Chapter 12

“Don’t be sorry,” he said, “just be happy for me.”

“I amhappy for you. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”

Clay chuckled. “I told Dean I had a bad feeling you wouldn’t show up today.”

If he only knew how close I’d come to notshowing up, he probably would have needed more than a cigarette to take the edge off. Maybe a Xanax drip would have done the trick.

“What would you have done if I hadn’t shown up?” I asked.

Clay didn’t even hesitate when he answered, “I would have hunted you down and kicked your ass.” He laughed after he said it, but I doubted he was joking.

“Well, you know I can’t fight for shit, so I’m glad that didn’t happen. I’m here and I’ll be here as long as you and Robert need me to be.”

Clay looked confused. “Robert? Who’s Robert?”

God, I felt like an idiot. I couldn’t get the whole Dean/Robert Palmer thing out of my head and those thoughts had, unfortunately, seeped out of my mouth.

“Sorry. Dean looks like Robert Palmer to me, so that’s why I said Robert.”