Free To the Max by Elle Aycart Page B

do. She would let the whole thing go. After all, growing up without a father wasn’t so bad, considering the alternatives. She herself knew that better than most.
    “Are you sure you want to talk to him?” Christy asked, looking concerned.
    Annie lifted her shoulders. “Sure? No, not at all. That’s a conversation I’m not looking forward to, but if he contacts me, I will.” It was a matter of principle for her. She had no reason to suspect the guy was an asshole, and he had the right to know. Whatever he did with that right, whether he chose to ignore it or not, was none of her business.
    “Again, can you remind me what we’re looking for here?” Holly asked, glancing at the tall, long aisles. “I’ve forgotten already.”
    “Carpeting. It’s an experiment,” Annie explained.
    “Man, you need a GPS to navigate this place. We should have dropped bread crumbs. We’ll never find the exit. As soon as you see the camping section, grab some sleeping bags. Just in case we’re stuck the night here.”
    “Ahead of you,” Christy mumbled. “I took a flare gun. If we shoot it, someone is bound to notice.”
    As they turned the corner, they ran into the carpeting department. Thank God, because they’d been totally lost. Last time they were in Home Depot was…never. Holly was right; it was going to be a miracle if they found their way out.
    “Okay, here we are,” Holly said. “Now what?”
    “I’m searching for a thick, outdoor carpet. Preferably red.”
    “What do you need red carpeting for?” Christy asked.
    “I’m going to do some decorating of my own.”
    * * * *
    It had taken her much longer than she’d expected. Then again, she wasn’t that adept at DIY projects. She had no clue whether this was going to work, but she hoped it would, seeing as she’d cut her fingers twice and almost maimed herself with the hammer.
    “Come on, come on,” she chanted. A couple of minutes passed and then bam, jackpot.
    Annie grabbed her cell, made a video, and sent it. She picked up her snack and headed for the hammock, counting. Thirty seconds for watching the video. Couple of seconds to dial, and she should be getting a call in three, two, one…
    Right on cue, her phone rang.
    “That was unbelievable!” Max shouted. “You got my girls to the second floor! Hell, you got them running up and down!”
    She lay on the hammock. “I sure did,” she answered, feeling extremely full of herself. She’d carpeted the ramp, and ta-da, Tango and Cash had made it up to the second floor on the first try.
    “And there was no caffeine involved, was there?”
    “No caffeine.”
    “You’re a genius, Ace.”
    “Yeah, ain’t the human race lucky I use my power for good and not evil?” she joked. “Your girls just needed some style, so I got them red carpeting.”
    It had occurred to Annie as she watched Tango fumble up the ramp and throw herself down. The sound of her nails against the wood had been loud, as if Tango had been trying to anchor them to something and couldn’t.
    There was a short silence, then a deep chuckle. “My girls? Since when are they girls and not rats?”
    She knew he couldn’t see her, but she shrugged. “I get attached easily. And now that you’re in such great spirits, I want to ask you a favor.”
    “Go ahead.”
    Annie took a piece of crispy bacon and nibbled on it. “I was thinking about having an all-girls night in. I promise we won’t desecrate your man cave. We’ll just watch some movies and drink. Well, they’ll drink. I’ll watch. Get some mani-pedis. I assure you, next day there won’t be a trace left that any woman was there.”
    “Sure. Have at it. Still munching on crispy bacon?”
    “Yep. Now I’m dipping it in Nutella. Swear to God. By the time you come back, you’ll have to roll me down the hill to get me out of your place.”
    “What about the aversion to sweet smells?” he asked, sounding amused.
    Annie took another bite. “I don’t know. Nutella doesn’t