“Ha. Rich and funny.” Coming to a stop at the front door, I peeked out the side window. “Where are you?”

Why couldn’t my present be early?

“People who are on time suck.” I was excited so that meant he should be there early. “What if he always makes me wait and be polite? That would suck too.”

I was just starting to get used to getting whatever I wanted, so it would be like going backward in evolution. “Nope. Not doing that.”

“Dance with me.” The arms that wrapped around me were strong and just tight enough to make my heart skip a beat. “I saw you watching me.”

Was it the young guy who’d been so confident?

The tall guy leaning against the wall?

The club was so dark that even when the strobe lights flashed it didn’t help me to figure out who was behind me or who I’d been staring at to begin with. I’d gone with vibes over logic, so either of them felt like a good option.

Will trade clean toilets for dirty books.

Well, as far as want ad titles went it was iffy, but I’d thought it’d gotten my point across pretty well when I’d been knee-deep in midnight margaritas. But sober me was starting to question that as I sorted through the responses I’d gotten to the possibly confusing ad.

At least everyone understood I was trading books and not sex.

Everything changed when she left us.

Dad always said that she was taken from us, maybe that was a better way to look at it, but I could never see it that way. She was always so strong and such a fighter, how could anyone have taken her from us? Dad just shrugged and said cancer didn’t always care how hard you fought or how tough you were.

Cancer sucked.

“I don’t like soup.” I sounded like a little complaining that I didn’t want all my food mixed up in broth…but I didn’t want all my food mixed up in broth.

“That’s good to know?” Dante frowned at the takeout container I was holding like he was expecting it to jump out of my hands. “I know that’s probably related to something I should understand, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He really needed to pay more attention to everything else not related to Professor Winslow, his new little and partner.

“Did you need to work tonight?” Micha’s words were casual but there was a hint of don’t bullshit me in his tone.

Fuck.

“Um, no.” Clearly, pretending to have to work late on nights it was supposed to be my turn to pick hadn’t been as subtle as I’d hoped. “I’m done for the weekend.”