Page 28 of Treat

“You sure?” he prompted, trying to see her eyes behind the glasses. “It sounded like it might be.”

Her chest was flushed pink again, but she shook her head. “No. We should hurry. The last cleaning company will be here soon.”

“Right,” he said, and shoving his hands into his pockets so no one would see his boner, followed her back to the apartment.

Once the cleaningcompany had come and gone, Jude decided to meet a couple of teammates for dinner, and Brynn stretched out on the sofa. She had the Tiger’s game on the television and a bowl of popcorn that she was calling dinner on her lap. When the game broke for commercial, she picked up the phone.

“Hey, Bee,” Amy answered the phone, sounding distracted. “What’s up?”

“A lot. Are you busy?”

“Just working on my thesis and questioning my life choices. “How’re you? Did they figure out what happened with your money?”

“That sack of shit Adam in accounting stole it.”

“What?”

“Yep,” Brynn said and filled her in.

“Wow,” Amy said when she’d finished. “I would not have guessed embezzlement.”

“I know. Wild, right?”

“That’s one word for it. Did the money hit your account yet?”

“Not yet. They said it could take a couple of days.”

“Well, as soon as it lands, you can start putting in applications for apartments. Where are you looking?”

“Um, a few places,” Brynn hedged.

There was a pause, then Amy all but growled, “Brynn Heloise Cates.”

“Why are you three naming me?” Brynn asked, trying to project innocence.

It didn’t work. “You haven’t even started looking, have you?”

“Of course I have,” Brynn bluffed. “I have a whole list.”

“A whole list, huh?”

“And I already have it narrowed down to three places,” Brynn boasted.

“Okay. Name them.”

“Name them?”

“And their locations,” Amy added. “You’re so organized, I know you have their locations mapped out, too.”

Shit, shit, shit.“Fine,” Brynn replied and prepared to bluff. “City Apartments on Woodward Avenue.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Riverside Condos on Atwater Street,” Brynn continued.

“Condos?” Amy said, the skepticism in her voice so thick Brynn could almost taste it. “You’re looking to buy?”

“They have rental units,” Brynn said defensively.

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