"No way. You go." Wallace tossed the ball across the complex and watched as Backup rushed to the edge of the pool, looked back at Wallace then trotted around the expanse of blue.

"I went last time."

"I'm not the one who's thirsty." He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest in triumph. "Therefore you go."

"Which would be worse?" Veronica asked innocently. "Seeing it for yourself, or having me describe it for you. In all the gruesome detail my private detective trained eye can manage."

"That just ain't right." Wallace dropped his feet to the ground and stood. "You're just unnaturally cruel, you know that?"

"Not nearly as cruel as what you're going to see when you open that door." She grinned. "I mean, there's likely to be canoodling, Wallace. Are you man enough to handle canoodling?"

"You think I'm not man enough?" He glared at her. "Is that what you're suggesting, Mars?"

"I'm suggesting that canoodling might be more than a macho man can take." She lifted her empty soda can and shook it, causing the last few drops to slosh inside. "I'm parched."

"You're not a nice person, Veronica Mars."

"Aww, I made you cookies."

"And never let me forget it." He took the ball that Backup thrust into his hand and tossed it toward the beach. "I'm telling you everything I see."

"You're not going to see anything. You're going to go in there with your hand over your eyes like some big sissy and I'm going to point and laugh."

"Not nice at all, girl." He shook his head and sighed. "All right. You'd better tell me what you want for the rest of the day, because once is about all I can stomach."

"You know what I like." She blew him a kiss as he started for the apartment. "You're too good to me, Wallace Fennell."

"You got that right."

Veronica's laughter followed him all the way to the apartment. He turned back and looked at her, kneeling on the ground next to Backup and scratching him behind the ears. He grinned and opened the door, closing his eyes before he took a single step inside.