56 Days (Black) Read Online Free Page A

Anything.
    “What?” I asked, my eyes shifting to his chest.
    “I have to deliver an end table out of state this weekend and I was wondering if you could watch Buster.”
    W atch Buster?  S eriously?
    I looked up at him now.   “What’s wrong with your roommate?”
    “He’s got some dumb photo shoot in Los Angeles.”
    “He’s a photographer?”
    Jack smiled.   “No, a model.”
    I laughed aloud.   “Gross.  I knew that guy was a douchebag.  What about your other friends?”
    He tapped the top of the table and smiled.  “I thought we were friends.  Besides, Buster talked about you all weekend.  He can’t stop thinking about you.”
    “Is that right?”
    “Mm hmm.  Well, anyway, I have to go to Michigan, so…”
    “You can’t take him in the hotel?”
    He kneaded his fingers together.  “Well, I probably could but I don’t know.”
    “Where in Michigan?”
    “New Buffalo.  Just across the Indiana border.  I’ll be back on Sunday morning, so it would be just one day.”
    “I have off this weekend.”
    He breathed out slowly.  “Oh, good.  So, you can watch him?”
    “Better yet, I’ll just go with you.”
    “What?” he asked.
    “I’ll go with you.  I ’m off Saturday and Sunday and I love the beach, so… you can deliver your table and Buster and I will go to the lake.”
    “Are you serious?”
    I got up from the table, straightening my ruffled apron.  “Unless you’re going there for some other reason.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “A girl, Jack.  Are you going just for the delivery or are you meeting someone?”
    He smiled.   “It’s just the delivery, Elsa… and time away from the city.  I like it there.”
    “ When then?”
    “ When, what?” he asked.
    “Wh en are you picking me up?”
    He looked visibly amused.   “I guess 8?  Is that too early?”
    “See you then, Mr.…” 
    It was just then that I realized I didn’t even know his last name.  If Rachel had told me, I hadn’t paid attention.
    “Conti.”
    “Conti?  Italian?”
    “Yep,” he said, smiling.
    “Well, I’ll see you Saturday morning, Mr. Conti.”
    “I look forward to it, Ms. Black.  Oh, hey, write down your number.”
    “For what?”
    “In case anything comes up.  I may need to call you.”
    I walked over to the counter and grabbed a receipt pad, scrawling it down.  I turned towards him and pressed my lips to the front of the paper, leaving a cherry imprint.  “So you’ll know it’s mine.”
    I handed it to him and walked away, peeking over my shoulder.  He was scratching at his five o’clock shadow, a look of confusion on his rugged face.
    I had made it to the kitchen and pulled my hair back up when Gemma joined me. 
    “Who the fuck was that?  David Banner?”
    “Bruce,” I answered.
    “Bruce?”
    “Yeah, Bruce Banner.  Not David.  Bruce was his name in the comics.  They changed it for the TV show.”
    “Well, whatever .  Was that Mr. Hickey?”
    I sighed.   “No.  That was Jack, Mr. Hickey’s roommate.  He’s actually the brother of my sister’s boyfriend.”
    “Oooh, what a complicated web we weave.  That guy is insanely fucking hot, El.  Seriously.  What did he want?”
    “He wanted me to watch his dog,” I said. 
    I walked to the sink and washed my hands, carefully studying the tub.
    “His dog?  Is that code for something?”
    “Nope,” I answered.  “Just wanted me to watch his actual dog this weekend.”
    “Are you going to?”
    “Yeah,” I responded, failing to mention the fact that I would be watching his dog with him.
    She studied me.   “You like him.”
    “Yeah, he’s nice.”
    “No, I mean, you like him, like him.”
    I turned the burner on and started weighing the ingredients for my ganache. 
    “You better get out front.  Charlie can’t handle it out there by himself.  He’s a fucking moron.”
    Gemma smiled.   “Uh huh,” she said, closing the door behind her.
    * ****
    That night, as I was pulling a