Page 51 of Power Play

“You brought sixteen pillows to Flint.”

“They were expensive and emotionally supportive.”

“I heard.”

“Aura exaggerates.”

“She said you made Easton carry four.”

“He was trying to earn forgiveness. Manual labor builds character.”

Ryan laughed and walked toward the kitchen. “You want water?”

“Do you have anything besides water and protein drinks?”

“Beer.”

“It’s two in the afternoon.”

“Wine.”

I turned toward him. “You have wine?”

He opened the refrigerator and lifted a bottle by the neck.

I recognized the label immediately. “That’s my favorite.”

“You brought it over months ago.”

“There was barely anything left.”

“Enough for a glass.”

“You kept it all this time?”

Ryan closed the refrigerator with his hip. “You sound surprised.”

I was.

I shouldn’t have been. He had remembered my coffee order. He remembered slippers I wore to practice years ago. He had apparently kept four ounces of wine because it belonged to me.

I folded my arms. “I’m deciding whether it’s thoughtful or evidence in a future criminal proceeding.”

“Drink it and decide later.”

He opened a cabinet and pulled down a mug.

I stared. “Absolutely not.”

“It’s clean.”

“That isn’t the issue.”

“You drink wine from plastic cups with Bliss.”

“Bliss believes dishware is a capitalist trap.”

Ryan pulled down the second mug and placed both on the counter. “Then you’ll survive.”