(Dream Man 03) Law Man(72)

Hmm, it appeared I hadn’t been as successful as I thought about hiding the fact I avoided Mitch.

“I’m not all but moved in with him,” I informed her. “My apartment was broken into and everything in it destroyed. We had nowhere else to go.”

“Um… my place?” Roberta chimed in. “Or Bray and Brent’s,” she continued. “LaTanya and Derek’s,” she went on. “Mr. and Mrs. Pierson’s,” she kept going. “Or a hotel. Denver does have hotels, you know.”

“I wasn’t thinking. I was tired and, Bobbie, you didn’t see it, it was really bad. The worst. Everything was destroyed and even my tampons were all over the bathroom. It was insane,” I told her, her face went soft, just like it had that morning (after she quit freaking out) and her hand came up to give my arm a reassuring squeeze.

“That’s true, but girlfriend, you listen to me,” LaTanya claimed my attention. “Mitch Lawson is not bein’ nice just because he’s nice. No man on this earth gets in bed with a woman and a kid just to be nice. You hear what I’m tellin’ you?”

I heard what she was telling me but I didn’t have to hear her. I’d heard Mitch that morning. In fact, I was pretty sure his words were etched on my brain.

I decided to change the subject and I did this by asking, “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I came to find out what’s goin’ on with you and Mitch seein’ as one day Bray tells me you’re makin’ Mitch your barbeque chicken pizza, which was news enough considering he’s been into you since you scraped off that jackass and he spent years lookin’ for an in that you didn’t give him. Then you disappear off radar and the next thing I know you’re drinkin’ wine at his place, he’s actin’ like you’re the finest piece of crystal in the whole wide world and he’d go direct into smackdown should anyone threaten to break you and I’m bringin’ over your shit to stay awhile. And since you ain’t answerin’ your phone, I had to haul my black ass all the way out here to get the scoop. But I’ll tell you what, I sure am glad I did. I can’t wait to tell Bray and Brent you slept in Mitch’s bed with Mitch.”

“No!” I cried, reaching out again to grab her arm as the phone rang. “Don’t tell Bray and Brent.”

“Are you high?” she asked, her eyebrows shooting to her hairline. “There is no way I’m not sharin’ this. This is huge. Half the single women in the Evergreen moved to the Evergreen because Mitch lives there, silly bitches, since he does not dip his toe in his home pool. Derek told me he has a strict rule, no Evergreen babes. He doesn’t need to be bumpin’ into old booty calls every time he goes to the gym. Now, he’s hooked up with you and you’re right across the breezeway. The whole Evergreen is gonna be all over this.”

I felt my heart slide into my throat and my lungs started burning as I heard Roberta say, “Pierson’s Mattress and Bed, how can I be of help?” Then she went on to say something that made my heart swell in my throat so it started choking me, “Well hey there, Mitch! How the heck are you?”

I turned woodenly to her to see she was staring at the counter and grinning ear to ear.

“Yeah, she’s right here and I gotta tell you, you called just in time. She just had another customer hit on her,” Roberta informed Mitch and my hand flew out to curl around the edge of the counter as I stared at her aghast. “Happens all the time,” Roberta shared. “See, he may come back, sometimes they do, and I hope you don’t mind but I fibbed a little, told the customer she was dating a police detective who never missed a workout. You don’t do you? Ever miss a workout?” she asked curiously, settling in with a hip to the counter like she was going to gab with Mitch all day and I heard LaTanya giggle. “Right, that’s what I thought,” Roberta muttered, her smile going broader but her eyes getting a little glazed then she snapped out of it and finished, “So anyway, if he comes back, I can tell him she’s on the phone with her man, is that cool with you?”

That was when I found my voice but just barely so it came out as a whisper when I demanded, “Bobbie, give me the phone.”

“Oh great, glad that’s cool with you,” Roberta said to Mitch.

Oh God!

“Bobbie,” I said louder. “Give me the phone.”

“What?” Roberta asked. “Sure. You too. Hope to see you later.” Pause then, “Bye Mitch.” Then her head came up, her shining eyes came to me and shared, “He never misses a workout just as is suspected.”