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“That’s not the point.” I shake my head.
“Like your birthday.” She raises a hand. “Backwards.”
“How is that easy? You don’t even know what that is.”
“Of course, I do! Seven, eight, three, one, four, zero. April thirteenth, nineteen-eighty-seven but backwards.” She gestures like she’s typing it into her keypad.
I blink at her. “You remember my birthday?”
“Of course. I’m good at birthdays though.”
“Yes but…even the year?”
“I’m good at math and you’re thirty—five.”
“You’re terrible at math.” I correct and the thought that she’s able to rattle off my birthday so easily lingers in my brain longer than it should.
She huffs. “Can we use that or not?”
I smile at her because technically, yes. It’s obscure and difficult and an intruder only has about thirty seconds to get it right. I also have it wired that two wrong tries immediately alert the police. Which is why I don’t let her do it when she’s been drinking after more than a few visits from the police department when she’d gotten it wrong.
“Fine. When Veronica comes in and I’m sure you two are in for the night, I’ll change it.”
She nods and continues to move around the pool. I let my feet stretch out in front of me and look up at the sky. We sit in a comfortable silence, just the sounds of her splashing around in the water when she speaks up.
“Did you love her?”
I raise my head and look at Shay who’s moved a little further into the water so more of her breasts are covered. “What?”
“Your ex-girlfriend. You said she loved you. But…did you love her?”
“We are back on this?” I should have known that revealing details of my past would send Shay down a rabbit hole of wanting information.
“Well, you know everything about me and my past relationship. Thought we could even the playing field some.”
I want to tell her that is not how this works. While, yes, I know a lot about her because it’s my job, she doesn’t need to know anything about me, so I’m shocked that different words come out. “At the time, I thought so.”
“You’re not sure anymore?”
“No.” My lips form a line. “She was loyal and I valued that but I’m not sure that I loved her.”
“Loyalty is pretty important,” she says and I’m sure her recent experience is going to make her question everyone moving forward.
“Yes, of course. Probably the top of the list, but I wasn’t in love with her and that’s pretty important too.”
“Fair. Have you ever been in love?”
“I don’t think so.”
She nods. “Where are your parents? You don’t talk about them much. Or anyone in your family. Do you have siblings?”
“I do have parents, yes.” I nod. “Well, a father and a stepmother.”
She cocks her head to the side in question. “Where’s your mom?”
“She left when I was young.”
“I’m sorry, Damian,” she murmurs. “That’s tough. Were you old enough to remember her?”
