“Coming,” a voice called.
More silence. Chay assumed Lacey was peering out the peephole. Then a lock thunked as it turned, a chain clinked as it was undone, and the door swung open.
“Hi, Lacey,” Bianca said. “Thank you for seeing—”
Lacey’s eyes had fastened on Chay. No intimidation there. Nothing but sheer female appreciation.
Chay smiled. “Lacey,” he said, extending his hand, “it’s nice to meet you. I’m Chay.”
“Chay. It’s a pleasure.” She stepped back and Bianca and Chay entered a small, somewhat messy living room. “My roommates,” she said, and gave an apologetic shrug. “Sorry I didn’t have time to clean up. Can I get you guys anything? Coffee? Tea? Water?” She flashed Chay a huge smile. “A beer, perhaps?”
Bianca didn’t give Chay the chance to respond. “Nothing, thank you,” she said coolly.
“Water would be great,” Chay said, his voice cutting across hers.
Lacey all but batted her lashes. “Water coming right up.”
Bianca glared at him as Lacey left the room. Well, well, well. Was his sexy shrink staking her claim? Jesus, he hoped
so—but he didn’t need her ruffling Lacey’s feathers.
He reached for Bianca’s hand and squeezed it. “Easy,” he said in a low voice.
“Easy?” she hissed. “What does that mean, easy? I am easy. I am very—”
Lacey returned, with three bottles of water. She distributed them, her gaze touching on Bianca’s and Chay’s clasped hands, and then she sighed and looked at Bianca.
“You never mentioned your—friend,” she said.
“No,” Chay said quickly, “she probably didn’t. See, we haven’t seen each other in a while and I just happened to phone her yesterday and she mentioned the blackout Friday and since things like that fall into my job description—”
“What blackout?”
“The blackout in our building,” Bianca said.
Lacey frowned. “There was a blackout in our office? East Side Associates?”
“In the entire build—”
Chay applied a little pressure to Bianca’s hand.
“Bianca says you left before she did,” he said.
“Uh-huh.”
“The power was okay when you left?”
“Yes. It was fine. Well, it would be, considering that the entire electrical system had just been overhauled.”
“Well, apparently not,” Bianca said, “because right after you left, the electricity began shutting down.”
Lacey looked puzzled. “See, that’s impossible.”
“It is not impossible. I am telling you what—”
Chay’s hand tightened again on Bianca’s. “What do you mean, it’s impossible?”
“After the electrical upgrade was completed, Dr. Epstein and building management set up a new system. If the power were to go out again, she and I would both get automatic notifications. Hers would be just for administrative purposes. Mine would be so I could contact all the doctors. So they could, you know, get in touch with any patients who might have appointments.”