“Your mom named her?”
“My mom gave her to me as a housewarming gift.” He rolls his eyes. “Who gives cats as gifts?”
I laugh again. “Your mom must be funny.”
“She is.” He looks me in the eye. “You going to be okay with Pepper here?”
“Oh. Yeah.” I wave off his question. “She just startled me.”
“Okay,” he says hesitantly. “If you feel scared at all, let me know. I can put her in my bedroom and shut the door.”
“No. Don’t. This is her house too.”
“If you’re sure?” He pushes himself up to stand.
“I’m sure.” I’m not so sure, but I need to try. For Gage.
I watch him return to the kitchen. He’s back in no time. “Here we are.” He brings two plates, forks, napkins, and a glass of water. They’re all balanced precariously on top of a box labeled with the restaurant known for their crust.
“Mm.” I can’t help making that noise. This pizza is amazing. “Smells good.”
He places the box with everything on top onto the coffee table before handing me my water. I take a sip and watch him work. Next, I’m given a plate with two slices of pizza along with a napkin and fork. “Here.” He pushes over a TV tray circa 1965. It’s covered in the famous boomerang pattern I remember seeing on my grandmother’s dining table.
I set my plate on the tray. “Thank you.” Looking around the room, I expect to see another tray, but it looks as though he only has one. Why does that make me smile? Heck, it makes me giddy. Because if he had more than one, he’d have two, and I’d be wondering who the other one was for. But just to be sure. “Is this your only tray? Because I don’t need one.”
“No worries.” He smiles. “I’m used to sitting like this.” I watch him as he sits about two feet from me. He sets his beer between his legs and his plate on top of that, so it rests on his thighs. “Sorry. No dining room.”
“No.” I smile at him. A sincere one. “This is how I do it at home too.” Picking up one of my pizza slices, I close my eyes for my first bite. I want to savor it. “Oh Gob,” I say with my mouth full of yummy pizza. “So goob.”
I open my eyes and blush when I see Gage watching me. To say his gaze is intense is an understatement. He quickly shakes his head and looks down at his food. “I’m starving.” I watch as he devours two slices in the time I’ve barely finished one. “You were hungry. Busy day?”
“Yeah. We drove out to Stuart, Iowa.”
“Stuart? Where’s that?”
“It’s a couple of hours from here. West of Des Moines.”
“Why?” I assume it’s for the investigation.
“Kara’s hometown.”
“Oh.” I look down at my plate as a sense of sadness washes over me. “I feel for her family.”
“Yeah. Her dad’s taken it pretty hard.”
“And her mom?”
“Out of the picture.”
“I get that. I don’t think my father would care if something happened to me, though.” Except he’d be without his writer. He’ll realize that’s going to be a reality soon enough.
I feel Gage’s hand touch mine, and a shiver runs up my arm. “Don’t say that. I’m sure he’d be devastated.”
I snort. “Believe me, Dr. Dorian Gray Buchanan only cares about himself.”
He squeezes my arm a little. “I’m sorry, Daisy.”
My goodness, the sound of his voice is so sweet, so sincere.
“Don’t worry. I’m used to it. Besides”—I smile—“I’m not going to be doing his research for much longer.”
“Oh?” He eats another slice of pizza in record time. Where the hell does he store the stuff? His body looks like he treats it like a temple. “What will you do when you’re finished with that?”
“I’ve got something else lined up.”
“Is it, um, here in Ames?”
“For now.” I nod and reach out to get another piece of pizza. This will be my third and last. I’m already stuffed to the gills, but I don’t get pizza very often. I feel like I need to indulge.
“Here.” He hands me the honey. “For the crust.”
“Oh, I forgot.” Damn. Now I’ll be so full, I’ll have to waddle out of here.
“So, this new job…,” he asks tentatively.
“It’ll be remote, so I can work from anywhere.”
“Oh.” He smiles. “Good.”
Hell yes. He said “good.”
I’m not sure what to do after we’ve finished dinner, so I ask, “Can I help you clean up?” I know, it’s only two plates and a pizza box, but it’s impolite not to offer.
“Nah. I’ve got it.”
Should I leave?
“Want to watch a movie or something?”
Thank goodness he brought it up.
Not wanting to lose this thread, I say, “Sure. Do you have any of the subscription channels? You know, like Netflix?” Ooh, Netflix and chill.
“No. I’m not here enough. I’ve got a bunch of DVDs in that cupboard next to the television. Go ahead and pick something out while I start up the dishwasher.”
Opening the cupboard door, I’m not sure what I expect to see. Certainly not this. “You have every Harry Potter movie?”
“Yeah. I read all the books as they were released, so I had to see the movies. My family sent those over to me on the base while I was overseas.”
Wait one second…. “You were in the service?”
“I was. Four years.”
“Which branch?”
“Army. MP. Military police.”
I guess it makes sense that’s he’s a cop now.
When he steps back into his living room, he’s holding a fresh glass of water for me. “You sure you don’t want a beer?” he asks.
“No. I’m driving. And Ames cops are hard-core.”
He laughs again, like he did before. “You’re right. They can be assholes.”
“I’ve heard.” I roll my eyes, then smile. Reaching in, I grasp my choice. “Let’s watch the first Harry Potter.”
“Sounds good.” Taking it from me,
