Free Caroselli's Baby Chase by Michelle Celmer Page B

tonight after the party?
     
     
    It was silly, but the fact that he’d listened, and really heard her, that he remembered to leave a note this time, and especially one so sweet and funny, made her dislike him a little less. And that scared her. What they were doing now was simple and impartial. It didn’t mean anything, which made it very, very safe. But what if they really started to like each other?
    Oh, what was she worried about? The next time she saw him he would say something rude or chauvinistic and she would be back to hating him.
    Carrie showered and dressed, and was standing in the kitchen getting ready to call a cab to take her to the nearest mall when she heard a creaking sound, as if someone had opened the inside garage door. Expecting to see Rob, or even Terri, she stepped around the corner, but there was no one there and the door was still shut and locked from last night.
    What the—
    That was when she looked over at the basement door and realized it was open. But it had been closed and latched when they came in last night. She recalled feeling the hand over hers and her heart skipped a beat. It was possible that Rob had opened it this morning before he left. But why?
    The more likely and logical explanation was that the door wasn’t latched all the way and had drifted open.
    She grabbed the doorknob and pulled it closed, making sure that it really latched this time. Feeling better, she called the cab and left to go shopping. She found herself some nice casual things, and most of them from the clearance rack.
    She forgot all about the basement door until she was in the kitchen fixing herself a cup of hot tea later that evening, and she had the sudden, eerie sensation that someone was watching her.
    She knew she was just imagining things, but feeling the tiniest bit apprehensive anyway, she edged her way over and peered around the edge of the wall…sighing with relief when she found the door firmly latched.
    Of course it was still closed, and the hand she’d felt had just been her imagination. She felt silly for believing it could be anything else.
    The kettle whistled, and she shut off the burner. She poured water into her cup, and was about to take a sip when she heard it. The distinct creak of a door.
    No way. She had to be imagining it.
    She forced herself to walk over and peek around the wall.
    “I’ll be damned,” she said into the silence. The basement door was open again.
    * * *
    Rob knocked on Carrie’s front door at ten minutes to seven.
    She opened the door a crack and peeked out, blinking with surprise. “What are you doing here?”
    “Picking you up for the party.”
    She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m confused.”
    “The party at Nick and Terri’s. You are going, aren’t you?”
    “Yes, but I told Terri I would find my own ride.”
    “Well, I didn’t talk to Terri.”
    “Oh. So why are you here?”
    “To save you cab fare. Because it was on my way. To be nice.” He shrugged and said, “Pick one.”
    “To get laid.”
    “That would work, too.” He stamped his feet to keep the blood from freezing in his veins. “Whatever it takes for you to let me inside before my feet freeze to the porch.”
    She hesitated. “We are not friends.”
    “I’m well aware of that.”
    She finally moved back to let him in. He stepped inside and she shut the door. When he saw what she was wearing, he nearly swallowed his own tongue. In a figure-hugging denim miniskirt, knee-high spike-heeled boots and a clingy pink sweater, she clearly had no qualms about showing off her figure. “Wow. You look nice.”
    “You don’t think it’s too much?”
    Even if it was, he would pay her to keep wearing it. Each time he thought he’d seen her at her sexiest, she managed to outdo herself.
    “If we drive there together, people are going to get the idea that we’re a couple,” she said.
    He shrugged. “Does it really matter what anyone thinks?”
    “It’s different for you. You’re a man. If