Here is where I jump into a situation that I shouldn’t. My mouth leaps before the rest of me, guilt and more guilt racking my body because, really, all of this is my fault.
But before I can stop my stupid brain, I spit out, “You can stay at my place—if you want. You probably shouldn’t be by yourself in case ... you remember something.”
He looks over my shoulder, and emotions flash across his face. Worry. Uncertainty. Then he looks back at me and says, “Yeah, it’s probably best you keep an eye on me. I’m trusting you to keep me out of jail. Besides”—he touches his cheeks—“I’m really not crazy about this.”
“Your scruff?”
“Yeah. I’d like to shave it off. See what I look like underneath, because there’s no way I’m keeping this beautiful face from the world.”
It’s so surprising—he’sso surprising—that I laugh, a full-force, stomach-muscles-hurting kind of laugh. After a minute, I manage, “Yeah, you can’t starve the world of that beauty.”
“I know.”
Our gazes hold for several beats before I glance down, rubbing my arm. “I’ve got a pretty comfortable couch. If you can handle lace doilies and old-lady furniture.”
Stone grins again. “For some reason, I think lace doilies and old-lady furniture might be my favorite things on earth.”
“Except for Hercules.”
“Obviously. How can you eventhinkI’d leave him out of the equation?”
I chuckle and walk toward my car. “You can follow me over. I’m sure you’ll want to leave early in the morning to get here and get started.”
“Yeah. I need the names of the guys and their numbers. I also need a different phone, one I can make calls from.”
“We’ll pick it up on the way.”
“Fantastic.”
As we load up in our respective vehicles and are about to head out, Stone rolls down his window and motions for me to do the same.
“Everything okay?”
He drapes an arm over the steering wheel. “I just wanted to thank you. If you hadn’t been here this morning to help me, I don’t know what I would’ve done. I’m really grateful to you.”
I nod and grin tightly, pretending my stomach isn’t burning as if fire ants were biting me from the inside.
I wonder how grateful Stone will be when he discovers the truth.
Chapter 16
Coco
We’re still full from lunch by the time we reach my house, and I figure dinner will be nothing more than cereal. I put down newspapers for the lambicorn to potty on (fingers crossed it works) and tell Stone the couch pulls out into a bed.
We’re just about to yank that sucker out when the doorbell rings.
When I answer, a small army of old ladies, as well as Cristina, who’s holding a bottle of wine, is standing on my porch, which is no bigger than a postage stamp.
My stomach bottoms out because I’ve completely forgotten what night it is. “Hey, y’all. I’ve ... been expecting you.”
“Expecting who?” Stone comes over and peeks out the door. “Hey, ladies.”
“Why, hello, handsome,” Clarice says. “I didn’t know you’d be joining us for book club.”
Stone quirks a brow my way. “Book club?”
“Uh, yeah.” The wordsI forgot about itnearly leave my mouth, but that would insult the women who genuinely read the monthly assigned books and want to discuss.
