Page 93 of Your Every Wish
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, dear,” Misty says, a slight smile playing on her lips.
How the hell does she do that?
I walk home dreading Dex’s visit almost as much as I’m anticipating it. I tell myself that it’s all the stress from Kennedy’s looming deadline and how we’ve hit one dead end after another trying to solve Willy’s silly riddle. I’m torn between asking Dex for help with it and keeping it secret from him. My sense is he’ll pooh-pooh it as nonsense anyway, which it may well be. Honestly, I’m starting to wonder myself. It was probably Willy’s idea of a joke, something to mess with the FBI agents who he suspected would crack the code first.
“Hey, whaddaya doin’?” Liam calls from his front porch.
I shield my eyes from the sun with my hand and look up at him. “Dex is coming for the weekend.”
“Yeah? That’s too bad. I thought you and I could grab dinner at this new restaurant that just opened near the lake. Tell Dex you’re busy.” He winks and my chest feels that familiar kick whenever I’m around him.
“Rain check?”
“You bet,” he says but I can tell he’s disappointed.
As soon as I open our front door, I’m greeted by the low hum of a blow dryer. Kennedy must be out of the shower after her morning run. I let myself into her room and unintentionally scare the crap out of her.
“Jeez, what the hell?”
“Sorry.” I put my hands up. “I wanted to give you a heads-up that Dex is on his way.”
“Thanks for the warning.” She sneers. There’s still no love lost between the two of them.
“If you want, we can stay at the Ghost Inn.” I’ve been meaning to check out the hotel, a building leftover from the Gold Rush that’s been completely refurbished and is supposedly gorgeous.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Rondi told me it’s four hundred bucks a night. I don’t want you shelling out that kind of money,” she says pointedly.
“I’m pretty sure I can get Dex to pay for it.”
Her expression says she’s doubtful. I don’t know where she gets the impression that Dex is a tightwad. Sure, he can be cost-conscious. Aren’t all those finance people? But he did pay off my student loans and often picks up the tab for nice dinners and expensive concert tickets. It’s his affection that he’s been stingy with, that is until now.
“Stop,” I tell her. “You and Dex are going to have to eventually become friends. Or at least tolerate each other.”
“Why?” She twists back her smooth blond hair and fastens it with a barrette.
“Because you’re both important to me.”
She stops what’s she’s doing and turns away from the mirror and away from me. “I never thought I would say this, but you’re important to me, too,” she whispers.
“Come here.” I open my arms for her.
Kennedy hesitates for a second, then walks into my arms and we hug until she pulls away. “No more of that.” She swipes at her eyes. “Allergies.”
Her phone rings and in unison we both say, “Madge” and bust up laughing.
“Is it really her?”
Kennedy checks her caller ID and shows me the display. It’s a 702 area code. I shrug.
“It’s my boss at Caesars.”
“Well, aren’t you going to get it?”
She shakes her head and hands me the phone.
“You want me to answer your phone?”
“No, I want you to not let me answer my phone.”
