Oh, boy. Where to begin?My stomach fluttered as I recalled his fingers working their special brand of magic – first on his pen, and then on me. My tone grew wistful as I tried to explain. "I couldn't help it. I mean, he was just so…"
I was still searching for the right word when Gwen appeared from who-knows-where and finished the sentence on my behalf. "Sexy." She gave me a faint smile. "You know, like a vampire."
I hadn't seen Gwen since she'd fled to her bedroom early this morning. Back then, shehadn'tbeen smiling. But she was smiling now.
Her smile turned apologetic as she said, "Thanks for the hot chocolate by the way. And the cookies. That was really nice."
The tightness in my shoulders eased. "So, did you drink it – the hot chocolate, I mean?"
She laughed. "Actually, the cats knocked it over, so unless I was gonna slurp it off the tray…"
"But I covered the tray." I glanced toward her bedroom. "Didn't I?"
"Yeah, well…they still got into it. You know how they are."
At this, I almost smiled.Yup, I sure I did.
The little stinkers.
By now, I'd been living at my aunt's place for weeks. I should've stopped to consider that the cats got into everything, especially interesting things left unattended on the floor.
Or on the tables.
Or on the fireplace mantle, come to think of it.
Cliché or not, they reallywerequite curious. Even now, all five kittens plus Miss Lucy had wandered in to watch us debate the whole Cole situation. They were gathered around us with expressions ranging from mild curiosity to open fascination, and I swear, if they didn't prefer feline-friendly tuna, they'd be munching on popcorn for sure.
As for Gwen, she was still smiling. "I got the note, though." Her voice softened. "Thanks." She moved closer. "And I'm sorry for flipping out on you."
Her words warmed my heart, and I couldn’t help but smile back. "I'm sorry, too, especially for the coat."
Gwen opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Harper who practically yelled, "Just stop it, alright?"
In unison, we turned to look – me, Gwen,andthe cats. But it was Gwen who asked, "Stop what?"
Through gritted teeth, Harper replied, "Stop changing the subject. We're talking about Lexie sleeping with that monster."
As I silently bristled, Gwen gave Harper an indulgent smile. "Oh come on. He's notthatbad."
"Wanna bet?" Harper said. "That stupid jerk has been bad-mouthing Lexie for months."
Gwen's smile faded. "What?"
"Yeah," Harper said. "He's been giving her a terrible reference.That'swhy she can't find a new job." Harper shot me an exasperated look. "And I told her so, too."
Gwen's daze darted from Harper to me and back again. "Really?"
"Really," Harper said. "And I would've toldyou, too, except you've been hiding out in your bedroom all day. And I swear, I heard barking in there."
I thought of the floppy-eared dog I'd seen just this morning. And then, I thought of Drake, the dog's owner.Had Drake paid Gwen a visit in her bedroom?If so, it must've gone extremely well, considering the change in her mood.
Gwen blinked several times before saying, "Barking?"
"Yes," Harper huffed. "Barking."
Gwen reached down and rubbed at her wrist. "Well…maybe I dreamed I was a dog or something."
"What are you saying?" Harper gave Gwen a hard look. "Thatyouwere the one barking?"
