide and seek while we waited for the cupcakes to be delivered. The rules were that there was no hiding upstairs, so it was pretty easy to spot Kody. Plus, he couldn’t keep quiet for too long.
It was close to 6:30 when the doorbell rang. Kody was hiding under the kitchen table, so I raised my voice so that he could hear me. “That must be our cupcakes! Come out of your hiding spot so we can eat.”
When I answered the door, a lean man in a blue baseball cap and a gray polo shirt with the words ‘Home Tight’ embroidered on it was standing on the porch. He was looking down at a clipboard and not carrying any food order bag that I could see.
“Can I help you?”
He looked up and smiled. “Hello, ma’am. I’m with Home Tight Security and we’re in the neighborhood installing a security system for one of your neighbors. Their home was recently broken into when they were away on vacation. And I can tell you that they were not the first people to be robbed in this area. Have you heard about the recent break-ins?”
“No.” I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Kody couldn’t hear any part of the conversation. I didn’t want him to get scared.
He clicked the pen open and closed a few times and then scribbled something quickly on his clipboard. “They were likely targeted because they didn’t have any deterrents to petty thieves like cameras or a home security system. As we’ve been in the neighborhood working, we’ve noticed several houses, like yours, that didn’t have security systems.”
I didn’t want to get into the fact that I didn’t live there, that I was just the babysitter. “Thank you for letting us know.” I began closing the door.
