Oliver: Right as rain.
Me: Liar.
Oliver: I’m fine. Shit’ll work out.
Me: I wish I had the faith you do in that.
Oliver: The bad guy can’t always win.
I grunt as I read his response. I’ve seen the bad guy win plenty of times in real life. In movies, the good guy always comes out on top, but that is a fantasy world.
Me: I hope you’re right.
I glance over as Zoey shifts on the couch, and I realize she needs a blanket. My place has way too many drafts to sleep without something over you, even when the heat is on. It’s the price I pay for the expansive view of the city with the floor-to-ceiling windows.
I grab a blanket from the chair across from her and cover her, pulling the material up to her chin. “Sweet dreams, sissy,” I whisper as I stare down at her, knowing I’d burn the world down for her too.
Oliver: I’m heading out on a call. Catch ya later, sweetheart.
Me: I’m going to bed. Night, Oli.
Oliver: Night, beautiful.
I smile as I stare at the screen, thinking about sending him a kiss emoji back as a response. But I stop myself and send a heart instead.
Whatever this is…whatever we are becoming, I am along for the ride.
12
OLIVER
“How does this all work?”I ask from the passenger seat of Lulu’s new ride.
“They contact me on my website or social media to schedule an initial visit where I give them an estimate for the job.”
I stare at Lulu’s profile. “They’re strangers?”
She glances at me for a second with her eyebrows furrowed. “Well, yeah.”
“You don’t know them at all?”
“That’s what stranger means,” she says as her eyes scan the highway ahead of us.
She called me this morning, asking if I wanted to take a drive up north with her to meet with a new client. I didn’t have a damn thing planned and figured I’d rather spend the day in the car with her than sitting at home by myself. I’m not sure how muchlonger I’ll have my freedom, and I don’t want to waste a minute of it, especially when it comes to Lulu.
“I thought your business was word of mouth. Like people who know people you know.”
She shakes her head. “No. That would be really limiting.”
“But also much safer,” I say to her, trying to keep the bite out of my voice.
“You worry too much.”
“You worry too little.” I scrub a hand down my face, wondering how she thought any of this was a good idea. “There are bad people out there, Lulu. Mark is proof of that.”
“Not everyone is a Mark, Oliver.”
“How do you know if they’re a bad person or not before you take the appointment?”
