If He Only Knew.... Debbi Rawlins

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      All right. There was safe, and then there was safe.

      She smiled up at him. “How about we go to my place?”

      

      S ARA NEEDN’ T HAVE opened the door to Chloe’s apartment to realize how incredibly dumb it was to have brought him here without having checked out the place first. Chloe was a terrific hairstylist but she was rather odd.

      So was her taste in decorating. And that was putting it kindly.

      As much as Sara wanted to block Cody’s view, she knew there was no turning back now. Not without making him think she was nuts. There was nothing to do but plunge ahead and try not to cringe.

      Taking a deep breath, she led Cody into the rather vibrant front room. Orange wasn’t the color Sara would have chosen for the walls but there it was, an interesting contrast to the oversized lemon-yellow sofa that curved like a snake halfway around the freestanding fireplace.

      Dreading it, she turned to look at Cody. She had to hand it to him, he kept a straight face. Of course, good lawyers could do that, and he was one of the best in the country.

      She steered them farther into the room, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the small but open kitchen. Thankfully, she eyed a hutch near the glass dining table stocked with several bottles of booze. Premium stuff, which didn’t surprise her. Chloe was truly gifted and commanded a hefty fee for her work. And she did enjoy the finer things. Even her furnishings, although on the bohemian side, looked like the highest quality.

      “I see you like the retro look,” Cody said, eyeing the lime-green side chairs with amused interest.

      Sara paused, taking a new look at the place. It was retro, which, for whatever reason, seemed to make it less tacky. “Not really. I have a roommate. This was originally her place. I just moved in two weeks ago.”

      “Ah.” He looked relieved.

      She hid a smile and dropped her purse on a black lacquered console table beside a sculpture of a nude couple embracing.

      Cody came up beside her and studied the sculpture. “Is she going to show up at any moment?”

      “No, she’s on her way to Europe.”

      His head reared back slightly. “Is that some kind of code?”

      “Excuse me?”

      “Didn’t you say your sister—”

      Sara laughed. “Yes, she really is in Europe. And Chloe left for the French Riviera—” she glanced at her watch “—about three hours ago.”

      “Quite a jet-setting crowd you hang around with.”

      “Chloe’s also my hairdresser and with what she charges for a haircut, she could probably retire.”

      He didn’t comment, just continued to check out the odd pieces of art that adorned the walls, the knickknacks of wrought-iron stick people holding silk flowers and glass fuchsia-colored high heels filled with colored marbles scattered about.

      “Why don’t you fix yourself a drink?” she suggested, trying to divert his attention so she could check out the rest of the apartment in privacy. “I’ll be right back.”

      “All right,” he said, turning to look at her. Their eyes met and his crinkled with humor. “Going to slip into something more comfortable?”

      “You wish.”

      “Indeed.”

      She laughed, delighted to see this side of him. “I’ll take a club soda while you’re at it.”

      “Glasses are in the kitchen?”

      Sounded logical. She nodded, and then hurried down the small hall with the sudden hope that there were two bedrooms. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure how she’d explain that.

      The first door to the left was a bathroom, the yellow and orange living room colors repeated in its abstract wallpaper. Further down to the left was a nice-sized bedroom decorated in a surprisingly subtle palette of taupe and blue. Placed in the middle of the queen-sized bed was a piece of folded paper. Sara moved in closer to read the writing.

       The sheets are clean, it read in large bold letters. Punctuated with a smiley face.

      Sara quickly snatched the note and crumpled it in her hand. She turned around just as Cody appeared at the door. She jumped back, coming up against the bed and quickly having to steady herself. “Good grief, you scared me.”

      “Sorry, but you don’t have any club soda.” Scanning the room, his startled gaze briefly rested on the dresser, before he stared questioningly into her eyes.

      She turned to see what had caught his attention. A picture of Chloe. Naked.

      Sara sighed and with great reluctance, looked back at him. This was it. He was going to leave, and she’d never see him again. Wouldn’t blame him one bit. He had to think she was a lesbian. Or at the very least, bi. “That’s my roommate.”

      His eyebrows rose slightly. Clearly at a loss for words, he could only stare.

      Sara decided that sticking as close to the truth as possible was her best avenue. “She’s a nudist.”

      He frowned.

      “She’s also a practical joker.”

      His frown deepened. “Are you…?” He spread his hand as if he couldn’t bear to finish the question.

      She couldn’t help but laugh. “No. Never. Not in this lifetime.”

      His mouth curved in a slight smile. “Good.”

      “Can’t stand the thought of seeing me naked?”

      Cody’s eyes darkened. “Try me.”

      “Funny.” She abruptly turned away to get rid of Chloe’s picture. Damn, the man could reduce her to Jell-O with just a look. “I think I’d like something stronger than club soda, after all.”

      She approached him, and since he was blocking the door, she expected him to lead them out of the bedroom. Instead, he grasped her by the shoulders and kissed her lightly on the lips. She stiffened, even though she hadn’t meant to.

      He pulled back with a weary smile. “I’m hungry. How about you?”

      “Starved.”

      He stepped aside to let her go first. As she left the room, she saw another door at the end of the hall to the right, which had to mean there was another bedroom. Unfortunately, he already thought this one was hers.

      “So, I assume we’re ordering dinner in,” he asked, once they’d returned to the living room. He went back to the small bar where he’d set out two glasses. Ironically, he already knew the apartment better than she did.

      “I’m sure not cooking.” She briefly studied the liquor СКАЧАТЬ