Page 8 of Sensual Nights

"You never said anything."

Margo chuckled. "Of course not. I didn't want anyone else to think I was pathetic."

"Oh." Carley grinned. "I get it. I didn't want to tell you just now either."

"Right?"

Margo took her hands and squeezed them in hers. "I love you. Holly and Josseline love you. Jace loves you. Our friends love you. You're amazing, beautiful, smart and successful. Girl, you've got it going on."

That started a giggle that bubbled into laughter, and the two of them stood in the middle of Margo's office and laughed.

Jace walked in. "What's so funny?"

Carley pulled back, still laughing. "I'm successful."

Jace looked between the two women. "Why is that funny?"

"It isn't. Not really," she replied.

Jace's brows pinched together. He glanced at his wife, and she started laughing again. "I'll tell you later, honey," she managed to get out between breaths.

Jace shook his head in a "women" sort of way, snagged a notebook from his desktop, and slipped out the door without another word.

Carley watched him leave, then turned to her sister and they both laughed again. There wasn't anything funny at all, but boy did it feel good to laugh. That's most likely what she'd been missing lately. She'd been too busy to do much in a social way and she missed the fun and banter she had with her sister and their friends, Grace and Hanna.

"I could really use a ladies’ night out. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great to me. I could use one too. We've been working our tails off. How about Thursday night? We have agreat band playing here and Jace is taking off to go to the Legion with Sid and Quinn. It'll be perfect."

She felt the invisible weight she'd created over the past few weeks, lift from her shoulders. "That sounds like a great idea. Thank you."

She turned to leave when Margo said, "Wear something sexy for Mason."

She froze but didn't turn around because her cheeks felt as though they were on fire.

Deciding instead to leave, she strode past the bar where the flirty girls were still perched on their stools, and Sid and Quinn still sat at the other end of the bar. She turned her head to see Mason watching her, and her cheeks burned a little hotter. She smiled and waved at him before hurrying out the door.

Once she was outside, she sucked in the fresh air and hurried to her SUV. There was a note on the windshield in scribbled handwriting.

"You have something that doesn't belong to you, and I want it back."

Her heart hammered in her chest, and she looked around in all directions to see if someone was watching her. Scared, she hurriedly got into her car and locked all the doors. Thinking better of it, she twisted in her seat to make sure no one was in the backseat.

Her hands shook and her breathing came in spurts. She wasn't sure what she should do, so she pulled from her parking spot, watching her mirror to see if anyone followed her. As she turned onto Sunset Beach Road, she sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She should have gone back inside.

A car pulled out behind her, and she watched as it followed her around the corner and onto Main Street. She watched the car in her mirror, nearly hitting the sidewalk. Pulling her SUV back onto the street, she slowed down. Quickly turning left,she entered the grocery store parking lot. She drove around the perimeter, the car followed her partway, then pulled into a parking spot. Carley blew out a breath and circled the lot until she came to the exit once more. She turned right onto Main Street and drove down Hospital Drive, which took her past the hospital and out of town to her house.

The car didn't follow her, and she shook her head at her paranoia. She pulled into her garage, watching both ends of the street to make sure no one had followed her. Quickly closing the door, she heaved out a sigh of relief. She reached over to the passenger seat to grab her purse and saw the note.

Dread filled her once more.

6

Mason grinned as he hauled his first box down the corridor to his brand-new condo. Brand-new aptly described this place. He'd literally be the first person to live here and that was a thrill by itself. To be out of that tiny, noisy apartment, well, that just made his heart sing. The neighbors were loud and always propped the security door open. He'd asked them nicely a few times to stop doing that. After all, it wasn't a security door if anyone could walk in. They laughed at him and called him a scaredy cat. He didn't have the energy to explain to idiots what a security door meant. After talking to the office about it and nothing changed, so he'd set his sights on leaving that place. Finally, he was doing it.

He inserted his key, then stopped, checked that the door was locked, satisfied it was, then turned the key and pushed the door open. Carley had said the door was unlocked when she'd arrived a couple of days ago to show him the place.

He set his box on the island between the kitchen and living room area and turned to retrieve a few more boxes from his truck. He'd do his main furniture moving this weekend. Marcofrom the Sandbar offered to help him out, as did Quinn and Jace. He'd be out of his little apartment in no time.

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