She blew raspberries at me. “Must be nice.”
“We have communication problems. He’s a vault and drives me nuts. I know something happened to him.”
“The vibe thing?”
“That and he’s just way too touchy about me seeing his work.”
“Is it an artist thing?”
I shook my head. “It’s more like a dog guarding his food like someone is going to take it away.”
She pulled her legs up crossed them under her. “So, you think a trauma response?”
I really did. I’d even did a bit of a deep dive on social media to see if there was any weird gossip about him, but there was barely anything media beyond reviews and interviews. “I know his mom died when he was young.”
“That’s rough.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think that’s it. I mean maybe some of his guarded tendencies could come from that, but I mean he’s seriously like angry when he thinks I’ve touched any of his things.”
“How angry are we talking.” Her eyes flashed.
“Not that kind of angry. It’s more accusatory. Like he expects me to do the worst every single time. I know we haven’t known one another that long, but he should know I wouldn’t ever betray him.”
Liberty reached out and squeezed my arm. “If it’s a trauma response maybe he doesn’t have any control of it. Even a dog can have one thing happen and it changes their brain chemistry forever. When I volunteered at the animal clinic, there was this one dog who was playful and fun until a dog cornered her. After that she was really reactive.”
“He’d be thrilled that we were talking about him like he’s a dog.” I laughed. “Especially since he keeps trying to convince me he doesn’t love Mouse even though they’re both joined at the hip at least half the day.”
“I don’t trust people who don’t like animals.” She crossed her arms.
“It’s definitely him being miserable. You should see all the things he’s bought for that dog. He loves him.”
“And you?”
“Of course I love Mouse.”
“No, Dutch.”
“I—” I didn’t have an answer. “I might be falling for him, but...”
“I’d say a little more than falling. I’ve never seen you like this about any guy even after you were together with that Evan guy for six months.”
“How can I love him if I don’t really know the important parts of the real him?”
“Think you guys need to have a talk. A real one.”
I flopped back on the couch. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am.” She bounded off the couch. “Now I have to go babysit Dwight and the gang. Thanks for feeding me.”
I pushed myself up. “Of course. I missed you.”
“I missed you too, boo.” She hauled me up off the couch. “Now, go take an everything shower and do a face mask. You’ll feel loads better.”
“Maybe.”
“No maybes. Go do it. That’s an order.”
“I’m the big sister, you know.”
