Page 49 of Playing With Temptation

Rainy’s head came up and she shook her head. “He hit on me, but did it in such a way that if I told Zoe about it I’d sound like I was making a big deal out of nothing. I think that’s what he wanted. He wanted me to tell Zoe so he could turn it around and say I was trying to cause problems between them. But I didn’t bite.”

“What kind of comments?”

“Stupid stuff like, he liked my jeans and they made my ass look good. He hoped after Zoe had a baby she’d get a body like mine. Cringy comments about my boobs looking good in whatever shirt I was wearing.”

“What the fuck?”

“Then when I had no reaction and didn’t tell his wife he was a piece-of-shit creep, he stepped up his game. He asked if I wanted to be his plus-one at some business dinner that Zoe couldn’t attend, because having a beautiful woman on your arm is good for business. Of course I declined. So he got more aggressive and told me I owed him, since I took up so much of his wife’s attention.”

I didn’t need to look at the table to know this asshole’s flowers were sitting there. Though, they wouldn’t be sitting there long since I was taking them with me.

“Owed him what?”

“He never said. But whatever he thought I owed him he was already getting for someone else. A few weeks before Zoe died, a woman showed up at her work, asked if they could speak privately, then showed Zoe text messages and pictures. The woman said she had no idea that Julian was married when she started seeing him. But one time when they were out, she saw Julian’s phone screen when Zoe had called. That with him not returning calls for hours and texts being left unread with lame excuses, him only being available for a few hours here and there after work and never on weekends, she put it together.”

I reached over and tagged Rainy’s hand. No hesitation—she curled her fingers around my hand, which was good because I needed to hold her hand when I asked, “How’d she die?”

“Car accident.”

That was not how I thought she was going to tell me her best friend died.

So bad fucking luck.

“I’m sorry, baby, that’s rough.”

She nodded and looked down at our hands. I gave her time to gather her thoughts before I asked, “What’s⁠—”

While at the same time Rainy said softly, “I know you’ll think I’m crazy.”

“Why would I think that?”

“Because I think he killed her.”

Well, fuck.

A cellphone alarm blared.

Rainy jumped.

And before I could stop her, she was off the couch dashing back down the hall while shouting, “Crap! I’m late for school pick up!”

I glanced down at my watch. She wasn’t late. But she would be stuck in the pickup line since by now cars would already be lining up.

The alarm stopped, and she reappeared with her cell in one hand and the strap of her purse in the other.

“Sorry. So sorry. I have to go,” she said as she dropped her phone in her bag.

I met her at the front door, then without delay we were both on the porch. I waited for her to lock up and as I reached for her hand, she turned fully to face me and tipped her head back.

“Okay. You can kiss me now.”

Damn, she was cute.

“No, Rae. No way in fuck am I gonna kiss you for the first time since I was twenty and have that kissed be rushed.”

Her lips turned down into a frown. Which instantly had me changing my mind.

I leaned forward and brushed my lips against hers and kept them there when I said, “Drive safe, baby.”