Lie, Lie Again(112)
CHAPTER FORTY
The sky was getting dark, without a star in sight. The fog had rolled in, and the streetlights shone down, lighting the sidewalks. Riki felt safe next to Dr. Hart. Evan. He held Gracie’s leash as they strolled down the block. The night air felt good on her skin. Refreshing, like it could cleanse her of the cloud of death that hung in the air outside her apartment. Turning to Dr. Hart, she said, “How do you get through the day without worrying about everyone you see?”
He smiled at her. “It gets easier with time. Some patients stick with me more than others.”
“Makes sense, I guess. I would get too attached to my patients.”
“You’d be surprised. Some can be downright mean.”
Laughing, she said, “I hope I wasn’t mean. That day is kind of a blur. I do remember how nice you were, though. Thank you, if I didn’t say it at the time.”
He touched an elbow to hers. “You did. Thank me, that is. And you weren’t mean. In fact, I was thinking about you as I drove down today. Wondering how you were doing. I’ll admit I was hesitant to leave you there with your boyfriend. What happened with him?”
“Long story short, he’s now an ex-boyfriend. We didn’t even date that long. It never felt right.”
“Still tough, I imagine.”
“Not so bad.” Gracie stopped to sniff some bushes, and they slowed. “I have a question. Do I call you Dr. Hart or Evan? Because I’ve been calling you Dr. Hart in my mind, but now that seems too formal. But I’m fine with it if—”
“Call me Evan.”
“Right. Evan. Okay.” He was crazy cute. And sweet.
He smiled at her as they resumed walking. “We should get back. I have to be in Torrance early tomorrow.”
“Is that where you’re moving?”
“Manhattan Beach, but I’ll be working at a family practice in Torrance. It’ll be nice to be able to see Embry and the gang more often. Without traffic, it’s only a twenty-minute drive.”
“Yeah.” She laughed. “But there’s always traffic.”
As they reached the long driveway, he stopped. “True, but it’s still not that far. It’d be great to be able to see you again.”
She swallowed hard. “I’d like that. A lot.”
He grinned, and his hazel eyes were bright. “Good. Now, in the meantime, try not to take out any fences or otherwise injure yourself.”
“Right. Good night, Evan.”
“Good night, Riki. Sweet dreams.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Wednesday, March 22
Embry shuffled from the bathroom, swiping a wet cloth across her mouth.
“Mama, you okay?” Kylie asked. She was wearing her Supergirl cape and had been spinning circles across the room. The sight had caused Embry to lose her lunch.
“I’m great, sweetie. Just a little tired. Maybe a little dizzy from watching all the spinning. How about you come sit on the couch and read with me?”
The door rattled, and Brandon walked in. “Hey there. How are my favorite girls?”
Kylie wriggled down from the sofa, her cape flowing behind her as she plowed into him. “Daddy!” Embry sighed with relief. Maybe now she could crawl back into bed for an hour until Carson woke up.
Brandon scooped Kylie into his arms and kissed her forehead. “Hey, sugar!”
“Uncle Evan had to go, Daddy. And Mama barfed!”
Setting Kylie down, he walked over to Embry. “You okay, darlin’?”
“Nothing to worry about. The last few days have really gotten to me.”
“I know. I’m so sorry for your friend.”
“I barely know her, but it’s just so sad.”
He rubbed his hands across her shoulders. “Would some good news help, or should I save it for later?”
“What good news?” She arched her neck so she could see his face, and he sat next to her.
“Really good news. Amazingly great news,” he said, his blue eyes sparkling. “You’re looking at the newest series regular on Baggage, a brand-new legal drama starring the one and only Sandra Bullock. And me,” he added with a grin.
“Brandon!” She took both his hands in hers. “Are you serious? When did you audition? I didn’t know a thing about this!”
“I’ve auditioned over the course of the last few weeks. In fact, Riki is the one who gave me the contact. One of her friends works on the show.”
“Riki?” she asked slowly. She bit her lip as she thought back to the headshot in Riki’s purse and the late-night call. It was all so innocent. A twinge of guilt shot through her for having thought badly for one second about her.
“Yeah. She’s been great. Anyway, it’s an ensemble cast,” Brandon continued. “I’ll play a young cop, and Sandra Bullock is the DA. I’m the only unknown. The others have all been on series before, so I got really lucky. Adena is hammering out the deal as we speak. It’s looking good. Really good.” Gazing into her eyes, he said, “It sounds like it’ll be an eight-episode deal with an option for more. Adena says we can get somewhere near thirty grand per episode.”
She stared back at him, her eyes wide. “I think you need to pinch me so I know this is real.”