wouldn’t be professional. It would be personal and it wouldn’t end there. If I thought for a second I could take what I wanted from Grayson Sloane and happily send him on his way, I would have thrown down with him at the first given opportunity. But something told me he wouldn’t take his walking papers with aplomb.
I smiled with a jauntiness I didn’t feel and pulled my arm out of his hand. “I think I’ll skip working with you, Sloane. I’m kind of a loner. How about I promise when I solve my case, I’ll let you know so you can close yours, too?”
I winked at him and walked out the door, got in my Jeep and took off. I drove to Dallas like the devil was following me.
Chapter Four
I walked across the tree-lined, stately campus of Southern Methodist University. I had unhappily parked about a flipping mile off campus because, unlike Liv, I didn’t have a magical parking pass and I really needed to avoid tickets. I couldn’t afford them. I hated to think about what my drinking binge had cost me last night. My local bar might be a shit hole, but they still charged for drinks.
I stopped and studied the map I’d picked up at the student center then took a quick left as my cell rang. I was prepared to ignore it as I had ignored all of the increasingly pissed-off texts from Liv. If she was escalating to actual calls, I might have to turn off the phone. I glanced down at the number and a cold chill went through me. I ran my thumb across the screen because this person would never accept that I didn’t answer. She would call and call and leave message after message.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Kelsey, this is your mother,” she said in a too-loud voice.
“I know, Mom. You don’t have to yell.”
“I need you to call me, Kelsey” She carefully enunciated each word. “I talked to your brother and I’m worried.”
“Mom, why should I call you? I’m talking to you now.” I was the one screaming because she always thought she was talking to a machine and this could seriously go on forever.
“Oh, it is you, dear.” My mom sounded delighted. “It’s so refreshing for you to answer. You know how bad I am with these new tech things.”
Yes, like cell phones, although my mother might have been talking about regular old telephones. It wasn’t that she was old. Her upbringing had been unusual, to say the least.
“I’m fine, Mom. Nathan didn’t need to call you.” I read the name of the building I was standing in front of. Not the one I was looking for, so I kept walking.
“Well, I’m glad he did, Kelsey Jean,” she said, her voice firming.
I sighed. I was in trouble. “It was no big deal. I’m even up and working. I’m on a case, a paying case, so I should really…”
Mom ignored me entirely. “Nathan believes that drugs might be involved.”
I groaned and rolled my eyes as far back as they could go. “Nathan always thinks drugs are involved. Nathan is clinically insane. Talk to Jamie. He’ll tell you I’m fine.”
“I already talked to Jamie and you’re obviously not fine since you turned down a date with that nice Grayson Sloane. Jamie said Gray was devastated.”
I bet that’s what Jamie said. I was betting Jamie had said it while laughing his ass off at the thought of his sister turning down his superhot friend. “I think he’ll recover, Mom.”
I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk as the hair on the back of my neck started to tingle. Eyes were on me. I wasn’t anonymous anymore. Someone, something was watching me.
“Well, you’re not getting any younger, Kelsey. That man is quite the catch. He’s attractive and respectful and he has a good job. You already know he gets along with your brother so he would fit in well,” my mother continued as I turned slowly, searching the crowds to find who was watching me.
The students rushed around as the hour changed and classes were being released, only to start again in the next ten minutes. It was Friday and everyone wanted to
I smiled with a jauntiness I didn’t feel and pulled my arm out of his hand. “I think I’ll skip working with you, Sloane. I’m kind of a loner. How about I promise when I solve my case, I’ll let you know so you can close yours, too?”
I winked at him and walked out the door, got in my Jeep and took off. I drove to Dallas like the devil was following me.
Chapter Four
I walked across the tree-lined, stately campus of Southern Methodist University. I had unhappily parked about a flipping mile off campus because, unlike Liv, I didn’t have a magical parking pass and I really needed to avoid tickets. I couldn’t afford them. I hated to think about what my drinking binge had cost me last night. My local bar might be a shit hole, but they still charged for drinks.
I stopped and studied the map I’d picked up at the student center then took a quick left as my cell rang. I was prepared to ignore it as I had ignored all of the increasingly pissed-off texts from Liv. If she was escalating to actual calls, I might have to turn off the phone. I glanced down at the number and a cold chill went through me. I ran my thumb across the screen because this person would never accept that I didn’t answer. She would call and call and leave message after message.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Kelsey, this is your mother,” she said in a too-loud voice.
“I know, Mom. You don’t have to yell.”
“I need you to call me, Kelsey” She carefully enunciated each word. “I talked to your brother and I’m worried.”
“Mom, why should I call you? I’m talking to you now.” I was the one screaming because she always thought she was talking to a machine and this could seriously go on forever.
“Oh, it is you, dear.” My mom sounded delighted. “It’s so refreshing for you to answer. You know how bad I am with these new tech things.”
Yes, like cell phones, although my mother might have been talking about regular old telephones. It wasn’t that she was old. Her upbringing had been unusual, to say the least.
“I’m fine, Mom. Nathan didn’t need to call you.” I read the name of the building I was standing in front of. Not the one I was looking for, so I kept walking.
“Well, I’m glad he did, Kelsey Jean,” she said, her voice firming.
I sighed. I was in trouble. “It was no big deal. I’m even up and working. I’m on a case, a paying case, so I should really…”
Mom ignored me entirely. “Nathan believes that drugs might be involved.”
I groaned and rolled my eyes as far back as they could go. “Nathan always thinks drugs are involved. Nathan is clinically insane. Talk to Jamie. He’ll tell you I’m fine.”
“I already talked to Jamie and you’re obviously not fine since you turned down a date with that nice Grayson Sloane. Jamie said Gray was devastated.”
I bet that’s what Jamie said. I was betting Jamie had said it while laughing his ass off at the thought of his sister turning down his superhot friend. “I think he’ll recover, Mom.”
I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk as the hair on the back of my neck started to tingle. Eyes were on me. I wasn’t anonymous anymore. Someone, something was watching me.
“Well, you’re not getting any younger, Kelsey. That man is quite the catch. He’s attractive and respectful and he has a good job. You already know he gets along with your brother so he would fit in well,” my mother continued as I turned slowly, searching the crowds to find who was watching me.
The students rushed around as the hour changed and classes were being released, only to start again in the next ten minutes. It was Friday and everyone wanted to
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