To your satisfaction?I sound like a jackass.
MacKenzie: Yes. Thank you.
I hate that. If she says thank you like that one more time, I’m going to implode.
Me: What are you doing tonight?
Mackenzie: I’m out.
Me: Out?
MacKenzie: Yes.
Me: With who?
Who the hell is she out with? Probably Lauren.
MacKenzie: A friend.
A friend?
Me: Lauren?
MacKenzie: No. Look, I need to get back to him. It’s rude to text when I’m with someone. Thanks again for the door. Send me the bill. I’ll arrange payments or something. Have a good week.
Him?Rude? Thanks again? Have a goodweek? Arrange payments? What the ever-loving hell? She’s not supposed to be out with another guy. I’m her guy. I’m herman.
Me: Where are you?
Nothing.
Me: MacKenzie? Where are you right now? Are you safe?
Nothing. Fuck. I’m just as Gill said—a tool and an idiot.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
SERVES HIM RIGHT
I’m notout with anyone. I’m at home working on a bracelet. It’s Friday night, and Gill has been gone less than an hour. If he had talked to Gill, Sam would have realized I was fibbing, but whatever—it serves him right. It appeared from his texts that he’s not happy about my “date.” I smile. It’s the first real smile I’ve flashed in the past six days. Oh, yeah, it serves him right if he’s unhappy.
I wakeup early Saturday morning feeling refreshed. The sun is shining through my tiny windows, and I hope the sunshine means that snow and slush are soon to be a thing of the past. I’m ready for spring. I know it’s only mid-February and, sadly, the groundhog saw his shadow. An early spring may not be happening, but I’m going to hope the critter was wrong. I make coffee and am preparing to work on a necklace when my phone rings. I look at the display and see Sam’s name. He’s calling me at six in the morning?
“Hello?”
There’s silence on the line, and then I finally hear a breath. “MacKenzie? It’s Sam. Sam Stone.”
“Uh, yeah. I recognized your name on my caller ID.”
He ignores my snipe. “Am I interrupting anything?”
In other words, he wants to know if I brought my date home.
“No. Just getting ready to work on a new piece. Coffee is brewing. You know, the usual—for six o’clock in the morning.”
“Sure. Sure. That’s good.” He apparently didn’t catch that snide remark, either. He continues, “Um, look, I was wondering if you’d have dinner with me tonight.”
“Oh, Sam, I?—”
