Page 69 of Filthy Twisted Devil

“What, I wasn't supportive of your side hustle?” he asks.

“No. You need to be very clear on this, Luke. You never judged me for it, but you knew our relationship could never go anywhere until I quit. So you took me out on a few dates while I was still working to see if we had a spark.”

“Got it. Where was our first date?”

I grin. “Yes. These are exactly the kind of questions you're going to have to answer. I'll let you pick our first date, if you want.”

“Shrimp buffet at a strip club.”

“Luke!”

“Fine! I took you to the Toronto flower market. We walked around while I introduced you to the vendors I know from work, and at the end I bought you a bouquet.”

For a second, I’m too astonished to speak. “Wow. That…that would have worked. I would have thought that was the perfect first date.”

“Right?” He flashes a smile. “I was pretty proud of myself for that one.”

“After that, you can keep it simple. We went to dinner a few times, once at Beau’s restaurant. But things really clicked when I found out about the auction.”

His brow furrows. “What do you mean, when you found out about it?”

“That's the genius of it, Luke. I created it accidentally. I was playing around on the site and accidentally set up an auction. I freaked out and tried to get the site to take it down, but they wouldn’t. So I panicked and I asked you for help. You, like a gentleman, stepped up and made sure you won. You protected my virtue and gave me the final push I needed to quit.”

“That's a pretty good story,” he admits. “It all makes sense to me.”

“Good. Now, Wade is going to ask you the most questions, but he’ll make you feel like none of the answers are good enough. He'll keep you off balance, reserving his judgment. The whole time, he'll be spilling everything he learns to Jasper. Jasper’s the one you really need to worry about.”

“What, does he know martial arts?” Luke jokes.

“He was actually into capoeira for a while, but that’s not what you need to worry about. Jasper is clever and tricky. He’ll drop statements like they’re fact and wait for you to confirm or deny them. Like he might say, ‘I know your first date was mini-golf.’”

“And if I don't tell him the flower market story, I'm screwed.”

“Exactly. Now, Reed won’t say much. He watches more than he speaks, so he’ll make you forget about him. No matter what you do, do not forget about Reed. He’ll catch you in a lie faster than a frog out of a barrel. Keep your wits about you.”

“Got it. Wade’s the leader, Jasper’s the investigator, and Reed is the silent killer.”

“Pretty much.” I take a breath. There’s one more thing he needs to know. “Did I tell you that my mom’s in a wheelchair?”

He glances over at me. “No. You didn’t.”

“Well, she is. She’s got ME/CFS, which is basically chronic fatigue and pain. She’s able to walk, but she gets overexerted easily. She’ll mostly be in her chair.”

I say it all as casually as I can. Sometimes, Mom's illness can freak people out, especially men. Men seem to be uncomfortable with problems that have no solution. All we can do is help Mom manage her pain, and that’s a constant struggle, for her and for us. Over the years, I found that I get the best reactions if I state it as simple fact and act like it’s not a big deal.

Luke’s quiet for a moment while he takes it in. “I'm sorry, Eden,” he says finally. “That must be tough for your family.”

I shrug. “It can be.”

“Is there anything I should know about how to act around her? Would she rather I not bring it up?”

“No, Mom doesn't mind talking about it. She's had more than a decade to get used to it. My brothers can be a little more sensitive, though. I'd avoid the topic around them.”

“Okay. Well, is there anything else I need to know about her? Is she also a secretly maniacal interrogator? Do I need to worry about waking up with her holding a knife above my head?”

I laugh. “No, Mom’s cool. She’ll have questions for you, I’m sure, but they’ll be normal person questions, like if you have any hobbies.”

“Eden, my hobbies are literally poker and booze. She’s the one who’s going to send me back to Toronto with her footprint on my butt.”