I bite back the retort on my tongue about her already having a hundred and sixty grand of it and slip the card back into my wallet.
We sit in awkward silence, and I’m about to fill it when she speaks. “That was very nice of you though. Thank you.” She bumps her arm against mine. “But you know I can’t take your money, right?”
“I know. It was a stupid suggestion. I just want you both to have a good day.”
“We will.” A faint smile lights up her face. “You don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a good day shopping, at least not with Ash. You could come with us? She’ll teach you the art of window-shopping.”
Spending the day with her makes even that torture sound appealing, but I decline because she deserves some quality time with her sister. “As incredibly fun as that sounds, I think I’ll pass.”
She chuckles. “Yeah, I don’t blame you, Ice.”
My heart hammers double time in my chest at her use of that name. She must feel it too because her breath hitches in her throat.
“That shower is incredible!” Ashley’s excited shriek pierces the air between us. She flops onto the armchair and starts running through her shopping itinerary, which she appears to have planned with military precision.
My cell phone rings, providing me with the perfect excuse to leave the room. When I see the name flashing on the screen, I realize my day is about to get a whole lot more complicated.
I wait until I’m out of earshot before I answer. “Hey, Jessie.”
“Hi, Nathan. I have some information for you. Sorry it took so long, but you said it wasn’t urgent and things have been hella busy around here.” She lets out a breath. “Anyway, that was some rabbit hole you sent me down.”
“It was?”
She laughs. “I haven’t worked that hard for a long time.”
“Shit. I’m sorry if it took up too much of your time.” Until I saw her name on my phone a few minutes ago, I’d almost forgotten I asked her to look into Luke Edison’s murder a few months back.
“Please don’t apologize. I love this stuff. But accessing records from seventeen years ago isn’t as easy as getting information on more recent stuff, is all. There were so many red herrings to follow. Whoever covered this up did a hell of a job.”
My interest piqued, I head to my office and close the door. “Okay, give me everything you got.”
“How’s Mel?” Elijah places the tray containing our coffees and two bear claws on the table before taking a seat.
It’s been over a week since she lost the baby, and we’ve settled into a routine where she watches god-awful TV or reads while I work on the sofa beside her. Each day I see a little more of her laughter and light. Having her sister home certainly seems to have lifted her spirits. “She’s doing as well as can be expected, I guess.”
He arches an eyebrow. “And you?”
I shrug. “I’m good.”
“Don’t lie to me, Nathan.”
“What? I’m okay. I mean, it was … the baby was a part of her, Elijah. She lost a part of herself.”
His brown eyes soften. “It was a part of you too.”
I swallow down the knot of sadness in my throat. “I know. But I’m okay.”
“And this thing between you and Mel?”
I frown. “What about it?”
He shrugs. “Seems like you two have been getting along well. Is she back for good?”
I shake my head. “Only until her cousin gets back to town next week.”
He takes a sip of his coffee. “And how do you feel about that?”
“Jesus Christ, Elijah, is this some sort of therapy session?” I ignore the disapproving look from the woman at the table next to ours.
He rolls his eyes and leans forward, completely unaffected by me snapping at him. “I fucking care about you, asshole. Sue me.”
I snort. “If I did sue you, I’d win.”
“Yeah, the Iceman is a real shark.”
I roll my shoulders. “Yeah, don’t forget it, buddy.”
He smirks and gives me a pat on the shoulder. “Seems to me like the ice man has thawed for his veterinary nurse.”
I grind my jaw and glare at him.
He cocks his head. “Touched a nerve?”
“Fuck you.”
“Nice,” he mutters.
