AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kane lifted the cup to his lips. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to beat me.”
“Pretty sure I did. My hand touched the cup first.”
“Nonsense. If anything, it was a tie.” He advanced toward the table, seemingly in an effort to beat me there too.
I carried my cup past the table as he sat in the chair I had occupied.
“Miss Clay, where are you going?” Kane demanded.
“I need to research the monster.”
“It’s a giant thingamajig with a funny nose that makes people sleepy. What more do you need to know?”
I cast a look at him over my shoulder. “How to kill it.”
I made it halfway to my truck when I spotted Officer Leo issuing a ticket to an illegally parked Audi.
“Hey, Officer Leo,” I said, hustling over to him. “Just the guy I wanted to see.”
He shook his head. “I swear Audi drivers are the kings of douches. Their entitlement issues make them think they can park wherever they want without consequences.” He secured the ticket beneath the windshield wiper.
“I was hoping to talk to you about that dream you had the other night.”
He looked momentarily uneasy. “Excuse me?”
“The one about the giant anteater.”
Relief passed over his features. “Oh, right. I was worried there for a second.”
I didn’t want to open that particular can of worms. “Do you recall any details about the anteater? Did it try to suck up things in the dream like a vacuum?”
He scratched the top of his head. “What makes you ask that?”
“Because I had a dream about one, too,” I admitted. “I think you must’ve influenced me.”
He offered a crooked smile. “I’m influencing your dreams, huh? Not too many women would admit that.”
“It was hardly a pleasant dream, and you weren’t in it.”
“Too bad.” He paused. “Not that I’d want to get sucked up by a giant anteater.”
“I think mine was actually more of a tapir, or maybe a baku.” I watched his expression closely for any flicker of recognition.
His eyebrows drew together. “I haven’t heard of either of those.”
“Oh, I was a big animal kingdom fan as a kid. My grandfather taught me about different species from all over the world.”
Officer Leo’s smile broadened. “I love the zoo. We should go sometime.”
“I’m not a fan of zoos. Sorry.” The concept of keeping animals in cages for our amusement had always bothered me, even as a child. I think part of me worried that if people found out about me, they’d want to stick me in a cage too.
His face crumpled. “That’s cool. I get it.” He gestured to the parked cars. “It was great to talk to you, but I need to get moving. These tickets aren’t going to write themselves.”
I spotted Kane’s car a few yards away; the Rolls-Royce Ghost was hard to miss, despite its name. “I think that one might be over the yellow line. You might want to take a look.”
“Thanks.”
I whistled happily as I headed toward my next destination.
