Something clangs, and then Zach curses. “Fuck. Son of a bitch.”
“I don’t think my mother would appreciate you saying that about her.” She’d give him alookuntil he chose, totally by himself, to correct his behaviour.
Zach scrambles out from under the bird like a crab. “Lake, what is going on? Is something wrong? Did Grady do something?” The last question comes out as more of a growl.
Grabbing his hand, I help haul him up. “Not technically?” That’s the truth as I’m aware of it at this stage. Grady hasn’tdoneanything. I could be seeing shadows where there are none. I’d just rather be sure instead of having it sitting in the back of my mind.
“What does that mean?” Zach narrows his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the side of the bird. “Do I need to hurt someone?”
“What? No!” Even if he wanted to… “He’s pretty big; are you sure you want to do that?”
“I’m aware how big he is.”
“You’d still fight him for me?”
Zach rolls his eyes. “I’m kind of hoping I won’t have to, but yes, Lake, I would. You’re my best friend, and I have a better chance of getting a hit in than Avery, despite him being a little hellcat.”
“I guess it’s a good thing that you do not have to fight him, then. I’m not surehe’sthe problem.”
“I need a translator when I’m talking to you.” He strokes his jaw contemplatively. “Didyoudo something in the last few days?”
“I don’t think so but maybe? I asked him if he still wanted to get married, and he said yes, and I don’t think he’s lying to me exactly, but there’s a disconnect somewhere.”
Zach sighs and crouches down beside his toolbox, fiddling through it. There are a bunch of wires beside it that I vaguely recognise, though if I got tested on them right now, I’d be hard-pressed to remember.
“Okay, let’s go back over your schedule for the last few days.”
“How will that help?”
“Lake.”
“My mum and I, along with a teenage kid named Mini-Riley, went shopping for flowers because Grady had a dead body to look at, and then Mini-Riley stayed the night, and I took him home and stopped off at this donut place that makes the best strawberry donuts, and for a second breakfast, I ate them off Grady’s—”
“Lake,” Zach interrupts. “The short version. And thanks, I will never be able to eat a strawberry donut ever again.”
“You’re welcome. Grady had to work Saturday, so he couldn’t go with me to see Sadie for coffee. Uh, after that—”
Zach holds up a hand. “Sadie?”
“Yeah, and then—”
“Yourex,Sadie?”
“We’ve already established it was Sadie. So what?” That was the least interesting part of my week. Did he forget about the donut part? The strawberry glaze on Grady’s hard dick will be part of my highlight reel forever. Best second breakfast ever. Bestfirstbreakfast. Next time I should have it first.
“Why?” Zach asks, looking at me like I’m the dumbest person in the world. That seems unfair; I’m sure I’m a little higher up than that.
“Because we were friends, and I haven’t seen her for ages, so we were catching up?”
“You were never friends with her.”
“I think youhaveto be friends with a person to date them.” Why would I date someone if I didn’t like them? That seems counterproductive. And pointless.
“Is she back on holiday or something?” Zach asks, frowning. “Why is she contacting you now?”
He makes it sound way more sinister than it is. “We ran into her the other day. She moved back and is getting married soon. Small world, right?”
The news doesn’t seem to make Zach any happier. “You don’t see a problem at all, do you?”
