“Griff, there is one thing I need to ask.”
“Can’t it wait?” He tangled his fingers in her hair and thought of the bed upstairs. Work was the last thing on his mind.
“I’ve already put this off too long,” she said.
Apparently, he hadn’t done as good a job as he’d planned last night, he thought wryly. She wasn’t too exhausted for a long discussion and he sensed he’d have a difficult time deterring her. “What’s up?”
“You’ll have to take over Amanda’s case from now on.”
That request stunned him. Grasping her shoulders, he pivoted her body until she faced him, but she wouldn’t meet his gaze. Her downcast eyes and the erratic tapping of her foot against the floor hinted at a serious problem. They’d been as close as two people could be. So why this sudden reticence to discuss something as impersonal as work?
“What’s going on?” he asked.
She lifted her head and looked him in the eye.
“Why should I take that particular case?” he asked.
Chelsie could have said it was what the other woman wanted. She could have claimed Amanda’s situation hit too close to her own. She could have blamed her already overloaded schedule. Any one of those excuses sounded valid and held enough truth to satisfy Griff, but as her partner—no, as her lover—he deserved the truth.
Regardless of the consequences, she had no intention of running out on him emotionally or otherwise. “Because there might be a conflict of...”
The shrill ring of the telephone cut her off mid-sentence.
Griff cast her an apologetic glance. Divine intervention, she thought with dismay. The one time she truly didn’t want any interruptions, she got one anyway.
She placed a stalling hand on his arm. “Can we ignore it?” she asked.
He glanced over at the phone. “Work line. Who would be calling on a Sunday?”
I check in periodically. Call any time. A jittery feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.
“Amanda,” Chelsie said, automatically. This wasn’t the first time she’d been called on a weekend or in the middle of the night by a client or someone at the shelter. The timing couldn’t be worse, but she’d never ignore someone who needed help. Especially Amanda.
The flutters in Chelsie’s stomach turned into lead. “I’ve got it.” She darted across the kitchen and grabbed the receiver. “Hello?”
Chelsie nodded at Griff, letting him know she’d been right. The hysterical woman rambled, but Chelsie caught the gist of the conversation and didn’t like what she was hearing. “How could he find you?” she asked and listened in disbelief to Amanda’s answer. “Just stay where you are. I’ll meet you in”—Chelsie glanced at her watch—“less than twenty minutes.”
Frustrated, she slammed the phone onto the receiver. Adrenaline should have kept her energy level up, but a deep weariness had settled inside her. Fighting her ex-husband would be a losing battle if she couldn’t trust her client. She turned back to Griff. “Amanda had a confrontation with her husband. It seems she went home to pick up a few things.”
“Why the hell would she do something like that?” He nearly exploded in anger. Chelsie didn’t blame him. If the woman had gone home for something as stupid as extra clothing, Chelsie would throttle her.
She shook her head. “I don’t know. She didn’t give me too many details. Look, I’ll go and calm her down.”
“Not alone, you won’t”
She pivoted on her heels, furious that he had the audacity to bark orders and grateful he cared enough to try. One look at his drawn face and her anger ebbed. He leaned against a chair. His hand grasped the back of the seat with such force his knuckles turned white. She could fight his bossiness, but not his concern.
“I’ll be fine. There’s no alternative. You can’t go to the shelter and someone has to stay with Alix.” She walked over to him and smoothed the worry lines on his forehead with one finger. “Can I borrow your car?”
“It won’t work.”
“What?” The corners of her lips twitched in a knowing
smile.
“Distracting me, though you always give it your best shot.” He gently removed her hand, then reached over and grasped a set of keys off the counter. “I’ll meet you at your apartment as soon as Mrs. Baxter gets here.” He slapped the cold metal keys into her open palm and leaned close, brushing his warm lips over hers.
“With what? I’m taking your car. Don’t worry. I’ll meet you back here as soon as I’m finished.” She could soothe Amanda, then leave her in competent hands.