“What am I getting ready for?” she called after him.
“Date night.”
“Hey, Nick?”
He stopped in the doorway. “Yeah?”
“I love you too.”
“I know,” he said with a wink.
* * *
Twenty-seven minutes later,Riley made her grand entrance in the re-rearranged parlor in a pair of sexy as hell shorts, a silky red tank top, and strappy sandals with heels. Her hair was pulled back in a low tail with a few wispy curls framing her face. She’d managed to scrape off the trowel-load of makeup and looked fresh-faced and only vaguely hungover.
Fred let out a wolf whistle. “Looking good, Riley!”
“You look like a lotus blossom,” Gabe announced from the floor where he was in minute nine of his plank.
Mrs. Penny looked up from the report of her “detainment” at the hospital. She had her feet on Gabe’s back and a laptop perched in her lap. “You bested me today, Thorn, but it won’t happen again.”
“Don’t mess with me, Penny,” Riley shot back with a wink.
Mr. Willicott strolled into the room and looked at Riley. “Who the hell are you?”
She sighed. “I get that a lot more than I should.”
“Who’s ready for liverwurst?” Lily sang from the hallway.
“Let’s go, Thorn,” Nick said, steering her toward the front door before the liverwurst fairy could demand they stay. “Penny, you’re in charge of Burt. Don’t let him eat any people food.”
She tossed him a jaunty salute. “You got it, boss.”
Nick dragged Riley out onto the porch and down the steps into the humid evening air.
“Where are we going?” she asked with another yawn.
“It’s a surprise.” He led the way to the Jeep and opened her door for her.
“Wow. This is serious date night treatment,” she observed.
“I’m pulling out all the stops tonight, so be prepared to be wowed,” he said, sliding behind the wheel. “By the way, check your phone.”
She pulled it out of her back pocket and frowned at the screen. “What am I looking for?”
He leaned over her and tapped on an app. “That.”
She looked up at him in surprise. “I get to stalk you too?”
“It’s only fair. Now we can both be creepy stalkers.”
“Are we sure this isn’t super unhealthy?” she mused. “I mean, I get the practical applications, but it feels a little wrong to track you wherever you go.”
“As long as we’re creepy and wrong together,” Nick said firmly. He wasn’t going to budge on this. It wasn’t a trust issue. It was a safety issue, and if he had to quid pro quo this shit to keep Riley safe, that’s what he was going to do.
“Okay. I’ll give creepy and wrong a shot. Now where are we going, and is food involved?”
Food was most definitely on the menu. Nick drove down an alley and slid into a parking space next to a dumpster.
