“Sorry?” he asked.
“I’m watching her for a couple of days.”
“We’ll go get her later.”
“We can’t go get her later! If we go get her later, that wouldn’t be me watching her, that would be her, alone, at home with no one watching her.”
“I’m not takin’ a chow dog out to work with me.”
“She’ll be good. I swear, she’s a great dog.”
“No.”
I had to pull out the big guns.“There’ll be na**d gratitude in it for you.”
Lee hesitated, but just for a moment.
“Shit,” he mumbled.
He steered the Crossfire toward Baker District.
Chapter Nineteen
Eddie and Darius
We cruised up to Paris on the Platte with Chowleena in my lap, her face out the open window, eyes squinty in the wind, mouth panting and fluffy fur rippling. Steve Miller’s “Jungle Love” was blaring from Lee’s radio.
There were some songs that it was a crime against nature to listen to quietly and “Jungle Love” was one of them, although Lee didn’t agree.
I was finding the promise of na**d gratitude went a long way.
As Lee parked, I looked to Paris on the Platte, part-bookstore, mostly-funky-coffee-house, it had been around for ages. They made Rosie’s coffee look amateur.
Sitting out front at one of the tables on the sidewalk was Eddie Chavez, legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles, elbows on the arm rests, hands hanging loose.
Pure cool.
He had on a white thermal, short-sleeved tee, a pair of worn out Levi’s, black cowboy boots and a black belt with a big buckle pressed against his flat abs. He had dark skin, black hair and he was wearing a pair of kickass mirrored shades. Shades I knew hid eyes so dark brown, they were black. He was flashing a grin at us, ultra-white against his skin.
He looked damn good.
I knew Eddie well growing up. He, Lee and Darius hung out together most of the time and I tried my best to be wherever Lee was so I spent a good deal of time with the three of them.
Since then, I’d seen Eddie a lot, he stayed close with both Lee and Hank. He came to Kitty Sue and Malcolm’s parties and he’d come over to Hank’s when we all went over there and watched football. I wouldn’t say we were great friends but I liked him and I knew he liked me.
In fact, I think he liked me, liked me. He could be hilariously suggestive in a flirty way but that wasn’t it, that was just banter.
If Eddie was attracted to you, he didn’t make it obvious by flirting. Eddie wasn’t the kind of guy who flirted a girl into bed. His tactics were more subtle and practiced. He liked to play a game, he liked a challenge. He was the stealth seducer. Eddie showed his appreciation in nonverbal ways, mostly using his eyes and being tactile in a way that kept you guessing, but felt provocative. I expected that was because that’s exactly what he meant it to feel like. There wasn’t a lot that Eddie did that Eddie didn’t mean to do.
I got out of the Crossfire and led Chowleena on her leash to Eddie. The minute Eddie saw Chowleena, his grin widened to a blinding white smile.
“Indy.” His arm slid around my waist, he brought me up against his hard body and he kissed my neck (see, provocatively tactile!). He was four inches taller than me, one of those inches from the heels of his boots.
I sat, Lee sat and Chowleena clicked over to Lee and laid down on his booted feet. Eddie watched, the smile never leaving his face.
His mirrored shades turned to Lee. “A Chow?”
“I don’t wanna hear it,” Lee growled, his voice low and impatient.