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Speak of the devil, it was Jess herself, wanting to knohat had happened at the police station I filled her in quickly and then let her knoould be over shortly to grab so more and more time at Braden’s place and slowly but surelytheir way there I also wanted to have a chance to talk to Jess alone about Ca to escort me He could be pretty protective too Actually, he and eneral
"Braden, it’s only two blocks" Silence "In daylight" He continued to stare "In ato be here soon?" We had a winner, folks!
"Fine Take Bruno then and invite Jessica to come back with you"
"Yes, dear" I soodbye Bruno and I headed out, hopped into the elevator and descended to the opulent Art Deco style lobby of the luxury high-rise where Braden lived I waved to the concierge, and let the doorht back Braden hadthat I was a peruest and future resident I was barely outside when I started to get a funny feeling The back of h it was very warm outside I paused to try to process it and realized that it felt like so me I looked around me in every direction, and while there were plenty of people out and about, everyone see about their own business I told ination and Bruno and I headed off down the sidewalk As alked, the little ha faster What if it wasn’tme? That would explain how they kneas in New York Great, just what I needed; ht sunk in and I stopped inBruno to do a back flip as his leash became taut It ive me an inquisitive look
"That is e need Bruno, ot to know each other and spend ti Moether" Hey,stalked by some wacko Who knew?
CHAPTER TWO
The apart, although not nearly as luxurious as Braden’s I greeted our own front desk guy, Carl, who I thought was a little afraid offilled with nice upper middle class people and I had shown up in our lobby covered in garbage and dressed like a dothe door, I called out to Jess, who called back froht out Then I took Bruno off his leash, and as per his custoo check the place out Bruno was always the point ave the all clear I took out my cell and quickly alerted Braden to our safe arrival before he had the National Guard out looking for us, and then I went into the living room and plopped down inin this living roo to miss it Jess came out a minute later, escorted by Bruno
"Braden let you out on your own?" she asked, taking a seat across fro her feet up on an otto" I looked down at my teeny tiny Chihuahua who I was sure would yip his ass off for ht care was another issue Bruno placed two tiny front paws onlook not unlike the one I frequently gave Judge Channing Bruno and Mo I picked hiinorh Bruno loved to be rubbed He and Mommy had that in coh," I added
"For Gaht?" She didn’t look thrilled
"Yeah, I know, pizza, beer, and sports we don’t fully co, but Caestive sinary lint off of her sleeve Ah - the iinary lint brush - a classic evasive maneuver I had used it myself on many an occasion Lawyers knew all about this stuff because juries watched our body language very carefully Two could play at that gaetting along really well Maybe it’s tiave her the earnest sincere look She countered with the dismissive eye roll but I didn’t buy it I knehat she was thinking about exploring
"He was here alone with ht He could have explored a whole continent if he had wanted to We talked; we laughed There was so" She shot e I sidestepped it with the thoughtful look, complete with the lean forward, to demonstrate my sincerity
"I suspect he overthinks it oht"
"Great Just what I need" She sighed "An over-thinker That’s usually the sa as an under-committer" I needed to make her understand that this ithin her power
"I know that he wants to explore e?" she asked suspiciously Why did everyone seem to distrust me?
"I don’t know Maybe you should just kiss him He wouldn’t refuse that and then you could talk about the details before doing anything else" I paused as the irony sunk in "That last step was the one that I forgot e encounter, incidentally"
"Kiss him! That’s your plan, General MacArthur? Okay, Should I do that in the office with our two hundred colleagues or in open court? Maybe I’ll just do it at Gaht so that Ada alone with hi him out of the blue"
"Sothe firsthim out I want hih whatever he feels about you and Braden being together Besides, I may be a shameless hussy but I’m kind of an old-fashioned shameless hussy in some ways Braden asked you out"