“Morning, Blake,” I said as I walked in.
“Morning,” he said. “I was just trying to get a look at this…this wound.”
“What wound?”
“This one.” He pointed to his jaw. “I cut myself shaving this morning. I think it might be infected.”
“I don’t see anything.”
“You sure?”
I moved closer. From this distance, I could make out a tiny scratch in Blake’s otherwise flawless skin. “It doesn’t look infected,” I said. “Does it hurt?”
“No.”
“Then it’s probably not.”
Blake’s face relaxed. I was used to this. Blake was a very young twenty-two. He’d grown up mostly without a mother and had been through a lot of trauma within the past year.And so, as muscular and self-assured as he appeared on the surface, he was continuously showing me his ouchies. “Thank you, Sunny,” he said.
“Don’t mention it.”
He put down his phone. “How was your weekend?”
“Fantastic.”
“Did Rosie have fun?”
“She did.”
“I wish you’d brought her in. I miss her.”
“She was pretty tired this morning,” I said. “But I’ll bring her in tomorrow.”
“Cool,” Blake said. He loved Rosie. I appreciated that. I also understood his need for a job, and, following the uptick in business, my need for a receptionist. But still, it was hard getting used to anyone in my office every day—especially on those mornings when I wasn’t in the mood to talk. Blake was always in the mood to talk. Always.
“I made coffee,” Blake said. “It’s really good. I saw this TikTok where a girl put a teaspoon of nutmeg and a teaspoon of cinnamon in with the grounds. She said it makes the coffee less bitter, so I tried that and it worked. You want some?”
“Maybe later,” I said. “Thanks.” I started toward my office.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Blake said. “You have a customer…Sorry. Client,” he said. “I’m still learning this private investigator lingo.”
“Potential client? Because I haven’t taken on anybody new.”
“Right. Potential,” he said. “Anyway, she’s in your office.”
“I don’t remember scheduling any meetings.”
“Yeah, it wasn’t on the calendar. But she said it was urgent.”
“Who is she?”
“Dylan’s mom.”
“Dylan Welch?”
“Yeah.”
“I said no to his father.”
