Page 81 of Hello Stranger

Peanut, also cold and trembling, waited patiently while I tried again and again.

I found Mr. Kim’s number and texted him.

Mr. and Mrs. Kim had done very well in Houston, developing all kinds of properties, thanks to his business sense and her eye for design. They probably could have lived anywhere, but they lived here in the building. Mostly because Mr. Kim was super hands-on.

When things went wrong, we texted Mr. Kim.

Which worked fine—unless he was busy.

I might have experienced a moment of frustration while wet, cold, worried about my dog, and desperate to go home. It’s possible I tried to shake the dead-bolted door open. I might or might not have hit the handle several times with my shoe.

No luck.

Finally, there was no choice but to just wait. There were three steps up to the door to the rooftop, and so I sat down.

A wet, trembling human next to her wet, trembling dog.

Of course, in that situation, I couldn’t help but notice that Joe had not yet come back out of Parker’s apartment.What was he doing in there? What could possibly be taking so long? Was she trying to seduce him? Paying him for his services? Making him unclog her shower drain?

Anything was possible with her.

One thing was clear. I didn’t like it.

For his sake.

Nothing with Parker ever, ever ended well.

I wasn’t jealous, I told myself. This was the same courtesy I’d extend to any hapless human who was about to fall victim to something poisonous.

Just run-of-the-mill human kindness.

When Joe finally came out, he saw me at the end of the hall and made his way in my direction.

“What were youdoingin there all that time?” I demanded.

“She wasn’t feeling well, so I looked after her a little bit.”

“She was feeling fine,” I said. “She was faking.”

Joe nodded. “Probably, yeah. But I did get the feeling like she just needed somebody.”

“Well, she can’t have you,” I said.

Joe tilted his head. “She can’t?”

“Trust me on this,” I said. “That girl is bad news.”

“Did you wait here, dripping wet, in the hallway to tell me that?” Joe asked.

“I waited here in the hallway,” I answered, glad to have a legitimate no, “because the lock to this door is broken. Again.”

Joe frowned, and then he took it all in—me shivering, Peanut shivering, the door handle with its new shoe-dents.

“Oh god, you’re freezing,” he said then, reaching out to touch my cheek.

“You’re just now noticing that? My teeth have been chattering this whole time.”

“Did you call Mr. Kim?”

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