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ignored the tiny voice in the back of her mind, whispering he might’ve forgotten it as he snuck out in the middle of the night. Except it was on the chair sitting right at the edge of the bed. He would’ve had to get past it to leave. There was no way he’d overlooked the jacket hanging on the back. None of her obsessing over the situation mattered now. There was nothing but an empty lot. Not even a speck of rubble or a single hint a building once stood in that spot marred the pavement.
    Losing her mind wasn’t an experience she was enjoying one whit. Blue ink slashing across a cocktail napkin caught her eye. The jacket wasn’t her only proof the night hadn’t merely been a dream. Trey’s number glared up at her from the top of her desk. What if she called and found out she truly was crazy? What if Trey didn’t exist either? Arbor backed away from the desk. Terror tore at her chest. The sensation caused something inside her to break. Being a pussy went against her nature. She’d never backed down from a challenge before now. Why was she allowing this to beat her? It chafed. Before she could change her mind, she was dialing the number.
    It rang twice. “This is Trey.”
    The surge of relief and happiness welling inside her at his curt answer weakened her knees. She had to clear her throat to make her voice work. “Um. You might not remember me.”
    “Arbor?” he asked, cutting her off. His voice slipped back into the sexy tone he’d used on her the night they’d met. “How could I forget you?”
    Relief made her giddy. A nervous chuckle slipped past her lips. “Oh. You’d be surprised, but I’m glad you remembered my name.”
    “I can’t believe you called. You weren’t interested, as I recall.”
    “Yeah. I know. I’m still not.” He snorted, but she pressed on. “But I was wondering if you’d like to have coffee with me. My treat, since I asked,” she added to sweeten the deal. Dead silence met her request. “Um. Are you still there?”
    “Yeah,” he said, sounding as if he wasn’t a hundred percent sure himself. “Sure. I’d love to meet up with you. Is today good?”
    “If you can make it, I’m not far from Toulette’s Café.” She let her statement hang in the air, leaving the time open for debate. She heard something similar to shuffling in the background, as if he was swapping ears and something brushed across the receiver.
    “I’m about fifteen minutes away from there. Is that too early?”
    Ten minutes ago wasn’t too soon as far as Arbor was concerned. She needed to set eyes on someone from that night. It wouldn’t be real until she did. Somehow, she managed to hang onto a calm tone.
    “Fifteen minutes is fine.” Some tentative plans about meeting outside on the corner passed between them before they hung up. Arbor ran her fingers through her hair, doing her best to make it look decent as she ran out the door. If she was quick, she could make it there in under fifteen.
    Arbor’s steps slowed as Trey came into view. Her mind had a hard time coming to grips with the image he presented. The blond hair, chiseled face, and muscular body were all the same, but everything else seemed wrong. His dark dress pants, white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, gun holster slung from his shoulders, and badge at his waist clashed with the memory of the grunge-wearing man she’d met at Club Exile. His eyes held a hint of wariness, as if he couldn’t decide what her motives were or he wondered what she thought of this version of him.
    Obviously recognizing her reticence, Trey stepped off the curb and met her halfway. He smirked. It kicked her mind out of its confused funk.
    “You’re even hotter in the bright light of day.”
    Yep. There was the over-confident guy she’d met that night. “You’re…”
She wasn’t sure what. He was still an ass. Hotter as a cop. Any of the above. She couldn’t stop staring at him. Speechless. His knowing grin kicked up