“She’s vague on the details, but yeah. She probably startled him.”
“I was right here. I never heard a thing.” I was sick in the stomach knowing I had been so close while she fended off an intruder.
“Don’t.”
“It wasn’t my fault, doesn’t change the fact that it sucks I was here and was unable to help her.”
I put his coffee in a travel mug since I knew he wasn’t staying. He would want to follow up on this Castile guy. I handed it to him. He had the oddest look on his face.
“You’re not staying, but you wanted coffee.”
“Thanks. Do not leave with—”
“Without calling you, I know.”
He started for the door. “I like your pajamas. There’s only one thing I like on you more.”
That comment was unexpected and tummy flipping, especially recalling how he had looked when I opened the door. “What do you like on me more?”
He had reached the door and was halfway through it when he looked back and grinned. “Me.”
The door closed on his chuckle and I headed to the bathroom for a nice cold shower.
Mom showed up on my doorstep the following morning, but instead of her normal wackiness, she was frighteningly serious. She pushed into my apartment before spinning around and leveling her no-nonsense look at me.
“What’s going on? I had the most unusual conversation with Miranda the other day.”
Betty and I were still taking turns spending time with Mrs. Cooke. She didn’t want to be home alone and we didn’t want her to be home alone either. What I hadn’t known about her was that she was a conspiracy theorist and under the circumstances she wasn’t wrong, but her theories were so far from the reality of things…little green men, spaceships. I believed in aliens, don’t get me wrong, but the man that attacked her had been human, not a bloodthirsty extraterrestrial. He was also gone. I didn’t know what happened to him, suspected Damian and Anton were behind it, but Betty, who had been crushing on the man, informed me that he had all but disappeared.
“I don’t believe aliens invaded her home, but someone did. What happened?”
“One of the tenants who recently moved in had sticky fingers.”
Mom’s face paled since she caught on immediately. “She walked in on him robbing her.”
“Yeah.”
“Where is this pillar of the community now?”
“Gone. My guess Damian is ‘questioning him’.”
“I think I’d like to see Damian questioning him.”
“You and me both.”
“Miranda is going to stay with me for a while. I know you and Betty have been taking turns, but I think she’ll feel safer being away from here completely.”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
“Maybe you should too.”
“I rarely leave my apartment and when I do I have to call Damian first.”
“That’s not a hardship, but why do you have to call Damian? Is it related to what Cam is investigating?”
“Yes. They told you?”
“He hadn’t intended to share, but I’m Rosalie Ahern.”
“You badgered him until he cried uncle.”
“Exactly.”
“So you know that yoga man—”
“Is one of Damian’s, yes I know.”
“What is yoga man’s real name?”
“Mark,” Mom said, looking a little worried.
“Are you okay?”
“What, that Cam is looking into your Dad’s old cases? Yeah, I remember your dad right before…he had been working late a lot and was rather disheartened. If Cam can bring to light whatever that trouble was, I’m all for it as long as he is being smart about it.”
“I think he is being smart.”
“I know he is. He has Anton and Damian watching his back and ours.”
“True. Be careful, watchful.”
“Are you kidding? In our neighborhood? People know what’s happening to you before you do. We’ll be covered.”
Yeah, they would be.
She pulled me close. “I love you, Thea.”
“I love you too.”
She took my hands into hers. “And Damian? What’s going on with you two?”
“What we felt as kids is still there, but stronger. And I love him. I’ve always loved him. Getting a chance to be with him, the man he is now. I’ve waited a long time for him and he was worth waiting for.”
Her smile took up her whole face. “I thought so. The sparks between you are like the Fourth of July.” She squeezed my hands. “I’m glad something good came out of this.”
“Me too.”
She started for the door. “I need to introduce Miranda to yoga man.”