“You work with Max Drummond too,” Sasha said. “Ask him too.”
“Okay.” No harm in asking, although I had no idea if either one of them would agree. “Do you have Mitzi’s number and/or address?” I asked.
Abby frowned as she walked over to the receptionist desk and grabbed a folded piece of paper. “If you go this afternoon, she asked that you knock lightly instead of using the doorbell. The baby might be down for his nap.”
“Okay,” I said, taking the paper from her before she could change her mind. I opened it and gave it a quick glance—Mitzi’s name, address, and phone number—then tucked it into my front pocket. “Thank you.”
She gave me a pointed look. “Sasha’s onto something with that calendar idea. Be sure to ask Marco and Max if they’d be willing to pose.”
“And if they have any hot friends,” Sasha added as I reached for the door. But something flickered in her eyes, and she pushed past me. “Or I could just ask him myself.”
I hurried after her, worried about her ambushing Marco. He looked surprised when he saw her, but he rolled down his window as she approached his car with purpose. It was only when I stopped by the car that I realized Abby had followed us.
“Hey there, Deputy Roland,” Sasha said in a seductive voice as she thrust her hip out to the side.
“What can I do for you?” he asked, shooting me a questioning glance before turning back to her.
“We were wondering if you’d be open to letting us take your photo to put in a calendar. It’s for a good cause.”
His forehead wrinkled and he gave me a perplexed look.
“They want you to pose holding puppies or kittens,” I said. “With your shirt off.”
“We want her to ask Max too,” Sasha said, leaning her arm against the base of his window. “But I wanted to personally invite you.”
I couldn’t believe she was being so flirtatious after I’d let them assume Marco and I were seeing each other. Then again, Sasha clearly knew about his reputation with women, so maybe she wanted him to know she was ready and willing whenever he kicked me to the curb.
“Well, thank you,” Marco said in a slow drawl. “I’ll be sure to give it some thought.”
Sasha’s bottom lip stuck out. “You can’t just tell me now?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Nah, I need to think it over a bit.”
“If you think you have to ask Carly if it’s okay, she’s given us her blessing. She even said she’d try to get Max to help us.”
That wasn’t exactly how things had gone down, but his eyes lit up. “Did she now?”
“How long have you two been a thing?” Sasha asked. I could practically hear what she wasn’t saying: And how long until you’ll be movin’ on? Because I’d like to submit my application.
Or maybe my imagination was getting away from me. She didn’t look overly flirty.
Marco looked like he was about to burst out into laughter.
Before he could correct her about our relationship, I said, “I told her you were taken.”
If possible, his smile spread even wider. “So you’re ready to share us with the world now?”
“You’ve been keepin’ your relationship with this man a secret?” Abby asked behind me. “Why?”
“I can’t say that I blame her,” Marco said. “I do have a reputation for cycling through the ladies, but I don’t plan on ending things with Carly anytime soon, so she and I will need to have a discussion about me posin’ for anything.”
I stared at him in shock, then quickly realized he was backing up my story. “I wanted to make sure he stuck.”
He gave me a sweet smile. “I’m good and stuck.”
This was getting cheesy quick, so I walked around to the passenger door and got in.
Marco started the engine.
“I’ll be sure to get back to you…?” His voice rose at the end.
“Sasha,” she said. “You can call me here at the clinic. Or stop by.” She batted her eyelashes.
“Will do, Sasha,” Marco said as he rolled up the window. When he backed out, Sasha was still standing there, waggling her fingers, but Abby had headed back inside.
Marco headed toward Drum.
“So you told them we were a couple?” he asked with a grin.
I nearly told him I’d only done it because they’d wanted him to pose half naked, but I didn’t want to lie, especially after his proclamation that he wouldn’t lie to me. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You know word’s gonna spread,” he said.
I felt my cheeks burning. “Feel free to tell people we broke up. In fact, I can spread the word tonight at the tavern. I’d hate to put a damper on your love life.”
“I haven’t been out with anyone in months,” he said. “No damper.”
Months. I’d noticed this last month or so, but I hadn’t realized it had been that long.
“Why not?” I asked, scared to hear the answer.
“Dunno. I guess I’ve cycled through everyone.” He shot me a grin, having used the phrase he’d used with Sasha.
“You haven’t cycled through Sasha or Abby.”
“I’m runnin’ out of women,” he said with a chuckle. “I decided to pace myself.”
I glanced in the rearview mirror. “Looks like Wyatt’s back.”
“Oh, he never left. He drove past the clinic, then turned around and parked down the road.”
I shook my head.
“Did Mitzi agree to meet with you?”
“Yeah. I got her address and phone number. As soon as you drop me off at my car, I’m going to head to Ewing to meet with her.”
“And where will you go after that?”
“I’ll have some time to kill, so I might stop by the nursing home.”
He flashed me a smile. “You bringin’ Gladys another puzzle?”
“Maybe.”
I’d met Gladys in December, on a visit to Greta’s grandma, Thelma, at the Greener Pastures nursing home. Gladys had given me and Marco information about one of the nursing home’s
