Grand Theft Retro (Style & Error Mystery Series Book 5) by Diane Vallere Page A

went inside the house. Minus one pudgy black cat, the whole of it felt too big, too empty, too much. I pulled the living room curtains shut and clipped them closed with binder clips. I followed with the drapes in the kitchen and the blinds by the back door. As I made my way upstairs, I peeled off the crocheted hat, the vest, the cream-colored sweater, and the rust suede maxi skirt, leaving them in a trail to the bedroom. I tore the tags off the navy poly-blend sweatshirt and pants, put on the baseball hat, pulled my hair through the loop in the back and tied on a pair of Converse sneakers. I put my wallet, phone, lipstick, keys, and laptop into a Tradava shopping bag and left.
    This morning, I’d wanted to be seen. Samantha Kidd, fashionista, girl about town. Now, I wanted to go unnoticed. I was dressed like a bag lady, and I knew there was one place where I could work without interruption, one place where nobody would think twice about my appearance. I drove the dead taxi to the library.
    On my way there, my cell phone rang. Another call from Nick. I was still shaking from the encounter at Retrofit and, despite my efforts to keep him out of danger, I wanted to hear his voice. I answered the call and put it on speaker so I could drive.
    “Nick, hi. Sorry I haven’t called you back. Work’s been busy.”
    “You’re working?”
    “Yes. Nancie has me buried in the Seventies. You wouldn’t believe what I’ve learned. Did you know a blue leisure suit with white belt and shoes was called a Full Cleveland?”
    “Did I see your car at the Dairy Queen earlier today?”
    “You did. I needed a quick pick me up. Sorry I didn’t come to your store to say hello, but like I said, she’s got me working around the clock. I know you said something about us getting together, but I don’t think you should count on seeing me for awhile.”
    He was quiet for a moment. “Is this about my dad?” he finally asked.
    “Your dad?” I repeated. “No.” Did Nick think I was superficial enough that I couldn’t handle him moving in with his dad while his dad recovered? Could I live with that in order to protect him? It was a small price to pay. “I mean, not really. It’s going to take me a little time to adjust, that’s all. You two should spend some time together, get to know each other.” I took a quick hard left to throw off anybody who might be following me and then swerved into the next lane. A car horn beeped and my phone slid from my thigh to the floor mat of the passenger side.
    Nick’s voice came out tinny and faraway. “Kidd, he’s my dad. I already know him. And if his heart attack taught me anything, it’s that life is short. I don’t want to waste any more time. I want to start reacquainting myself with you .”
    I wanted it too, but I couldn’t risk his safety. I leaned toward the phone and raised my voice so it would carry. “I’m sorry, Nick. I’m on my way to the library to research some stuff for work. If I finish up early, I’ll call you, but I think it’s going to be a long night.” The light in front of me turned yellow and I slowed and then stopped. I ducked down and swatted at my phone until my fingertips connected. I pulled the phone closer until I was able to pick it up and put it in the cup holder. The light changed and I pulled forward. “Hello?” I said. “Are you still there?”
    It had taken Nick and me months of repair work to make up for the hurt over our break-up. Hours of phone conversations where we said nothing but somehow communicated everything that needed to be shared. Gradually, the pain had faded. And now here I was willingly making myself look bad. Distancing myself from what could be.
    Reason #7: Snooping on your coworkers can lead to complications in your love life.
    Except that a very small part of me wondered why Nick was pushing for this now? The last few months had been sweet. Between his business and his father, his hands had been full. The last thing I would have