“I did, but…he didn’t say anything to me about it.”
“So then how…”
“Process of elimination,” she tells me. “You weren’t in here. There’s no way you would have gone into Lolo or Van’s rooms, and I looked at every surface in this house. The only room I didn’t go in was Ash’s.”
“Oh.”
“And I also checked the garages and the cars,” she clarifies, “because I believe in being thorough.”
“What if I had gone out for a late-night walk on the beach and something happened to me, huh?” I demand, although I’m not exactly sure why. “I could have gone outside and been abducted!”
“Liv, come on. Be serious. You wouldn’t go outside alone. That’s not who you are. Besides, all of your things are exactly where you left them when we came up to bed. Except your laptop. Plus, when Ash came down the stairs, he shut his door like he was trying to be extra quiet. It all just added up.”
“Okay, fine. I slept in Ash’s room. It wasn’t planned. We both ended up in the kitchen at the same time. When I couldn’t get Gunnar to move, I decided to leave the room for a while and went downstairs to try to write.”
“But you didn’t write, did you, you little minx!”
“For the love of it, Rox, stop that! That’s not how it was!”
“Oh, please! Just yesterday you admitted in this very room that you were attracted to him; I just didn’t expect you to move so fast!”
“Does anyone else know?” I ask wearily, because the answer is going to determine how the rest of this conversation goes.
“No. I told everyone you were sleeping late because the dogs kept you up.”
“Oh, um…okay. Thanks. And did you talk to Ash at all?”
“I was having coffee out on the deck after watching a spectacular sunrise when he came down. Actually, it was a bit later than that. Sometime after eight. Anyway, he came outside and sat with me and started asking a lot of questions about the dogs and their sleeping habits. Do they all sleep on the bed? Do I think Gunnar would sleep in his room? Are they okay sleeping in new places?” She shook her head. “Ash is a great guy, but he clearly had an agenda and considering where I found Gunnar this morning, I knew he was the reason you weren’t there. But I think it’s adorable how you ended up in Ash’s bed.”
“It was a last resort,” I murmur. “I had just planned on sleeping on the sectional in the den.”
“So…wait. Nothing sexy happened?”
I could be honest, but then I’m right back here sharing a bed with a dog tonight while wearing earplugs.
“I…uh…”
Roxie holds up her hand to stop me. “You know what? That’s me just being a little too nosy. Sorry. You haven’t even talked to Ash about last night, so that’s something that needs to happen first.” She puts Mosy down and scrambles off the bed before coming over to hug me. “For what it’s worth, he’s a great guy. Plus, what a great way to enhance your vacation, right?”
I’m sure I look horrified, because that’s how I feel.
“Relax, Liv! Even though I hate all males, I seriously miss sex. I’m a very open-minded and liberated woman who doesn’t mind…you know…taking care of business on my own, but you have a sexy and genuinely decent guy who is definitely into you! Take advantage of that!”
“You’re kind of making it sound icky. And wrong. I don’t want to take advantage of Ash. Especially because he’s a nice guy.”
“You obviously got over the ick, and we’re too old to keep using that word, so stop it. I’m just saying, maybe there’s a reason the two of you were on that plane together and then the funeral and now here. Think about it.” She hugs me again. “We were all thinking of just doing sandwiches for lunch and then going out for Mexican for dinner. What do you think?”
As if on cue, my stomach growls loudly. “I think I’m starving and down with anything.”
“Well, why don’t you shower or do whatever you need to do and then come down and join us?”
“Okay.” Roxie’s almost to the door when I stop her. “I’m not sure if I’m ready to say anything to Van or Loren about last night.”
She makes a zipping motion over her lips. “They won’t hear it from me.”
“Thanks, Rox.”
“See you downstairs!”
