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“Hey,” I replied.
“Jesus Christ, not you two as well,” Kelp muttered. “Colder than a witch’s tit in here.”
Bones glared at him.
“Are you coming back?” Rach asked me.
“I have to drop Bones off, so yeah, I’ll be coming back.”
She nodded. “Can we talk? Later?”
“Sure.” I looked at Bones. “You ready?”
“My shirt is stained with grease and I don’t have a clean one. I’m not really restaurant appropriate.”
“We can figure something else out,” I said.
We headed toward my car. Bones didn’t say anything as he opened my door for me. I climbed in and he shut it. He walked around to the other side and got in.
“Okay, what the hell is this?” I blurted out.
“What the hell is what?” His tone was calm, his expression impassive.
“You’re acting like a stranger.”
“Duchess, you pushed me away and I haven’t heard from you in three days. How the fuck else do you want me to act?”
I blinked. “Phone works both ways.”
“You said I was smothering you. So I backed the fuck off.”
“Oh.” I frowned. “I did say that, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you did.” He rubbed the back of his neck in frustration and then lowered his hands. His knuckles were raw.
“You were sparring too?” I asked.
“How’d you know?”
“Logan mentioned it.” I shrugged.
He paused for a moment and then said, “Everyone’s still reeling.”
“When’s the funeral?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Would you have told me? If I hadn’t asked?”
“Why would I have told you?” His eyes met mine and the coldness evaporated, replaced by burning emotion. “You said it yourself. You’re not one of us.”
I tried not to flinch from the sharp blade of his words.
“I didn’t belong at the wedding either, but I came with you. Do you really think I wouldn’t come with you to a funeral?”
“I don’t know. I thought I was beginning to know you. But you left the wedding. And you wouldn’t let me take care of you. Why won’t you let me take care of you, Duchess?”
“And why do you want to take care of me?” I asked. “Why, Bones?”
