“Fine.” I continue to my desk with her hot on my heels.
“You left kind of… suddenly.”
I blink at her. Oh, she’s onto something, alright.
“Do anything…interestingafter you left?”
My hackles prick, but I remain stoic, choosing not to look directly at her lest she see straight through me. “I went home and took Toast Malone to the park for a shit.”
“Gross,” Millie says under her breath.
I laugh, taking a seat at my desk, fully aware of Millie hovering like she has something she wants to say. And if she wants to say something, she can. I’m not intentionally hiding anything. But until she grows a pair and actually says it, I will continue to play dumb.
Checking my emails, I note that Brookes will be in later today because he has an interview this morning. And thank God, because I really don’t feel like dealing with him first thing this today.
“What are you doing tonight?” Millie asks.
“I don’t know,” I say instead of the truth, which is that tonight, I am going on an actual date with Happy Slater.
“Dallas and Em are having dinner at their place,” Millie says, one of her eyes narrowing almost dubiously. “You should come.”
“Maybe…”
We stare at each other for a long moment. It’s like an impromptu game of loser blinks first. But before anyone can blink, or laugh, or whatever the rules are, our stare-off is interrupted by Patrick’s uncharacteristic profanity ringing through the office.
“Fuck’s sake!”
Millie and I trade a concerned look, and I push up from my chair, hurrying up the stairs and tentatively walking through his open door, looking around for what, I don’t know.
“Is everything okay?”
Patrick looks up from his phone. “Fucking Brookes Devereaux.”
I stifle a groan. “What now?”
“That asshole isn’t coming in today.” Patrick practically shouts at his phone. “Says he’ssick.”
“Sick?” I guffaw, shaking my head. And I don’t even know why I’m surprised. “But he’s supposed to be uptown. At an interview withHole in Onemagazine.”
“Apparently not.” Patrick shakes his head, heaving a sigh. Looking up at me, his frown softens, and somehow, I already know what he’s about to ask me without him even having to open his mouth.
“Are you serious?” I deadpan. “Where’s his manager?”
“Cam had to go back to Florida,” Patrick huffs.
I groan knowing there’s no way out of this. “Fine, but you owe me. You know that, right?”
“I know, I know,” Patrick murmurs under his breath.
With another groan, I walk out of Patrick’s office and back down to my desk to collect my laptop and my purse.
Millie looks up from her computer, her eyebrows knitting together. “Where are you going?”
“To commit a felony,” I mutter through gritted teeth as I walk toward the elevators. “Send bail!” I shout over my shoulder.
CHAPTER 18
HAPPY
