Page 26 of Dark Obsession

“Just a little before your time?” Paul said with a chuckle.

“He graduated the year after I was born,” Cody said, and they both laughed.

“Hey, how’d that filet mignon turn out last night?”

“Really good, thanks for suggesting it.”

“Looking for something different for tonight?”

“Yeah, we’ve had red meat a lot lately.”

After some discussion, Paul talked him into two thick cut pork chops then tore off a small piece of butcher paper and wrote out a recipe for brine to soak them in and spray on during grilling.

“Paul, you’re a prince among butchers.”

“You take care, linebacker. Let me know how those chops turn out.”

Cody wheeled the cart away from the meat counter. He picked up the ingredients for the brine, some vegetables for a salad, and a variety of berries and vegetables for Trevor, then headed for the checkout. The cashier was pretty new at the store, Annie Wilkerson, a woman he knew from high school. She’d been a grade ahead of him and Demmy. He’d asked her out one time, but she’d laughed at him. He recalled her hanging out with a pretty tough crowd who scowled around their Marlboro Reds at Cody and his jock friends.

“Hot one out there,” Cody said.

She nodded, not making eye contact as she scanned his items. A man walked fast through the doors, gripping a green apron that matched the one Annie wore.

“You’re late,” Annie said, barely giving him a glance. “Again.”

“I know, shut up,” the man said as he hurried past her register.

The new arrival bore a faint resemblance to Annie, and then Cody remembered she had a twin brother named Andy. He’d been a skinny kid, similar in build to Demmy, quiet and skittish. Cody couldn’t remember seeing him with many friends, and while it hadn’t really affected him much at the time, looking back on it now, he felt an empathetic pang of loneliness for the guy. As Andy pushed through a door labeled Employees Only, the glimpse he caught of the man’s tight, slightly wide-eyed expression made him think about the way Demmy used to look sitting by himself up in the bleachers at Cody’s games.

Annie announced his total, and Cody nodded unnecessarily before swiping his card. He grabbed his bags, wished Annie a good evening, to which she didn’t bother to respond, and headed for the truck. He thought about Annie and Andy on the drive home, wondering what had happened to them in all the years since high school, and if Annie still preferred the bad boys.

Once home, he mixed up the brine in a large bowl and submerged the chops, placing it all in the refrigerator. With that done, he assembled a portion of the berries and vegetables in a smaller bowl and carried it out the side door. The sun was low now, the birds trilling either goodnights or curses to each other as they headed for their nests. Someone on the block was mowing their lawn, and the smell of a charcoal barbecue grill floated on the humid air.

“Hey, freeloader, you hungry?” he called as he approached the raccoon’s living space they’d built on the side of the garage. Trevor’s masked face poked out of the enclosure, whiskers twitching and eyes bright. “I thought so. This is going on your tab, you know.”

While Trevor ate, Cody pulled the gas grill from the garage and lit it, then went inside to grab the chops. Demmy pulled in the driveway as Cody was removing the chops from the grill.

“Perfect timing,” Cody called. “Dinner’s almost ready.”

“Smells good.”

Demmy put an arm around Cody’s waist and leaned against him. Cody leaned down to kiss the top of his head.

“Long day?” Cody asked, one arm around Demmy as he switched off the burners.

“Yeah. And not seeing you all day made it feel twice as long.”

Cody kissed the top of his head again. “Saying things like that makes me think you like spending time with me.”

“It does? Dang, I need to watch what I say.”

Demmy stepped away to talk to Trevor but returned to help Cody carry things inside. They washed up at the kitchen sink and sat at the dining room table. The pork chops were moist and tender, and Cody made a mental note to thank Paul for the brine recipe.

After they’d each taken a few bites, Cody leaned back. He toyed with his fork, running the pad of his thumb along the handle. The overhead light sparked along the tines.

“You okay?” Demmy asked.

Cody looked at him, noted the worry lines in his forehead.