Page 117 of Play Fast (Brooklyn Dawn 2)

If she’d still have me.

I forced myself to put the albums back in their box. Then I decided to take them out again and line them up on the shelf above my living room fireplace. I rarely turned it on because my resting body temperature was about a zillion. I admired them on that shelf for approximately two minutes before considering the heat could warp them—if I ever had someone over who liked to be warm, say someone beautiful and sweet with a definite side of kickass.

Just in case, I moved them to the end table beside the couch and stacked them precariously until I found a better location.

All in due time. Right now, I had other matters to attend to.

I snatched my phone and hit speed dial for a number I’d actually never called.

Nick’s voicemail picked up.

Not available or I don’t like you. If I do, I’ll call you back. Or better yet text. Who calls people anymore? For fuck’s sake.

That was it. His entire voicemail greeting.

I couldn’t decide if I was amused or annoyed. In the end, I just hung up. He would see that I’d called and could do as he chose.

Now what? I didn’t know anyone who did jewelry shit. I’d bought something for a woman with stones in it exactly once, and she was my mother. I’d gotten her a bracelet from a school fair where she’d provided the cash. Pretty sure the stones had been glass, but she’d oohed and aahed over them just the same.

My cell buzzed in my hand and I stared at in shock. He’d actually called me back.

“Did your wife make you call me?”

“She’s not the boss of me.”

“Willing to bet she has ways of convincing you to do things.”

“I’ll never tell,” he said in Brittany Murphy’s creepy singsong voice from that old Michael Douglas movie, Don’t Say a Word. “If you’re calling for love life advice, the doctor is out. I used up all my reserves on you last time.”

“No, I’m good there.”

“That seems unlikely. Let me guess, did you decide to play the field until your nuts fall off?”

I sat on the arm of the couch. “Is this your idea of friendship? It’s not entirely unlike mine with the guys in the band, except it didn’t start from our first conversation. There was at least a breaking in period.”

“All right, what do you want?”

“I need a decent jeweler.”

“Ahh, my reputation precedes me.”

“Your reputation for what? I mean, other than being an asshole, but not sure that applies here.”

“I can still not help you.”

“Fine, yes, your reputation about…something precedes you. Do you know of any good jewelers in the city?”

“I live in LA. Not sure you’re aware of that.”

“Right, but you spend time in New York sometimes, don’t you? At Lila’s parents’ farm?”

“Happy Acres is nowhere near the city. However, you’re in luck. My network is vast.”

I had to smirk. “Naturally.”

“What exactly do you need done?”

I told him without getting too specific. As expected, he was not impressed.

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