“My life is shit,” I told the door.
The door had no response.
I went back to work. Half an hour later, my phone rang.
“Yo.”
“Babe.”
Hell and damnation.
It was Luke, my knees wobbled and I wasn’t even standing.
“Did you get my cookies?” I asked.
I heard his soft laughter then, “Not yet.”
What was I doing?
I was trying to be cute and funny. I wasn’t supposed to be trying to be cute and funny with Luke. I was supposed to drive him away by behaving like a screaming shrew.
Bad, bad Ava.
“Why are you calling?” I asked, trying to pull up the Barlow Super Bitch but it sounded halfhearted.
“I’ll pick you up at seven. We’re goin’ to Lincoln’s for dinner, my place to talk afterward. Sissy got anybody who’ll stay with her or do I need to arrange company?”
“Sissy’s gone.”
Silence.
“Luke?”
“Come again?”
“Sissy’s gone. She’s staying with her Dad for a couple of days.”
“You’re alone in your house?”
“Well… yeah.”
“Fuck,” he clipped, sounding pissed.
“What?” I asked.
“Tell me your doors are locked.”
“Of course.”
“Somebody will be there soon. If it’s someone you haven’t met, I’ll call you to tell you who to expect.”
“Luke, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Right. That’s what Lee thought when he left Indy at her house before they let off a car bomb that drew her out and she was kidnapped and nearly taken to Costa Rica.”
Oh yeah. I forgot about that.
Belated eek!