Over Her Dead Body(10)

“Jordan . . . ,” I said, my courage surging. “Do you remember that pact we made? About turning thirty?”

He looked at me quizzically. “We made a pact?”

I could have stopped right there. Clearly he didn’t remember or didn’t want to be reminded. I don’t know what possessed me to push. Perhaps the relief at getting Brando back made me feel invincible? Or maybe I was just tired of sleeping with a dog instead of a man.

“Well, not a pact, exactly,” I clarified. “It’s just you’ve always been there for me. And I like that. And maybe, y’know, it could always be like that? Like we talked about.” Holy crap, did I just say that? As if I hadn’t already been reckless enough!

I saw Jordan’s whole body stiffen. Is he freaking out? Or just confused? I mean, I kinda sorta just proposed marriage. And why not? Jordan was a catch. Everyone we knew thought we looked great together. Jeannie from my acting class had even told me to hurry up and “lock that shit down” or she was going to make a move. Jordan had been talking me off ledges since I’d moved to Hollywood; I was a little afraid to think where I’d be without him. I wasn’t actually going to slash Jeannie’s tires when she “accidentally” gave me the wrong address for the Stranger Things audition, but it was Jordan who took the box cutters out of my hand with a gentle reminder to “do unto others.” He was a good influence on me—as my mom would say, “husband material.” I held my breath as I waited for him to tell me if he thought the same about me.

“Brando’s waiting,” he said as he backed away. “I’ll go change.”

I felt like I just got slapped. Good God, what have I done? My face prickled with humiliation.

“It’s OK,” I stammered. “I’ll go get him.”

I grabbed my keys off the kitchen counter.

“You sure?”

A lump had formed in my throat. I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I just nodded, waved, then beelined for the door.

“Good luck,” he called after me. But I didn’t answer. Because it was too late for luck. I had already made a fool out of myself, and no amount of luck would undo that.





CHAPTER 8




* * *



LOUISA


“She’s here,” Nathan announced, as if I couldn’t see the headlights bouncing up my driveway for myself. Little blond Brando, as I presumed he was called, was curled up next to me on the sofa, and my lap was already covered with dog hair. How could such a tiny creature shed such a large volume of hair? It’s mathematically impossible.

“Shall I bring him out?” Nathan asked, indicating the fur ball glued to my leg.

I wanted a look at the woman who had ventured onto my property. “No, she can come in,” I replied. “I want to apologize for scaring her.” It was a lie; I had no intention of apologizing. I had every right to defend myself, and nothing bad had happened to her or her dog.

I heard brakes whine, then a car door closing. My porch steps creaked as she mounted them. Nathan opened the door before she had a chance to ring the bell.

I sized her up through the open door. She was smaller than she had looked on the monitor—five foot five and a trim 112 pounds. After twenty-five years as a casting director, I could tell how much a woman weighed just by looking at her, give or take what she’d had for breakfast. She had an athletic but feminine physique, with slender hips and a perky bottom—if I were still working, I could get her a lululemon commercial with one phone call. She had a well-balanced face, with full lips and a slightly turned-up nose. Her fair skin was dotted with light freckles—Irish? Scandinavian? Likely some sort of western European mutt. She had shoulder-length dark chocolate–colored hair that was screaming for hot tools, but it was wavy and well bodied. She had good posture and a slight turnout in her feet: a dead giveaway that she was or had been a dancer. I admired that she wasn’t afraid to come alone. My house was distinctly intimidating, even without gunfire to greet you.

“Hello,” Nathan said to the nymphlike figure. “Brando’s just in the other room with my aunt. Would you like to come in? I think she’d like the opportunity to apologize.” I considered what I would do if a strange man had invited me into his house in the dead of night. I was bold but not foolish. Would she dare come in?

“Oh! That’s kind of you,” she began, “but I don’t want to impose any more than I already have.” At the sound of the woman’s voice, the little dog’s ears perked up, and a moment later he was jumping all over her. She was all smiles as she fell to her knees to greet him, and I detected the hint of dimples in her porcelain cheeks.

“Brando!” she cooed as she ruffled the top of his head. “Don’t you ever wander off like that again!”

She scratched his little dog ears, then clipped a leash around his collar and stood up. “I’m so sorry to have troubled you,” she said. I thought with those words she would be on her way, but she surprised me by adding, “You have a spectacular home. I’ve never seen anything like it. An exotic orchid in a field of daisies.”

And now it was my ears that perked up.

“Thank you,” Nathan said. “But I don’t live here. The house belongs to my aunt, Louisa.”

I stood up at the mention of my name and walked to where she could see me.