“Pretend all you want, Hall, but I know you’re lonely too.”

Zack sighed. “There’s probably some truth to that. It would be great to find someone and settle down and all that jazz, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to actively pursue it, and I’m certainly not going to break one of my rules. I can’t get involved with a client who—I must emphasize again—I know nothing about.”

“You two must have chemistry, though. Otherwise we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

Kira studied his face for a moment and then shrugged. “I guess you’re right. It’s probably for the best that you try to forget about him. I mean, he could be a serial killer for all you know.”

“Exactly,” Zack agreed. “Since you’re here anyway, want to drink beer and watch movies?”

“Absolutely,” Kira said. “What do you want to watch?”

Zack feigned nonchalance. “How about Pretty Woman?”

“Isn’t that about a prostitute and a hotel?” Kira asked. “What made you want to watch it?”

“Oh, nothing,” Zack said. “It just popped into my head.”

Zack woke up late on Sunday morning with a mild hangover and a muted sense of dread. His confusion about John had almost made him forget that he still had dinner with his family to contend with. For once, he wished he had work instead.

He stretched his arms above his head until he felt his joints pop pleasantly. Ziggy was asleep at the foot of the bed, snoring with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Throwing off his sheets, Zack plucked his phone off the nightstand. The clock read 11:09 a.m., and he had a text message. It was from his sister, informing him that she was going drive him to their parents’ house. She would be there at six.

“Well, fuck me,” Zack cursed. Ziggy started at the noise and shot him an injured look. Zack leaned forward and scratched him apologetically behind the ears. “This must be worse than I thought if they’re sending Bianca to get me. Maybe they think I’ll skip town otherwise.”

Ziggy licked Zack’s hand.

“Oh, come on, that was one time.”

He rolled out of bed and dressed quickly. He had a few errands he needed to take care of before his sister arrived. He put a leash on Ziggy and brought him along, grateful that his neighborhood was generally dog friendly. He stopped at Eddy’s Market and grabbed some groceries, including a decent bottle of wine to take to dinner. Then he found an ATM and checked his balance. He swore when the number flashed on the screen. If he’d gotten a fifteen-dollar bottle of wine instead of a ten-dollar vintage, he’d be in serious trouble.

When they got back to the apartment, he busied himself with chores for the next couple of hours. It kept him from thinking too much about the slow torture he was about to be put through. Five o’clock inevitably rolled around, however, and he had to start getting ready.