AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nutsbe noticed her suit jacket lying over Henrietta’s bed.
“Still puke spewed,” Olivia had followed his gaze. “I gave it to Henrietta before you came so she could smell you in her house and, luckily Beowolf, too. That way, she could get used to everyone’s scents. My friend Jaylen did that when she brought her newborn home, and her pup immediately took to the baby.”
“Seems to be working.”
Nutsbe looked over at the TV. “Sumo wrestling?”
“Yup. Big fan.”
“Really?”
“It’s very satisfying, I think, to watch someone respectfully face an adversary, grab hold of them, and pitch them out of a ring.” She sent him a smile. “Did you know that some sumo wrestlers eat up to seven thousand calories a day?” She raised her brows. “Yeah, they keep their weight up as part of their job. Interestingly, because of their workouts, they don’t have visceral fat to make them unhealthy. I think about that whenever I sit down to a high-carb meal like tonight’s. Carbs are stress relieving, sure, but since I’m not in the ring … If you don’t mind, I’m going to leave you to monitor the dogs. I need to go upstairs to get cleaned up and changed out of these clothes.” She laughed. “Sorry, that sounded very nineteen-forties Hollywood, ‘let me slip into something more comfortable.’” She affected a May West accent. Turning to the den, Olivia added, “Either way, that’s exactly what I intend to do.” Beowolf and Henrietta had curled up together on the rug. “I think they’re okay. If you want to wash up before dinner, the bathroom is on the right.” She pointed. “Make yourself at home.” She held her hands wide, inviting him to go where he wanted. “I’ll be right back.”
Nutsbe found a place on the couch. Moments later, the shower was running overhead. It took considerable self-discipline to stop himself from imagining a naked Olivia with suds snaking down her water-warmed body. He reached over, grabbed the coffee table book, and focused on those pictures instead.
When she came down, her hair was still a bit damp. Dressed in black leggings, with an overly large rose-colored sweatshirt, she had brightly colored hand-knit socks on her feet.
When she saw him focusing on them, Olivia held up a foot. “My Aunt Jo made these for me.”
“Thanks for having me for dinner.” He stood. “You sure you want me to stay? It’s been a hell of a day,” Nutsbe said.
“I’d like you to stay. Mostly for the company,” she wandered toward the kitchen, “but there’s also my childhood compulsion.” She smiled over her shoulder at him. “Even if I’m not doing the cooking myself, it’s what we do in my family. Sick? Here’s food. Sad? Here’s food. Celebrating? Here’s food. That way, we don’t have to find the right words.” She pressed her lips together and looked unhappy with what she’d just said. “Let me try that again. Thank you for your company. Also, if it’s not food, I don’t know how to thank you for all the ways you’ve made things better for me and Henrietta over the last couple of days, even though I seem to be the pivot point for putting you in bad situations. I feel both guilty and humbled.”
“You’re okay, Olivia,” Nutsbe said gently. “It’s okay.”
She blinked at him.
“Just as long as you aren’t crying. Everything’s okay.”
“To that last point, you need to brace yourself,” Olivia said, moving to the counter, opening the cupboard, and reaching for the dinner plates. “I got word we’re back in court tomorrow morning. I called Candace, and she said she’ll go if Beowolf is there.” She handed them off to Nutsbe, who put them on the table. “She has a subpoena to show up, but that doesn’t mean she won’t run away if she feels too vulnerable. And she is key to this case.”
“I’m glad she feels Beowolf is a help.” He put the plates on the table. “I’ll head to her house in the morning.” He searched along the line of drawers. “Where do you keep the cutlery?”
“Here in this drawer.” Olivia bumped her hip against the counter and stepped out of his way. “Napkins below.”
“Hopefully, there will be no tears tomorrow, something else instead—righteous indignation, fury. Those are good emotions to have.”
Olivia dumped the salad from the takeout container into a salad bowl. “Can you get the dressing? Fridge. Top shelf, right.”
Nutsbe turned as she leaned over the oven to pull out the lasagna pan and enjoyed a momentary glance at her heart-shaped ass before turning back to set the table.
They sat, and for a long, comfortable time, they ate in silence.
“Where are your freckles from?” Nutsbe stood to take their empty plates to the sink.
“You mean DNA-wise? No idea. I'm a mutt.” She wiped her mouth. “What about you? Where is Crushed from?”
“It was Havaror,” Nutsbe returned for the salad dressing, then headed to the fridge, “an old Norse name.”
“I don’t get it.” She canted her head. “How did Havaror become Crushed?”
Nutsbe scratched his thumb along his jaw. “The family story goes that on Ellis Island when they asked my many greats grandfather for his name, he didn’t understand, so he said the last English word he’d heard. We think someone might have yelled, ‘I’m getting crushed!’ as they left the boat. And so when they asked him something, he just said that.”
“Crushed.” She looked at him, processing. “Crushed?” Olivia laughed. “That’s spectacular. That’s an amazing story. Which do you like better, Havaror or Crushed?”
He winked. “I think my many-greats grandfather crushed it when picking a new name.”
“Cute.” She stood and pushed her chair, turning to stand in front of Nutsbe. “But you know for sure it was Havaror?” Her head tipped back to hold his gaze.
