Frowning as she rose, she collected the note. She knew his handwriting.
Please don’t freak out. I had to leave for a few minutes. Couldn’t leave you alone. Andy Wellington is downstairs with Larry. I asked him to watch over you.
Her frown deepened, but she quickly hit the lock on the bedroom door. Andy Wellington might be a friend and some kind of a law-enforcement lecturer, but she didn’t know him. And this was her house! Chase shouldn’t have...
Whatever!
She quickly gathered clothing and headed into the shower, anxious to bathe and dress as quickly as possible, reminding herself she was going to have to come back upstairs to choose an outfit for the show. She had a little rhinestone-studded tunic, and she thought she’d wear that over black jeans...kind of feminine, but pants to go with the guys.
Neither here nor there at the moment.
There was a stranger in her house!
She hurried on downstairs and found that Andy Wellington was indeed in the living room, seated on the couch with Larry curled at his feet. He had either a small tablet or a large phone, and he was engrossed in studying something that was on it.
He quickly looked up and rose as she entered the room.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to be intrusive, but we really didn’t want you to be alone—even with Larry here.”
She frowned, looking at him. “I really don’t understand. I mean, you’re a friend of Chase’s, and that makes you welcome in my home, but...”
He looked down and when he looked up, his expression was acutely uncomfortable.
“I know that Chase is concerned, and other than that...”
She wasn’t going to pick a fight with a stranger. She lifted a hand and said, “Not to worry, I’ll speak with Chase. Would you like coffee or anything?”
He shrugged. “I took the liberty. There’s a pot made in the kitchen.”
“Great. Thank you.” She headed into the kitchen, followed by Larry, who was wagging his tail wildly.
Whatever else came of all this, she did love the dog. She checked his water and food bowls and realized that Chase had already seen to them.
“Well, Larry,” she mused, “did you get to go out yet? Want to run around the yard?”
She walked back out. Andy Wellington was studying his device again with a frown on his face. She opened the door to let Larry run out joyfully into the yard. Then she approached Wellington.
“Is everything all right? Oh! By the way—the stuff that Brandon had last night, was it...tainted?”
He hesitated and then nodded. “Not to the point of instant death, but yes, it was contaminated.”
“Oh, what about the guy that he got it from? Is he...?”
“Dead? No. I’m not sure what’s going on exactly. We reported it to the right people immediately.”
She nodded. “More friends of Chase’s?”
“Friends of mine,” he said. He shrugged. “I held a position in law enforcement for years. I know the right people.”
“Ah. Well, I’m hoping he gets back soon.”
“Me, too!”
“Don’t let me interrupt your work,” Sky told him. “I’m going to head to my office and go over the set list for tonight.”
“Great. I’m here if you need me,” he said. “Hey, can I get your phone number, please? I should have gotten it from Chase. I mean, well, seriously, there is bad stuff going on, and we should have each other’s numbers.”
She handed him her phone. “Grab my number and call me, and I’ll have yours.”
“Perfect, thanks.”
She waited for him to get his number and call her. Then she took her phone back.
She smiled. “Just let Larry back in when he scratches at the door—which I believe he will in a few minutes.”
“You got it.”
She headed to her office thinking that she was going to have a hell of a lot to say to Chase when she saw him. She wasn’t going to take it out on Wellington. The man was doing a friend a favor. It wasn’t his fault that Chase had neglected to talk it all over with her.
Last night had been so good. So amazing...
And now? Now she realized that time had passed, and that there was so much she really didn’t know about the man at all.
And yet...
There were still things she knew in her heart. He might annoy her—even anger her—but he was a good man. Trying his best, worried about her.
Still...
