“Then why are you bothering me? I’m trying to get some work done after you carjacked me.”
He paused. “I did no such thing. If anything,youkidnappedme.”
“It’s impossible to kidnap someone who waits for you like a stalker, then climbs in your car and refuses to leave you alone until you agree to dinner.”
“Huh,” he said, pausing again. “When you put it that way, it does sound odd.”
“Odd is a word for it,” I mumbled. Maybe Edith was right. Maybe he was lonely. “I’ll call it relentless pursuit of a grossly unqualified person.”
“That’s quite an assessment. I didn’t expect someone like you to have self-esteem issues.”
I smirked. “I’m a realist, Hughes. People like you don’t hang out with public servants. You have a built-in group of friends with padded bank accounts.”
He huffed. “Are you saying you choose your friends based on their income?”
“Do you have friends who don’t have seven-figure bank accounts?”
Silence again, but I waited him out, making my point.
“See my point?”
“No. I do, in fact, have a friend without an income stipulation. You. But also like you, true friends outside of hockey are not something I have a lot of. Decker is the only one here that I know personally.”
The side of my mouth inched up. “He’s a good guy.”
“He is. His wife and kids are great. She used to try to feed me when we played in Germany.”
“Huh. That sounds like something you’d do. Case in point, the bag of burgers.”
“Whatever.”
“Thank you, by the way. I appreciate it.”
“Well, you took me someplace that failed to meet my daily spending criteria. You left me no choice. My accountant bitches about not having enough expenses to write off my taxes.” He was such a liar, but I let him live in his delusion.
“Really? You’ve been here ten days, and you’re already worried about your taxes? Are you some mogul or something, Hughes?”
“Something like that.”
He didn’t elaborate, so I went on. “So…” I extended the word. “Why did you call?”
“I need to know what time the driver should pick you up in the morning?”
I frowned. Fun Axel had been replaced by boss Axel. “What are you talking about? I don’t need a driver. I have a car. You rode in it, remember? Or did you block my sweet ride out of your mind?”
“That would be impossible. I’m well aware of yourride,as you call it. What time?”
I ran a hand over my face. “Axel, are you listening? I don’t need a driver.”
“Lu-ca,” he drew out. “This is part of those temporary changes I told you about. Please just humor me. I have reason. So, what time?”
“I have to drive my car. It’s part of my job to be available for my clients should they need me. Therefore, it needs to bewith mein the parking lot.”
“That’s not a problem. He’ll wait.”
“All day?” I squeaked. It was unattractive. “Are you fucking insane? I’m going to hang up on you again. In fact, I’ll text you the names of some mental health professionals who can help you address your issues. You should start soon.”
“No. Donothang up.” He was breathing more heavily. “Please.” It sounded like the word left a bitter taste behind. “You promised.”
