After Otto left, she took the clothes upstairs and laid them out for Valerius to see when he awoke, then crept back to her shop, where she cleaned and reworked a pasties display.
She'd just finished matching the pasties to thongs when Nick Gautier came into the store with a bright smile on his face as he whipped his sunglasses off. "Afternoon, cher," he said, walking up to her.
He kissed her lightly on the cheek.
Tabitha frowned. It'd been a long time since Nick had done something like that. "What has you in such a good mood?" she asked.
He flashed that devilish, charming grin at her. "What do you think? Man, I owe you dinner out, big-time."
She was even more confused than before. "For what?"
"That friend of yours... Simi. She was something else."
Tabitha went cold at the sound of reverence in his voice.
"I can't wait to see her again," Nick continued, increasing her sense of dread. "You wouldn't happen to have her number handy, would you? I was supposed to meet her at six tonight, but I'm going to run a little late and didn't want to leave her waiting for me."
Tabitha struggled to breathe as panic and fear consumed her. This couldn't be happening. Nick didn't do what she thought he'd done-had he?
Surely not even Nick Gautier was that stupid.
"Simi? You want Simi's number?"
"Yeah. She cut out so fast last night that I didn't have a chance to get it."
"Why did she cut out fast?"
"She said she was supposed to meet someone." He frowned at her. "What's up? Is there something I need to know? She's not married, is she?"
Tabitha felt the color drain from her face. "Tell me you didn't do anything with Simi last night, did you? You just took her into Sanctuary and-"
"I took her out for barbecue. She said it was her favorite and those bears don't know shit about mesquite."
Tabitha rubbed her head to help alleviate some of the bitter ache that was starting right between her eyes. This was so bad... "And after you two ate, you what?"
His grin turned wicked. "You know a gentleman never kisses and tells."
Tabitha covered her mouth as she felt an urge to be really sick.
Nick sobered instantly. "What?"
"You didn't happen to ask her who she was going to meet, did you?"
"No, I assumed it was a friend."
"Oh, Nick," she said, wanting to cry for him and his ignorance, "it was more than a friend. Let me put it to you this way: Her phone number is 555-562-1919."
He scowled. "That's Ash's number."
"Yes, it is."
His pallor now matched her own as the true horror of his situation dawned on him. "Not our Ash as in Parthenopaeus Ash?"
She nodded glumly.
He turned a multitude of colors as that registered. "Oh, God, Tabitha, why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought you knew her. She knows you."