“Well, since you’re not vigorously defending her or warning me to leave her alone—”
“Come on, Thorn. I was doing that to protectyou. I didn’t want you getting mixed up in any mess she was involved in until I could make sure she wasn’t still a target for the bad guys. The bad guys don’t exist. Ergo, lay it on me. What’s rattling around in that beautiful brain of yours?”
He asked for it. “A lot. Why doesn’t Sesame have any social media accounts? Is Hemsworth just another fake name that she gave us so we couldn’t find the real fake her? Why didn’t Tommy come with her? She came home without him and never mentioned the fact that she was married. Instead she concocts some story based on the plot ofOverboard.”
“I really need to see that movie,” he said.
“Then as soon as I said we were being followed by a man, she was all excited, almost like she was hoping to be followed,” Riley continued.
“So maybe they had a fight?”
“What kind of a fight would be bad enough to leave your husband and unfake your own death?” she asked.
“It couldn’t have been that bad since she opened Weber’s window for him.”
“Agreed.”
“Or maybe it’s all part of some grandiose plot to get Bethame some new shiny thing. Trust me, with her you can never tell.”
Riley mulled that over. “I think something else brought her back to town besides making amends with family. I just don’t know what.”
He rubbed a hand over his sexy, stubbly jaw. “And obviously we can’t just ask her or she’d end up recounting the plot ofRobocop, which I have seen.”
“And every time I did try to poke around in her head, I ended up with psychic vertigo.”
“That explains a lot,” Nick said.
She winced. “Sorry. I meant to tell you that part last night, but your penis made me forget.”
“You’re forgiven based entirely on your compliment of my penis.”
His dimples had her grinning.
He leaned back and interlaced his fingers behind his head. “Here’s another question. What does it matter?”
“You mean to tell me now that you know none of this is your fault you’re not the slightest bit curious about why she came back? Why she changed her appearance? What was she really doing for six years if she wasn’t forced into indentured servitude?”
He scratched the back of his head, and Riley couldn’t help but admire the way his bicep flexed. “Look. I’m not saying I’m not curious. Or that you shouldn’t listen to your instincts because we both know they’ve saved our asses a few times. But Iamsaying it’s a beautiful day. I’ve got a sexy girlfriend with new crop tops. There’s a couple of steaks in the fridge for dinner. And a project or two that involve power tools. Right now, things are pretty fucking great. Let’s take the day for ourselves and worry about where Beth Weber was or what Sesame Hemsworth is up to next week.”
“And you’ll worry with me?” Riley hedged.
“Hell yeah.”
“You must have had a whole lot of stress tied up in feeling responsible for her disappearance,” she observed.
“Baby, I feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders. I could run a marathon or bench press Gabe. I feel so good, I’m not even trying to stop you from throwing me a surprise party.”
“Thank God because Gabe would be crushed.”
Nick looked down at his watch. “You know, we’ve got the house to ourselves right now. We could see how sturdy your desk is.”
Galloping dog paws echoed in the foyer, and Burt let out his “Welcome to my home” bark.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Nick muttered.
“I’m not the one who left the front door unlocked,” she pointed out.
“It’s just me.” Wander strolled in wearing a pair of pink nose plugs and lugging a large plastic storage tote. Burt jogged in after her, carrying his favorite stuffed toy.
