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He gaped at her. “A cricket? He keeps a cricket for a pet? Why not a dog or a cat?”
“He said he had a dog. It tore up the floor in his kitchen, twice, and the cat he got to replace it ripped his furniture to shreds. He says a cricket can’t do either of those things.”
He just shook his head. “It takes all kinds, I guess. Maybe I can get used to it.”
She smiled. “Earplugs,” she suggested. “It’s how I sleep late. My neighbor on the other side is in a band. He has drums. He practices early in the morning.” She sighed. “It’s a wonder that I’m not mentally disarranged.”
“Except for wanting to put people in stocks.”
“Even you must agree that some people would benefit from it,” she pointed out.
He chuckled. “I guess so.”
She finished her coffee, and stood up. “Thanks for the company,” she said, and the tiredness showed on her pretty face now. “I’m going home to bed.”
“Remember to put in the earplugs,” he suggested. He got up too, and they both headed for the exit.
“I may need to double them.” She laughed. “See you, Chicago,” she added, giving him a nickname.
“See you, Raven girl.”
“Actually, I feed ravens,” she said, a little hesitantly. “They come every day to the back deck. My father hated them. He shot one. I buried it myself.” She felt uneasy that she’d said what she did. “Forget I said that, please, people in town revered my father. They thought he was a great cop.”
“Your dad was a cop?” he asked, surprised, as they reached his car and he opened the door for her.
She nodded. “He was chief of police here, in fact.”
“How did he die?”
She bit her lip.
He moved a step closer. Just a step, but she tensed. “How?” he repeated softly.
“One of the local stores was robbed by an escaped fugitive. He ran and my father ran after him, into an alley. The perp spun around and put a bullet right through my father’s head.” She turned away. “It was a while ago.”
“I’m so sorry,” he said, and meant it.
She forced herself not to cry. It was a public place. She took a deep breath.
“Thanks for listening,” she said after a minute. She turned and looked up at him with eyes that were still too bright. “He was a hero to the townspeople. But that was his public face. People are different behind closed doors.”
“Some people,” he agreed. “You never know until afterwards.”
“You’re not married.”
“No. But I lived with a woman on and off for a few years. I bought a set of rings, the day before she told me she was leaving.” His eyes were sad. “Sometimes you don’t know people even when you live with them.”
“I guess we’re both clued in about that, wouldn’t you say?” she asked.
“Do you want to get married?”
“No,” she said at once. She drew in a long breath. “I just want to go to sleep. I’m worn out.”
He nodded. His dark eyes twinkled. “Pole dancing can do that to you,” he remarked facetiously. Whatever she worked at, she wasn’t a pole dancer. But it was fun to tease her and watch her silver eyes flash at him. She had beautiful eyes.
She made a face. “You wish. Good night.”
“It’s morning.”
