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She forced a smile this time.
“Well, you do know how to get me there all the time,” she said.
“One good thing about me,” he said. He threw the covers back and got up, then started to get dressed. “Are you hungry? I can throw together something quick.”
“I could eat,” she said. “I can cook if you want. I’m sure you had a long night. I saw the news.”
“The news always glosses things over,” he said. “It’s all good. Happy ending for all.”
“I don’t think so,” she said.
“No,” he said, turning to look at her. “Two lives were lost, and others terrorized. I don’t need to talk about it. Don’t ask me to. I can do my job because I leave it where it is. This is my safe zone.”
He wasn’t being nasty with his words. He was being honest.
She couldn’t tell him how to handle things. She shouldn’t either.
He had to live with it.
He’d said before this was the most peaceful place he’d ever lived. She’d never used the words safe zone but because he did, she’d honor that.
“Then let’s eat,” she said. “I’ll cook and you can tell me what you did today.”
“Slept,” he said. “Then laundry. We can cook together.”
There was no reason to argue. “Sounds about as interesting as my day.”
He laughed at her. The forced one again. “I highly doubt that. You probably created five new scents or products.”
“Hardly,” she said.
They got food out of the fridge and ended up eating leftovers from last night. Neither of them brought up the fact that less than twenty-four hours ago they were going to have a fun crazy night of sex like they always did and go about their day as if he hadn’t only witnessed death but been the one to bring an end to the events that unfolded last night.
When dinner was cleaned up, he said, “I’m really beat. Zane has me doing a few things for him tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she said. That was his subtle way of wanting her to leave. She was going to hold the hurt back. She’d have to figure this out another way.
Or maybe she’d just have to accept he’d given her all that he could and she’d have to decide if it’d be enough.
40
Do Him Good
“How are you doing?” Zane asked him the next day. They were in the barn at Zane’s house. Luke was going to help out doing some demo at a home not that far from here.
He needed to smash some shit and was thrilled when Zane texted him yesterday.
Now he figured there was a reason for it.
“Good,” he said.
“You sure?” Zane asked, loading up his truck.
“I never knew you to be so chatty before,” he said. “Or do you have a degree in psychology now?”
Zane cracked a grin. “My wife is making me soft. Or I should say my daughter started it. But I know you. I’ve known you longer than them.”
Which was part of the reason he wanted to bail today but said it might do him good.
