“Thanks for looking out for Magoo all evening.”
“No problem. We had a good time watching HBO and licking things around the house.”
She managed a small smile. “Sleep well, Dad.”
“You too, baby.” He put his earbuds back in, and Marley watched him turn up the volume on whatever he’d been listening to when she’d walked in. Probably hip-hop so he could be current on the latest musical trends for his young wife. Marley sighed and turned away, and Magoo hopped down from the sofa to follow her.
Marley padded through the living room, across the foyer, and down the hall toward the bedroom with Magoo trotting after her. She got halfway down the hall when a knock sounded at the door. Magoo barked once, then sat down on his haunches in the foyer and waited to see what exciting thing might be happening.
Marley pivoted on her bare heels and headed for the front door. She gave a fleeting thought to whether it was wise to throw open the door to a stranger at eleven p.m. on a Thursday night, but she was too tired to care.
She unlocked the deadbolt, yanked open the door, and screamed.
Chapter 5
At the sound of Marley’s scream, Will dropped the giant pink bunny he’d lugged all the way to her front porch. The massive stuffed rabbit landed with its ear flopped over Will’s crotch and its glassy eyes leering gleefully. He shoved the animal’s head aside and grinned at Marley, who gaped at him from the doorway.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “I take it you weren’t expecting company?”
Marley blinked and looked from Will to the bunny and back to Will again. Her hair was tousled and her feet were bare, and Will was certain he’d never seen her look so beautiful.
“I wasn’t expecting a four-foot pink rabbit at the door at eleven p.m. on a Thursday night.”
“Good point. Giant pink rabbits generally appear on Wednesdays at noon.”
“Will, what the hell is this?”
He rested one hand on the rabbit’s head and tried to keep his eyes off Marley’s cleavage. She was still wearing that black dress with the billowy neckline that gave him small glimpses of her flesh whenever she moved just right. Maybe if she stooped down for a closer look at the rabbit…
“Rabbit,” Will said, struggling to direct the blood back into his brain. “That’s a very good question, though. One I asked myself at least four times as I drove here with a gargantuan pink rodent in the passenger seat of my car. For the record, she wore a seat belt.”
“I’m glad to hear it. But why is the gargantuan pink rodent on my porch?”
“Bed insisted,” Will said. “She wanted to make sure you got the message that she was pleased with how you handled the party this evening. She also wanted an extra special way to present you with this .”
He lifted one of the rabbit’s floppy arms, waving it in Marley’s direction until she looked down and spotted the envelope safety-pinned to the creature’s pink paw. He watched her brows raise quizzically, and she studied the envelope for a moment before looking back at Will.
“That’s for me?”
“That’s for Cheez Whiz, but Bed wanted to be sure it was delivered to you personally.”
Marley licked her lips and bent down to unpin the envelope. The neckline of her dress gaped open, and Will felt himself grow dizzy. He diverted his gaze to a huge bronze statue that looked like a pterodactyl preparing to crash into the wall, and he studied it intently as Marley tore open the envelope.
“Oh my God,” she said.
Will looked back at her, relieved to see she was standing at an angle that kept her tempting flesh off display. Her face was pale, and when she raised her eyes to his, they were wide and stunned.
“Is this for real?” she asked.
“I believe so.”
“Is she joking?”
“Bed never jokes,” Will answered. “I didn’t see the amount, but I trust it’s either embarrassingly large or she just enrolled you in a jelly-of-the-month club?”
Marley blinked again.
“No problem. We had a good time watching HBO and licking things around the house.”
She managed a small smile. “Sleep well, Dad.”
“You too, baby.” He put his earbuds back in, and Marley watched him turn up the volume on whatever he’d been listening to when she’d walked in. Probably hip-hop so he could be current on the latest musical trends for his young wife. Marley sighed and turned away, and Magoo hopped down from the sofa to follow her.
Marley padded through the living room, across the foyer, and down the hall toward the bedroom with Magoo trotting after her. She got halfway down the hall when a knock sounded at the door. Magoo barked once, then sat down on his haunches in the foyer and waited to see what exciting thing might be happening.
Marley pivoted on her bare heels and headed for the front door. She gave a fleeting thought to whether it was wise to throw open the door to a stranger at eleven p.m. on a Thursday night, but she was too tired to care.
She unlocked the deadbolt, yanked open the door, and screamed.
Chapter 5
At the sound of Marley’s scream, Will dropped the giant pink bunny he’d lugged all the way to her front porch. The massive stuffed rabbit landed with its ear flopped over Will’s crotch and its glassy eyes leering gleefully. He shoved the animal’s head aside and grinned at Marley, who gaped at him from the doorway.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “I take it you weren’t expecting company?”
Marley blinked and looked from Will to the bunny and back to Will again. Her hair was tousled and her feet were bare, and Will was certain he’d never seen her look so beautiful.
“I wasn’t expecting a four-foot pink rabbit at the door at eleven p.m. on a Thursday night.”
“Good point. Giant pink rabbits generally appear on Wednesdays at noon.”
“Will, what the hell is this?”
He rested one hand on the rabbit’s head and tried to keep his eyes off Marley’s cleavage. She was still wearing that black dress with the billowy neckline that gave him small glimpses of her flesh whenever she moved just right. Maybe if she stooped down for a closer look at the rabbit…
“Rabbit,” Will said, struggling to direct the blood back into his brain. “That’s a very good question, though. One I asked myself at least four times as I drove here with a gargantuan pink rodent in the passenger seat of my car. For the record, she wore a seat belt.”
“I’m glad to hear it. But why is the gargantuan pink rodent on my porch?”
“Bed insisted,” Will said. “She wanted to make sure you got the message that she was pleased with how you handled the party this evening. She also wanted an extra special way to present you with this .”
He lifted one of the rabbit’s floppy arms, waving it in Marley’s direction until she looked down and spotted the envelope safety-pinned to the creature’s pink paw. He watched her brows raise quizzically, and she studied the envelope for a moment before looking back at Will.
“That’s for me?”
“That’s for Cheez Whiz, but Bed wanted to be sure it was delivered to you personally.”
Marley licked her lips and bent down to unpin the envelope. The neckline of her dress gaped open, and Will felt himself grow dizzy. He diverted his gaze to a huge bronze statue that looked like a pterodactyl preparing to crash into the wall, and he studied it intently as Marley tore open the envelope.
“Oh my God,” she said.
Will looked back at her, relieved to see she was standing at an angle that kept her tempting flesh off display. Her face was pale, and when she raised her eyes to his, they were wide and stunned.
“Is this for real?” she asked.
“I believe so.”
“Is she joking?”
“Bed never jokes,” Will answered. “I didn’t see the amount, but I trust it’s either embarrassingly large or she just enrolled you in a jelly-of-the-month club?”
Marley blinked again.
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