They weren't.
And the way it looked, neither was Arden, even if I'd been thinking just the opposite.
But I had to face facts. Chase was right, even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear.
With a scoff, I considered how Arden had been acting until just recently. And Ididmean acting.
Nuts or not, she'd put on one hell of a show.When I considered all of the hours she'd spent looking at floor plans, paint samples, kitchen layouts, and shit-knows-what-else, I wanted to kick myself for not seeing through the act.
Good thing she couldn't keep it up.
If she'd been just a little more patient, I would've given her more than the house – and counted myself a lucky guy.
I wasn't feeling so luckynow.
In the kitchen, Chase said, "Aw come on. Girls are like busses, right?"
I was only half listening. "What?"
"Another one will roll up any minute." He glanced toward my condo's main door. "Hey, you want the rest of mine?"
I wasn't following. "Your what?"
"My date."
I gave him a look. "No."
"You sure?" He grinned. "She's hot and ready."
Chase and I never shared.I saw his twisted offer for what it was, an attempt to distract me from my own sorry mood.
I loved him for it, but that didn't mean it was working. The way I felt now, it would take more than a crude joke to make me laugh.
When my only reply was a tight smile, he added, "If you act now, I'll throw in a muzzle."
I didn't get it. "A muzzle?"
"Or ear-plugs," he said. "Like I said, she's a real yapper."
It was typical Chase.
He was full of shit, and we both knew it. I replied, "I'll pass, thanks."
"Eh, smart move," he said. "Get this. I'm supposed to be picking up breakfast."
I glanced toward the kitchen cupboard behind him. "I think there's cereal on the top shelf."
"Not anymore," he said. "I ate that on Wednesday."
I didn't get it.Chase had a shopping service, a maid, and plenty of women dying to cook for him.But what was he doing?Eating my cereal and drinking my juice.
But hey, to each his own.
It's not like I missed whatever he was taking. I had plenty of money and a shopping service of my own. I'd only been stopping by the condo a few times a week anyway – mostly to swap out clothes and pick up the mail.
And besides, it wasn't juice I wanted now. It was something with a lot more kick.
I was still mulling that over when Chase's phone chirped in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the display. As he did, the blood drained from his face. "Shit."
