Chapter 12

chapter

twelve

Hayden

My gate intercom buzzes at 2:30 a.m.

Normally I'd be fast asleep and bolting upright in bed.

But since I left Mills, I can't sleep. I've been pacing the floor like a caged animal because nothing felt right about leaving her even though she told me to go.

Fuck me and my principles.

I check the Wi-Fi camera and of course, it's Mills and Monster waiting for me at the gate.

I buzz her through, then shove open the front door, meeting her in the driveway.

She launches into a tirade before I get out a hello.

"Did you plant all those people?"

Registering what she's talking about takes a second before I answer. "Sorry, Dimples. You're gonna have to back up and give me some context."

She plants a balled-up fist on one hip. "Did you plant all those people at my show at the Laugh Lodge last night?"

"Oh, that? Yes."

"Why would you do that?!"

Monster is starting to get agitated at the shouting. And pretty soon, so will the neighbors.

"Let's go inside and talk."

She considers whether this is a good idea, and it pierces a hole in my heart. Maybe I'm delusional but as far as I'm concerned, this is as much her home as it is mine.

Inside the foyer, Monster scrambles on the marble floor, his claws making such a racket that Shelby wakes up and scampers over to see what's happening. The two dogs greet each other, Monster gently putting the bigger dog in its place when she tries to sniff his backside. The two of them then trot off into the kitchen together.

When I look back at Mills, she's staring at my bare stomach. When she notices I'm pleased at this, she squares her shoulders. "So answer the question. Why would you buy out an entire show?"

"Because there were literally no tickets sold," I tell her plainly.

Mills frowns, genuinely surprised. "There wasn't?"

"Not a one, according to the box office. So I bought the whole club."

Mills blinks at me. "Who were all those people?"

"Mostly, they work for me. And there was a handful of family and friends."

She takes a step back. "Oh gods, they were there because their boss made them go?"

"No! They were there because they got a free ticket, and I said first come, first serve. And there was free alcohol involved."

A pause follows, and then she asks, "So, you didn't force them to go?"

"No."

She twists her lips, still eyeing me with skepticism. "And those laughs were genuine?"

This woman. "Mills, why do you think Stella wanted to hire you to do her company holiday party? Everyone raved about you."

Mills turns and strides into the kitchen, where she opens the fridge and helps herself to a beer.

"Wow," she says, shaking her head.

"Is that the only reason you're here? To yell at me about the show?"

She takes a swig of the beer. "Yes."

"Are you sure?" I ask, leaning on the marble island, watching her pace agitatedly while drinking my beer.

"Fine. No. Also because you were right about Peter. He's a fuckin' weirdo."

"I told you he wanted to get into your panties," I say.

"No!" Mills shouts. "He's been trying to slowly, incrementally steal my dog!"

I give a time-out gesture. "Hold on. How does one steal a dog in increments?"

Mills takes another gulp of beer. "That's not the point! The point is you were right about him, and I can't believe it happened again!"

Wait, what? "What happened again?"

Her eyes are wide as she proceeds to beat herself up. "I once again failed to notice the bad signs about people. This is why I have so many good juicy stories in my comedy act. People blindside me because I don't see the negative until it's too late. I thought I was over it, but…"

I plant myself in her way and gently take hold of her shoulders. "Listen. For some people, it's a skill you learn by healing. So it's okay if it almost happens again, but you saw it. The fact is that you did see it before something bad happened. Other people are born with a crazy sixth sense."

She blows out a tired laugh. "Like you?"

I lift one shoulder. "I come from a whole family of perceptive people. My mom and my sister are the same way."

Confused, she shakes her head. "Okay? Congratulations, I guess."

"I know this because after they saw your show last night they told me I needed to ask you out. And they didn't even know that we made out."

She stares at me, trying to decide whether to continue being upset with me or happy.