“Of course,” I said as I loaded the glasses.
She quickly rinsed a handful of silverware and leaned over to place them in the washer. “Great. I’ll have Ruppie give you my number if you want to talk.”
“Thanks.” That was twice now she’d suggested that March could help withmy problem. Too bad that wasn’t true. My problem was unsolvable, at least by anybody at this end of the country.
I was sweating as I left the kitchen and gathered up my things. Karla was intense.
But when March appeared around the corner, I couldn’t control the smile that came to my lips.One of the good guys.
Zane
After breakfast,while Mom interrogated Peyton, I gave Duke the rundown on the break-in at Peyton’s condo and called Winston to arrange our meeting to talk to Peyton’s neighbor, Frank.
While I waited for Peyton to get ready, I replayed the discussion over breakfast about Mom’s foot. My bullshit detector had gone off big time when Peyton said her roommate had the same condition as Mom.
I didn’t buy the roommate story for a second, and her medical knowledge was an interesting glimpse into the background Peyton refused to share. Was she a podiatrist?
That would cast her situation in a whole new light. Nobody left a position like that and changed her name to become a personal assistant without a damned good reason, which meant a damned good fear.
When I turned the corner and saw her again, she bit her lip and smiled. For obvious reasons, when I focused on her lips, it took me right back to yesterday’s kiss. “How’d you sleep?” I hadn’t wanted to ask around Mom.
“Fine. You?”
I caught the wrinkle at the edge of her eye that could have meant subterfuge. “I had trouble falling asleep. Thoughts of a certain?—”
“Ah, Ruppie, there you are.” Mom appeared out of nowhere. “I was thinking…” What followed that sentence was rarely good. “You should invite Peyton to our Sunday lunch.”
Peyton’s eyes widened like a cornered cat.
“Angel,” I said. “You are officially invited to the March family meal on Sunday.”
“Uh, thank you,” she said tentatively. “But I’m not sure?—”
“I am,” Mom said with authority. “We’ll have time to get to know each other, and I can tell you a few of the embarrassing stories from Ruppie’s childhood that he wishes I forgot.”
Peyton laughed.
I grimaced and made a show of checking the time. “We need to get a move on.”
Mom got the hint. “All right then. You two run along. And, Peyton, it was a pleasure meeting you.”
“Same here. You have a son to be very proud of.”
I gave my mom a quick hug goodbye. “Don’t forget?— ”
“Don’t worry. I’ll lock up and turn on the dog.”
I hurried Peyton out the door.
She giggled as we reached the street. “Is your mom crazy? How do you turn on a dog?”
“I have motion sensors for when I leave. If anyone comes near the house, they trigger a recording of a big, angry dog barking. Burglars hear an alarm, and they think it’s okay to break in so long as they get out in a hurry. They hear a dog, and they think,no way am I going in there and getting eaten.”
Wow. That was pure common sense.
CHAPTER 14
Peyton
