A nearby thud snapped me back to our surroundings.
We broke apart a split second before the door to the alley opened. A guy dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt wheeled in a keg on a dolly.
“Hey, Benny,” Bodie said, barely able to take his eyes off me.
I inched toward the other door. “I’ll see you later, Bodie.”
He looked like he wanted to say something to me, like he wanted to reach for my hand, but Benny started chatting with him, so I slipped out into the bar.
Gina blocked my path before I could turn for the front door. She sized me up as she leaned an elbow on the bar, chomping on a wad of gum. “So, are you, like, dating Bodie?” she asked, her hazel eyes lacking any warmth.
“We’re just friends,” I said, her hostile gaze setting me on edge. The memory of Bodie’s tongue sliding over mine prompted me to elaborate. “And neighbors.”
Okay, so maybe that didn’t sum up our relationship either.
Gina scrutinized me in silence for another three seconds before she seemed to dismiss me as potential competition. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
“You live in the building where that guy was killed?” she asked.
“You’ve heard about the murder?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Sure, a detective came by. Super hot. Wanted to know if Bodie was here when the victim was killed.”
“They’ve been checking the whereabouts of pretty much everyone in the building,” I said, feeling the need to defend Bodie in some small way.
She blew a bubble with her gum and popped it. “Makes sense.”
“Someone confirmed his alibi, right?” He’d told me as much, but I figured a prudent detective would double-check.
“The assistant manager, Alex. They were here together that morning. Then I came in at eleven. Bodie was here all day.”
“That’s good. I mean, that the police were able to confirm that.” I tried to rein myself in from the edge of babbling as I inched my way around Gina. “Anyway, I’d better run. Nice talking to you.”
I caught a glimpse of disinterest in her eyes before I scurried out the door.
Once on the street, I dashed off to the nearest subway station.
I was in desperate need of a chat with my bestie.
Chapter
Forty-Three
“It’s been a day,” I said to Jemma when I arrived at the salon where she worked.
“I know the feeling,” she sympathized as she led me through the busy salon and into the employee break room in the back.
We had the small room to ourselves. Jemma shut the door, giving us even more privacy.
“I love most of my clients,” she whispered, “but somehow I ended up with three of my most difficult ladies all in one day.”
“Which is why I brought you this.” I held out the plastic container I’d brought from home. I’d made a quick stop there on my way to visit my friend. “I thought you might need it.”
Jemma had texted moments after I’d left the bar, telling me that she was ready to explode, thanks to crabby, overly picky, and downright unpleasant clients.
She peeked into the container and then looked up with grateful eyes. “Aw, Em. Is this from Ethan’s cake?”
I’d told her about the cake on my brother’s birthday, after she’d sent me a text to make sure I was doing okay.
