“Not bad for your first time.”
“Faint praise, but I’ll take it. Thank you for…well, everything.”
“Pay me back by letting me take you to dinner.”
“How would that be paying you back? I don’t follow your logic.” And she suspected there were undercurrents of human interaction here that she wasn’t able to understand. Oddly, a memory from a recent movie marathon with Pam provided the answer as Adriel searched her mind for context. “A date?” Her shocked tone turned the half-grin on his face into a toothy smile.
“Now you’re catching on. I just want to get to know you better. Over dinner.”
Her angel past and her human present started a full-on battle over whether dating was something either of them should be doing, while Callum waited with an amused expression on his face as though he could see her internal struggle.
Human beat angel, which, she supposed, spoke volumes about how free will actually works. It was a bad idea, and she didn’t care, because she felt drawn to him in ways that had everything to do with hormones.
“Okay, but I get to choose the venue.”
“Pick you up at seven?”
“Tomorrow night. I’ve got something I need to do today.”
“Pick someplace nice, okay?”
“I’ve already decided. Athena’s.”
“You’re killing me, Angel.”
A shiver ran through her.
***
The sharp smell of grease assaulted Adriel’s nose through the open garage bay door as she wheeled the bike toward Damien Oliver.
“I was hoping you might have a minute to check my bike over before I take it out for a spin.”
“Sure. Just give me a second.” An air wrench bucked to life with a high-pitched whirring sound when he applied it to the last two lug nuts on a rusty pickup truck. While she waited, Adriel glanced with interest at the organized chaos around her. Tools spilled out of wheeled metal boxes and across his workbench.
“Okay, let’s have a look. Is this Craig’s old Schwinn?”
“It is. Pam suggested I pull it out of storage and give it some use. If you think it’s road worthy, that is. I could use a long ride after all the commotion out at my place lately.” For a split second, Damien froze. Adriel only caught the slight pause because she was watching his reaction closely.
“Shame about what happened,” he changed the subject. “You don’t have to worry about anything, bike’s safe as houses.”
“You must have been around when Ben went missing, what’s your theory?”
“It was an accident. Had to be. No one in this town would deliberately kill a kid. You’re all set now, is there anything else I can do for you?”
“How much do I owe you?” Adriel couldn’t tell if he was rushing her out because he had too much work, or if he didn’t want to talk about Ben anymore.
“No charge.” He gave her a wide smile, then flipped the handle on the lift to lower the pickup while Adriel rode away, unsure whether she had learned anything or not.
Chapter 12
Rough-textured floorboards chafed at her bare feet when Adriel stepped onto the porch, a steaming cup of mediocre coffee in her hand. Early morning sun teased a pleasant heat from the boards that would later in the day turn too warm to navigate without shoes. When her foot unexpectedly came down on something alive and moving, Adriel jumped halfway out of her skin, but managed to keep the shriek from escaping her lips. A mouse no bigger than a walnut scurried under the chair to peer back at her with accusing eyes.
"Sorry, didn't see you."
The tiny creature limped out from the shadows, his left hind foot cocked at an odd angle.
"Did I do that to you?" Poor thing. Did he just shake his head? It must have been her imagination. "Well, come on, then. Let's have a look." The mouse willingly scampered onto Adriel’s outstretched hand, where he sat impassively while she poked and prodded. At her gentle touch on his injured foot, a tingle passed from her to him. The foot straightened and healed. If only she had more control of the power Estelle assured her she still retained. Maybe someday.
"I'm going to put you back in the field and you're going to stay outside.” A wagging finger emphasized her point. “Your bathroom habits aren't fit for indoor living."
Sharing a home with Winston, even if he refused to talk to her, was one thing—and while she loved the little creatures of the world, she preferred not to live with all of them. Anything that poops while it eats was not on her list of potential housemates.
While she talked to him, the bright little mouse sat on her hand, his beady eyes brimming with humor—okay, you have to look for it in animals, but it's there—and with her attention focused on him, Adriel totally missed seeing or hearing Callum until he spoke.
"Good morning, Snow White. Or, would that be Adriel Doolittle?"
It took a second to leaf through her mental catalog for the reference. Snow White. Disney movie adapted from a fairy tale. The main character talked to animals. Dr. Doolittle, also made into a movie and he also talked to animals. Got it.
"Most creatures are friendly if you approach them gently." Sweeping past him and down the steps, Adriel relished the sensation on her bare feet as she crossed the cooler, slightly damp grass to let the mouse go at the edge of the field. Callum caught the double meaning easily enough, and she felt his amused gaze on her.
"Oh, I can be plenty gentle if you've a mind to get friendly." His voice, low and smooth, cruised over her nerves to send them jangling into alarm mode. Her response to him had to be a sign that he was dangerous in some capacity she didn't quite understand.
"Yes, well." Adriel’s noncommittal reply, meant to dissuade him from pursuing the conversation, failed utterly, and when she turned back, his body blocked the steps. To go back inside meant brushing past him—maybe even touching
