Page 16 of Greed

She’s still wearing her big white fluffy robe, and her brown hair hasn’t had a brush taken to it yet. It’s a mess, but that only adds to her natural beauty.

“What?” I ask as I approach where she’s standing.

Her arms dart out to her sides as her expression shifts to mass confusion. “What do you mean what?”

I shake my head. “I mean what. Did you make coffee?”

I sniff the air, hoping that will answer the question, but all I smell is something floral and bright.

“What am I smelling?” I question just as Carrie opens her mouth to say something.

She offers her right wrist to me, pushing up the sleeve of her robe. “It’s a new fragrance I’m working on.”

I take a big whiff. “That’s a winner.”

She holds her wrist up to her nose and inhales. “You think?”

“Yes.” I nod. “Package that up, and Matiz Cosmetics will make a mint.”

She smiles. “I’ll present it to my boss this week.”

“Good.” I start to move around her to head toward the kitchen. “I need coffee.”

Her hand on my shoulder stops me before I can land my foot on the floor for a second step. “Wait. I want answers.”

“To what questions?”

She rolls her green eyes. “I really want to ask if it was good, but first, I need to know when he’s leaving because I don’t want him to walk in on me when I’m taking a shower.”

I try to unpack all of that, but with my brain screaming for caffeine, I get lost midway through what she just said. “Who exactly is him?”

She shrugs a shoulder. “You tell me.”

I let out a laugh. “I’m confused. Rephrase all of that, please. Start at the beginning so I can follow along.”

She scratches her chin. “We met when your dad married my mom. We were fourteen. I didn’t like you much at first.”

Still laughing, I tap her on the tip of her nose. “Don’t be a smart ass.”

“I am smart,” she points out. “I’m a freaking scientist, Abs.”

I rest both hands on her shoulders. “I know, and I’m a lawyer. That still doesn’t mean that I know what the hell you’re talking about. “

That sends her left hand out into the air. She points a finger toward the door of our apartment. “There’s a man here, Abby. Unless he’s hiding under the couch, he’s in your room.”

Smiling, I shake my head. “There is not a man here.”

“Explain that then.”

I don’t have to glance back to where she’s still pointing. I know exactly why she jumped to the conclusion she did.

I suck in a breath and look her dead in the eye. “I spent part of the night with a man. When I left his apartment this morning, I stole a pair of his shoes.”

“You what? With who? Where?”

I close my eyes briefly. “I’ll tell you everything, but I need coffee first.”

“You’ll tell me everything?” Her eyes dance with excitement. “All of the juicy details?”

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