A minute later, they were still talking, and I was still standing there like a dumb-ass, baby-sitting Chloe's dog. How the hell had it come to this?
I glanced down at Chucky. He'd given up on the power-walkers and was now lying across my tennis shoes, staring up at the clouds. Talk about a contradiction. The dog was cute, and my life was fucked.
When I looked up again, the douchebag was handing Chloe that big envelope. She took it and peered inside, sneaking a nervous glance in my direction. The way it looked, she wasn't happy I was watching.
Too fucking bad.
She reached into the envelope and pulled out its contents. I froze. It was cash. A big wad of it. She rifled through it, as if counting the bills. When she finished, she looked up and gave the guy a big, friendly smile.
Just what the hell was the money for?
I had some ideas, but none I wanted to think about. What the hell was I doing here? What the hell wasshedoing there? I took a good, long look at the house – a house that was way too pricey for a waitress in her twenties. I took a good, long look at Chloe – a girl with the perfect mix of sweetness and sex.
I took a good, long look at her dog, still flopped across my shoes. Was he just a prop for whatever was going on here?
No. She loved the dog. That much was obvious. But did she love me? And even if she did, what did that mean? I knew she had secrets, but somehow, I'd convinced myself they were simple things, like an embarrassing parent or some weird food allergy.
Hell, I was hiding something like that myself.
On her porch, she was still talking to the douchebag. As I watched, she rolled up the cash and stuffed it into the front pocket of her jeans.
Well, at least she didn't stuff it into her bra.
This time.
She was still smiling when she handed the guy back his envelope, now empty. He pulled out a shiny gold pen and handed it to her. She signed some slip of paper and handed it back.
And then, Chloe laughed. As I watched, she turned and pointed straight at me. For some reason, I didn't like it. I looked at the douchebag. The way it looked, he wasn't liking it either.
Why? Because I was still standing here?
What a dumb-ass. Didn't the guy know? He was lucky I was standing in the same spot, because I'm pretty sure that if I took one single step, I wouldn't stop until I was on Chloe's front porch, beating his sleazy ass until he stopped moving.
Finally, the guy turned and hurried back to his car. As I watched, he got inside, backed out of the long driveway, and drove off at probably double the speed limit. From my spot on the sidewalk, I turned and watched him until he disappeared from sight. On his car, I saw no license plate.
How convenient.
A moment later, Chloe was back, looking happy and a lot more relaxed than before.
Well, that made one of us.
She gave me a smile. "Sorry about that."
I didn't smile back. I turned and gave her house a good, long look. What exactly was the house for? Business? Or pleasure? Or a sick combination of both?
Chloe's voice broke into my thoughts. "Ready to finish our walk?"
Fuck that. I was ready forsomething, alright. For starters, I'd be getting some answers. I turned to face her. "First, tell me something. What's the money for?"
Chapter 42
She stared up at me, like she didn't understand the question. When I said nothing else, she looked down at Chucky, who was still flopped over my feet, looking ready for a nap.
After a long moment, Chloe lifted her chin and said, "I don't really like the tone of your question."
Fine by me. I had plenty more where that came from. "Alright," I said. "Then how about this one? Who do you live with?"
She shook her head. "What?"
