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I’d have to sneak into Italy.
    â€œAre you just going to show up at the airport and hope to find a flight?” Tiffany’s voice was trembling.
    â€œThere’s a flight to Rome at two fifty-five. It’s eleven now. If we leave in the next twenty minutes, I’ll be there in plenty of time. If I can’t get on that flight, then I’ll get on the next one or with another airline. I have to do this, Tiff.”
    She sighed. “Well, I guess it’s good that you never touched any of that money because this is going to be one hell of an expensive search party.”
    I threw my arms around her neck and hugged her fiercely. “Will you please discreetly explain the situation to Sam?” I said. “And you can stay here while I’m gone and use my car. Okay?” I said hopefully.
    â€œOf course.” She smiled back.
    There was a knock at the door.
    â€œThat’s probably Mrs. Vasquez. Do you mind getting it while I finish packing?”
    I walked into my bathroom and opened the small cosmetic bag that had come with my gift-with-purchase yesterday at the mall. I gave a little chuckle at the timing of actually having a travel makeup bag.
    When I got back into the bedroom, Tiffany was there and with a look of annoyance on her face.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” I asked.
    â€œYou are not going to believe who decided to show up,” she said with an eye roll.
    â€œHey, babe! You got anything to eat?” Chad’s voice bellowed through the apartment, startling me. Of all the days for him to show up!
    â€œWhat are you going to tell him?” Tiffany questioned with raised eyebrows.
    â€œI don’t know. Maybe I can just get him to leave.” I’d spent the last two years pretending I had barely a dime to my name. How on earth would I explain going to Italy?
    I steeled myself and walked into the kitchen. I found him bent over with his head in the refrigerator looking for food I didn’t have. With Gil gone, I’d been working more hours and eating at the diner. He stood up, and I was taken aback for a moment. He had gotten a haircut. Without the shaggy brown hair covering his face, I could see his blue eyes and his striking jawline. I smiled just a little at the sight of him.
    â€œâ€™Sup,” he said when he saw me.
    I shook my head and brought myself back to the moment. “Hi. There are granola bars in the cabinet. You can take the box with you on your way out,” I said with as sweet a voice as I could muster.
    â€œOn my way out? I just got here, babe! Aren’t you happy to see me?” Chad put his arm around my waist, pulled me to him, and kissed me hard on the mouth, distracting me from my mission.
    â€œOh yeah. I’m super-happy to see you. It’s just that Tiffany and I were on our way out.”
    â€œWhere’re you going? Can’t it wait?” He cocked his eyebrow.
    â€œWe are . . . house-sitting for a woman in Davie and we have to meet her at her place before she leaves,” I told him.
    â€œFor who? How ’bout I come with you and check the place out?” he said a little too excitedly.
    â€œShe’s a customer from the diner,” I answered quickly. “So you have to go because I have to finish packing and we have to be there in less than an hour.” I pushed Chad out of the kitchen, grabbing the box of granola bars from the cabinet along the way.
    â€œSeriously?”
    â€œSeriously.” I kissed him quickly, shoved the granola bars into his hand, and shut the door behind him.
    I turned to Tiffany. “Go watch out the window to make sure he leaves.”
    Tiffany scurried to the window while I finished packing. I printed another copy of Gil’s contact information so I could leave a copy for Tiff and stuck it in my purse. Since his connection with the universities turned out to be a lie, all I had to go on was the list of hotels.
    â€œHe’s gone. Damn! His car is an