“Shit,” Rae muttered just as the bedroom door swung open. She propped herself up, holding the blanket in front of her. “Don't you knock?”
“Oh, my God.” Chloe's eyes grew wide, and she slammed the door shut again. Her call echoed through the apartment. “I did not need to see that.”
Rae sat up, blanket falling away. “So much for keeping things quiet.”
Zach traced a line down her back, up her side, and then along the curve of her breast. “Is it that big a deal? You're not ashamed of me, are you?”
She laughed. “Definitely not and don't tempt me, or I'll re-introduce you to my mother, so she believes I'm finally dating someone respectable.”
The word echoed in his head. It was assumed, but neither of them had said it yet. “Are we?”
“Respectable?”
“Dating.”
She looked at him, bottom lip caught between her teeth and brow furrowed. “Aren't we?”
He sat up and kissed her deeply. That hadn't lost its novelty either. “Most definitely.”
She grinned and hopped out of bed. The sun spiked through sheer curtains and accented her nude silhouette for a moment before she donned a T-shirt and pair of shorts. “I'll go talk to her while you get dressed.”
As soon as Rae opened the door, Chloe's voice filled the room again. “I wasn't serious when I told you to try and get me a raise by sleeping with my boss.” The door drifted shut again, not entirely muffling the second part of her comment. “Did it work?”
Zach laughed and plucked his clothes off the chair Rae draped them over last night. Things had been so much easier the last few days. Making offers to people they wanted to pick up from Cord. Making plans. Doing something again. He couldn't remember why he'd ever thought it was a bad idea.
His phone vibrated on the nightstand, and as he went to answer, he noticed he'd already missed at least one call. “Yeah?”
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” Scott's panic was clear even over the phone.
Zach smirked. At least Scott still had something to freak out about. “Possibly. What's up?”
“You haven't listened to my messages?”
“I was sleeping.” Zach pressed the speaker button and tossed the phone on the bed, talking as he dressed. “What's up?”
“It's almost ten.”
Zach buttoned his shirt. “So?”
Scott's sigh filled the room. “So you haven't been served yet, have you?”
Served. Zach frowned. The single word obliterated his good mood. “What?”
“I'll take that as a no. Are you even home?”
What now? “No.”
“All better.” Rae burst back into the room.
Zach rubbed his face, bracing himself for the fallout.
“Rae?” Scott's question echoed through the room.
She stared at the phone on the bed, eyes wide. Her jaw moved up and down, but nothing came out.
Zach thought fast. She needed to be in on the conversation anyway. “Yeah. We ran into each other. Want to join us?”
Rae grabbed a brush off her nightstand and yanked it through her hair, then fastened each side into a simple pigtail.
“You said you were sleeping.” Scott's tone had gone from panicked to flat.
“I was.” Zach back pedaled. “Until an hour ago. Then I decided I wanted breakfast.”
“And you just decided you didn't have to answer your phone until now?” Disbelief hung heavy in Scott's question.
“Technically, I'm between jobs. I'm trying to learn how to relax when I'm not on the clock.”
Rae stepped in front of him and buttoned his shirt the rest of the way. She leaned in to whisper in his ear, “You scare me. Never lie to me like that.”
He smiled, ignoring the threat behind the joke, and kissed her silently on the cheek.
“Yeah, breakfast,” Scott said suddenly. “Tell me where, and I'll bring the summons, since apparently you ran out before you got yours.”
Zach wracked his brain. It had to be closer to Chloe's place than Scott's, and someplace it could look like they'd been for a while.
“The bagel place on ninth and union,” Rae said.
Zach ran the address through his head, impressed. Between them but still farther away from Scott.
“Swell. See you both in fifteen minutes.” The line went dead.
Zach made sure they were disconnected before he slid his phone into his pocket. It both concerned and impressed him how easily Rae slid into his deception. “Why are we keeping this from him?”
Rae stepped away. “It's not that I think it's a big deal. I just… It's…” She trailed off, not looking at him.
“Yeah. I know.” Just because Zach understood and agreed, didn't mean it hurt any less to hear that she felt the same. He followed her into the living room. Chloe was nowhere to be seen, but her bedroom door was closed. He grabbed Rae's keys off the table by the front door and tossed them to her. “Meet you there?”
She snagged them out of the air. “Yeah.”
****
Scott dropped a short stack of paper on the table, and the breeze ruffled napkins and bagel wrappers. He flopped onto the bench seat next to Rae with a huff.
She slid him a fresh cup of coffee. “Hazelnut.”