“None,” he said. “I saw the tape recorder, but there were no tapes I could find.”

“Dammit,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Someone stole them. Somebody broke into my house and stole them. They knew we were on to them, so they broke into my place and stole them.”

“They have access to your house then,” Oliver said. “Which means you can't stay there once you're discharged from here.”

“I'll stay in a hotel—”

“What kind of old friend would I be if I made you stay in a hotel, Madison?” he asked. “No, you're staying with me. I have a spare bedroom with its own bath and it'll be way more comfortable than some ratty old hotel.”

I stared at him for a long time, my mouth hanging wide open. Had he just—? He'd really just invited me to stay at his place and even claimed to be old friends. I almost couldn't believe it. I certainly had no idea what to make of it.

“No, a hotel will do just fine,” I said. “But, thank you.”

He gave me a look that said there was no getting out of it, but I smirked, knowing full well that I would be doing what I wanted. No man told me what to do. Even if he wanted to pretend like we were old friends, that wasn't the case. We knew each other. We went on a date back when we'd been in high school – and then I ghosted him because I had to focus on school. Boys were a distraction I couldn't afford and I had to cut them out of my life.

It was Daddy's orders, but I agreed with him. Not that I wanted to leave Oliver in the dust like I'd done, but I had to put myself first.

I was still that hard-headed and sometimes selfish person, so if Oliver thought he was going to put one over on me – well, he was in for a surprise.

CHAPTER FIVE

OLIVER

I'd tried to make a dozen different excuses, but Jimmy wasn't buying any of them. Probably because Cassie was squeezing him to make this blind date – which was not so cleverly disguised as just a friendly dinner get-together – happen. And although Jimmy was a big, strong guy who didn't take shit from anybody, when Cassie said jump, he asked “how high” on the way up.

Jimmy liked to pretend he was the big man, in control and in charge of everything. But, at home, I knew who was in charge.

“So, tonight then, right?” he asked as we got dressed after a long shift. “You better show up or Cassie is gonna have my balls.”

I scoffed. “She already has them,” I said. “She wears 'em on a necklace. Who do you think you're fooling?”

He grinned, knowing I was right. “Yeah, maybe,” he said. “Just know that if you don't show, she'll toss that necklace in the fireplace. So seriously, do me a favor – save my balls and show up.”

I laughed. “I think I'm coming down with something,” I said, feigning a cough. “I may just need to—”

“Yeah, my ass,” he replied, punching me in the shoulder. “Six thirty. You have your ass there or I'll set fire to your balls, buddy.”

Grinning, I nodded. I knew there was no way I was getting out of this. At least I had a contingency plan in place though. A security blanket. A secret weapon. And, best of all, a way around Cassie's oh-so-cleverly orchestrated plan to find me love.

Madison.

I still had a few reservations and misgivings about bringing her along but figured that she'd provide me with a solid enough buffer that Cassie's friend – Angie, or whatever her name was – would take the hint and move on to some other guy.

“So, I'll see you at six thirty, righ

t?”

I looked over at Jimmy and groaned. “I don't have much choice in the matter, do I?”

“None, actually,” he said.

“Yeah,” I replied as unenthusiastically as I could. “I'll see you then.”

Jimmy nodded and clapped me on the shoulder. “Don't worry, man,” he said. “It'll be great. And hey, pretend to have some fun and you might actually have some by accident. You never know.”

“The mind reels with anticipation.”

He gave me a grin as he turned and headed off to his SUV. I walked over to my truck and chirped off the alarm, pulled the door open and climbed inside. Jimmy honked at me as roared out of the parking lot. Glancing at my watch, I saw that I had enough time to get home, nap for an hour, and grab a shower before I had to pick Madison up.

Tags: Rye Hart Romance
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