“But you can’t put your life on hold because of what happened to me.”
“I’m not. Changing plans for one weekend is not putting my life on hold.” Like he’d been doing all day, Leo had to stop himself from getting up and trying to hug Felix. “Julie and I talked about it, and we don’t want to leave you by yourself right now. You know Julie doesn’t have room for guests in her little efficiency. We’re not about to take you home to stay by yourself. Don’t worry about it.”
Felix started to object further, but Leo raised a hand and silenced him. The way Felix drew back from the simple gesture made Leo cringe inside, and he quickly lowered his hand. “Sorry. If it’s going to worry you, maybe you can buy Aud and me dinner sometime to pay us back. Would that make you feel better?”
He gave a slight nod. “I just don’t want you to fuss over me. These things happen every day to lots of people.”
Leo rose and started to go to Felix, then leaned against his desk. “But you aren’t lots of people, Felix. You’re my best friend. Julie’s too. We care about what happens to you. We’re going to be there. Don’t worry about it.”
Felix looked like he wanted to argue the point, then appeared to collapse in on himself. “Okay,” he muttered. Then he shifted uncomfortably before dashing for the bathroom like he’d been doing all day.
Leo’s phone rang. He glanced at the display before quickly answering it. “Hey, Aud. How are you doing?”
“Decently.” He sounded glum. “It feels weird calling you during the day. You’re normally at work.”
“Yeah. I hear you.” He settled into his recliner. “So how has your day gone?”
“Slow. But I had a detective stop by to talk to me about the stalker. It doesn’t sound too hopeful unless we can find physical evidence.” There was a pause, and Leo got the impression there was more Aud wanted to say. “So, anyway, I was wondering if you might want to go grab a bite to eat after I get out of here. I know we’re not going away this weekend, but it would still be great to see you.”
Leo started to beg off, then recalled Felix’s feelings about him putting his life on hold and sighed. “Let me see if Julie can stay with Felix for me. I don’t want him alone for too long.”
“If you think he’s up for it, he could come along. He’s your best friend. It would be nice to get to know him better.”
“That’s a good idea.” Leo looked up as the bathroom door opened and Felix sagged out, muttering about the laxatives the doctor had given him to help avoid any additional rectal damage. “Hold on a second and I’ll ask.” He moved the phone away from his face. “Felix, Aud called and wants to have dinner tonight. Would you like to go?”
Conflicting emotions crossed Felix’s pinched features, then he shook his head. “I don’t think so. Not with needing to stay fairly close to the bathroom. Running over to my place is about all I can do. But you go. I just said don’t interrupt your life too much for me.”
“Okay.” Leo moved the phone back into place. “I’m back. It’ll just be you and me. Let me check with Julie and see if she can make it over while I’m gone.”
“Do you want to let me know for sure after you talk to her?” Aud asked.
“Probably a good idea, but just in case, what time would you be picking me up, or would you rather meet at your place or the restaurant?”
“If we’re a go, I can pick you up about six thirty, maybe seven.”
A warm, contented smile spread across Leo’s face. “That sounds perfect.”
“Good. Hey, I just had a customer come in and Heather’s stepped out. I need to get.”
“Okay. Go sell them something expensive.”
“See you tonight.”
“Yep.” Leo ended the call and slipped his phone into his pants pocket.
Felix watched him from the couch. “He makes you smile.”
Leo blinked at his friend. “What?”
“Aud. He makes you smile. That’s wonderful. I can’t think of the last time I saw you smiling when you got off the phone with a guy. I want you to go to dinner with him tonight. Even if Julie can’t make it over to babysit me, you need to go out and have fun.” Felix straightened out of the slump he’d taken when he sat on the couch. “Look, I’m serious about you not putting your life on hold for me. I feel a lot safer here than I do at my place. I know Axe can’t find me here. I might even be okay if you wanted to spend the night with Aud.”
“Nope.” Leo shook his head emphatically. “I’m not staying over at Aud’s until the police catch his stalker. That’s just creepy. And we’re not going to come over here and bang on the couch with you sleeping in the bed, so don’t even mention that. Don’t worry about me and Aud. We’ll be fine. I want you to get to the point you feel safe everywhere.”
“That might take a while.”
“Yeah, it might. You can stay here as long as you need to.”