Page 145 of A Matter of Time

“You didn’t deserve all that. Can you forgive me?”

“I already did,” I told him honestly, smiling up at the waiter as he dropped off my smoky black tea and Nick’s cappuccino. “God, I love oolong.” I grinned over at him.

“It smells like sweat socks,” he assured me, hand on the back of my neck, massaging the base of my skull, his fingers sliding over the groove.

I laughed, and he smiled wide. Yeah, it did sort of smell like that. But it tasted like heaven.

“And so—talk. You were being chased and⁠—”

“I can’t talk about that.”

“No?”

I shook my head. “It’s an ongoing investigation.”

“Okay then… I don’t know what you did for Thanksgiving. Fill me in,” he ordered, taking a sip of his cappuccino and getting foam on his upper lip.

Without even a thought, I reached out and wiped it off with my fingers. “I’m sorry I didn’t use the plane ticket and go skiing with you.”

“It’s okay. I got to see my family instead, and that was good. Everything happens for a reason.”

“I agree.”

We were silent for a few minutes.

“You look great.”

“Thanks.” I smiled at him. “You too.”

“Can I ask something?”

“’Course.”

“Are you sleeping with that detective?”

“Yes.” I answered without hesitation.

“I see. And you’re staying with him?”

“No,” I lied. It was none of his business. “But I don’t want to talk about this.”

“Yeah, but⁠—”

“Really,” I insisted.

He was quiet a moment, and then he brightened.

“Well, in the meantime, tell me where you live now, because I went by your old place, but your landlord said you were gone.”

“I live close to downtown.”

“Can I come see your new place?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“When?”

“I need to have a party one of these days, I’m thinking maybe New Year’s.”