“So I’d guess your margin’s a little lower than shops that grow their own.”
“It is, but we’re doing surprisingly well. My markup on the rare strains is a little higher, so it evens out.”
I laughed. “Wow. It’s just like talking to someone in any other business. I’m a little surprised.”
Ellomere went behind the counter and set a vaporizer on the counter. “It is a business, but it’s a business with some unique benefits. Care to sample anything?”
Sable walked over to the jars that held buds and started reading the labels.
I shook my head “I’m good, but thanks. I have a date tonight, and I’ll need a nap first if I smoke anything now.”
Sable turned to me, her face showing her surprise. “A date? You’ve only been in town a few days.”
I knew that telling Sable I was meeting Krystal would start a complicated conversation, and really, it was none of her business. “Yeah. I met her my first night here. We’re going to the baseball game.”
Sable just shrugged and asked Ellomere about a couple of the kinds of weed she had for sale, settling on one to try. We spent about another half hour with Ellomere, and I discovered that she was a really cool chick. Sable smoked a couple of different kinds of bud and bought a quarter ounce before we left.
“Thanks for the information. It was nice to meet you,” I said as we were heading out.
“Anytime, Luke,” Ellomere said. “You need anything, just give me a call.”
Overall, I’d been surprised by how friendly the business was. I’d been worried that folks would be territorial, which could add some complications and expense to opening the Sons’ operation. Knowing how helpful and friendly both Ellomere and Bob had been made me hopeful that getting our dispensary up and running would be a breeze.
As I dropped Sable off, I let myself think about how much I was looking forward to seeing Krystal again. It had been far too long since I’d seen her in that awful confrontation with that little jackass, Bug. I hoped she’d finally dumped the guy since he was clearly no good for her. I figured that I ‘d have to find some way to bring the subject up since I wasn’t the kind of guy who would make a move on another man’s girl.
Chapter 20
Krystal
I’d felt like a million dollars all day long. I’d gone in and taken back what was mine, and I was gonna be goddamned if Bug was gonna steal from me again. I’d paid my landlord — a day early, thank you very much — and I was pretty sure that I’d aced the test I’d taken in my morning class.
And then there was Luke.
I’d spent all day fantasizing about getting to spend the evening with the tall, blond, sexy man, and I couldn’t wait. I’d talked Mark into letting me leave a little early so I’d have time to run home, shower, and change before I drove back to meet Luke. I’d been looking forward to getting ready, and I was planning to look absolutely perfect before I left my apartment.
My only worry was Bug. As good as I felt about what I’d done, in the back of my mind I’d been a paranoid mess, worried that he was going to show up at my apartment in the morning or walk into my classroom or the Taphouse. So far, so good, though. He hadn’t called or texted, and as I raced home and pulled into the parking lot, I saw no sign of his bike. I knew I wouldn’t completely get away with what I’d done, but I hoped that I’d at least get to enjoy my evening.
It had occurred to me to wonder if he was alive, but I was pretty darn sure that two sleeping pills — even if you mixed them into whiskey — wouldn’t kill him. I figured that if he were dead, then the cops would have shown up at my door, and since they hadn’t, I figured he was probably just licking his wounds, embarrassed and probably plotting his revenge.
I made sure I locked the deadbolt and double-checked to make sure all of my windows were locked before I got in the shower. When I got out, I checked my phone — still no word from Bug. I stood naked in front of my closet, trying to decide what to wear. I wanted sexy as hell, but casual, since we were going to a ball game. I decided on purple and black — Rockies’ colors, and I made sure that I had underwear to match.
Pulling on my favorite black boots and doing a final check on my makeup, I decided that if Luke didn’t like want he saw, then he had to be blind. I got a drink from the kitchen, and as I was putting the glass upside down in the dish drainer, I looked out the window over my sink. Clear as day, I saw Bug turning into my parking lot on his bike.
Fuck.
I grabbed my purse and keys and tried to calm myself down enough to figure out a plan. I knew that I had about twenty seconds before he started pounding on my front door. I was on the ground level, though, and I thought if I was very lucky, that maybe I could slip out the sliding glass door and get to my car before he could see me. It would mean leaving my slider unlocked in a neighborhood that wasn’t the best, but it was the only alternative I could see to having Bug beat me, or worse.