That got a full body shiver and a quick mental inventory of my junk drawer to see if I had fresh batteries for my vibrator.
“I’m not sure this is fair.” Yes, still whispering. “You being at Deck’s with beer and brownies, me being here and you being sweet and um… other things.”
“Other things?” His voice was teasing.
“Yeah, other things,” My voice was soft.
“Fuck me,” he muttered then kept muttering the weird words. “Cute. Hot.”
“What?”
“Nothin’, darlin’. It sucks but I’m gonna let you go. Boys’re givin’ me looks which means they’re listenin’. That means they’re gonna give me shit so I should probably not hand them more to give me shit about.”
I didn’t know if saying it was right or wrong because of how much it exposed about how much I didn’t want to let him go.
I also didn’t care.
This was why I suggested, “You could move to another room.”
“Yeah, your sweet voice for any longer, the other room I’m gonna move to is your one room apartment. That right there from the grins I’m gettin’ bought me a load of shit so I’m gonna let you go.”
“Okay,” I said quietly.
“When you get to sleep in three, four hours, sleep good.”
Teasing again.
God, I loved that.
So much, I laughed softly then I replied, “When you finish male bonding and get home, you sleep good too, Chace.”
“Will do. ‘Night.”
“Goodnight, honey.”
“Fuck me,” he whispered and it was a surprise so I blinked then asked, “What?”
“Nothin’, baby. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow, Chace.”
“’Night, darlin’.”
“’Night, Chace.”
He disconnected and I beeped off the phone. Then I brought it to my lips and smiled against it.
Huge.
*
Six oh four the next morning
My home phone rang.
I drifted up from sleep, tipped my eyes to my clock and smiled a sleepy smile.
Then I went straight for the phone.
“’Lo,” I whispered.
“Baby,” Chace whispered back.
I snuggled deeper under the covers even though his voice made me way warm and cuddly.
“Hey honey,” I said soft. “You get home okay or are you deep in the mountains recovering from a ceremonial male bonding ritual after killing a bear?”
I got a husky, drowsy, sexy chuckle that made me feel warmer and way cuddlier then, “I got home okay.”
“Good,” I muttered.
“You sleep okay?”
“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled.
This got me nothing.
I waited.
Still nothing.
“Chace?”
“I’m here.”
“You were quiet,” I told him something he knew.
“You sound half asleep.”
“I’m not,” I kind of lied.
“Maybe not, honey, but you sound it.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll let you go after you tell me if you took care of our kid.”
“All good,” I said softly. “Bottle of ibuprofen, kid’s multi-vitamins and some Neosporin. The other stuff I told you I’d do yesterday. Some more food to keep him stocked up. Another note telling him how to use the ointment and to get a wash if he can.”
“You don’t need me to pop ‘round the store to pick anything up?”
“No, honey.”
“All right, baby. Now go back to sleep.”
“Chace?”
“Yeah?”
“In the note, I told him a little bit about you. Just who you are, that you’re cool, he has nothing to worry about and you’re helping me look out for him. Was that okay?”
“Yeah, Faye. That’s fine. Go back to sleep.”
I didn’t want to go back to sleep. I wanted to talk to him until the earth started revolving around the moon.
I didn’t tell him that.
I said, “’Kay.”
“See you later, honey.”
“Later, Chace.”
He disconnected.
I beeped off my phone.
I didn’t think I could get back to sleep.
But I did.
*
Eight thirty-two that same morning
My eyes on the return bin, Chace’s coffee on my dash, mine in my hand, my car parked on the street, I waited for the boy and Chace.
I’d texted him to say coffee was my treat. He’d texted back to give me his order and tell me he’d pay me back when he got to my Cherokee. I texted him back and asked him if he knew what “my treat” meant. He texted me back with, Baby, I’ll give you money when I get to your SUV.
These were simple words on a phone display but I still could read the tone.
My text back was, Oh, all right.
I expected that would be the end but I got a one word reply.
Cute.
God, Chace Keaton was fraking awesome.
My cell rang. I pulled it out of my purse and saw the display said, “Chace Calling”.
I felt a little thrill shiver over my skin and took the call.
“Hey.”
“Hey honey. Bad news. Got a callout. I can’t do the stakeout with you today.”
That was a huge fraking bummer.
“Okay,” I replied.
“I’ll be at your place tonight, seven thirty.”
“Does seven thirty mean our reservation is at eight?”
“Eight fifteen, in case we hit traffic or weather.”