“Didn’t want to follow in your dad’s footsteps?” Beau continued with his inquiry. Something told me he’d come from a long line of men in uniform himself. In his case, probably in the law enforcement field.
“I think I went the route I was supposed to,” was all I could give him.
“Delta, right?” Beau gestured to Trevor. “He mentioned Ryder is, so I’m guessing you were, too?”
I nodded as Chase clapped and announced “Done!” while still chewing. “Show me your tricks now. Can you make yourself disappear, too?”
Unfortunately. In more ways than one.I kicked that shit thought to the side and did what I did best: cut through tension with both humor and magic, distracting everyone from their problems.
I wasn’t sure how long I entertained Chase, along with everyone else at the table, but time flew by.
“How about we all watch a movie? I’m sure Alex is tired now,” Eden proposed, and I was grateful for that suggestion because I was running out of magic tricks that involved cards. “Sound like a good idea?”
“All rightttt.” Chase stood and picked up his plate. “Only if Uncle Alex comes.”
The last thing I wanted to do was intrude on more of their family time. “We’ll see.”
I waited for him to leave with Eden for their living room, and after Beau pulled Trevor aside to talk about the case, I busied myself with helping Audrey clear the dishes.
Of course, that meant we were now alone, together, in the private kitchen.
“Thank you for helping get his mind off everything,” she said as I joined her at the sink. “He’ll sleep better tonight for that.” She playfully hip-checked me. “You’ve got skills, though. Impressive.”
“Yeah, well, I had no choice but to learn.” I rested my side against the counter and grabbed a dish towel to dry the pots and pans after she rinsed them. “You should’ve seen me get sawed in half when I was a kid. Or break free from chains inside a tank of water.”
“You can do all that, too?” She turned off the faucet and faced me.
“That I can.” I smiled, setting the last of the dishes on the rack. “A man of many skills.”
“Including how to dodge a sheriff’s questions with a certainje ne sais quoi,” she teased, pulling out a French accent.
“Wrong language,” I teased back, instead of acknowledging the fact she’d read me right in not wanting to talk about why I’d chosen the military over stepping into my father’s shoes like he’d hoped. I barely talked about that with people I knew well, let alone a stranger.
“You want to hear me talken español, do you?” Her entire face lit up as she stared at me. “Unfortunately, if you don’t use it ... you lose it. Forgot everything I learned in school.” She wet her lips. “But I’d love to hear you talk to meen español.”
“If you’re lucky, maybe I will.” That deep rasp in my voice should not have been present. I quickly cleared my throat and backed away, remembering I was supposed to be putting up walls to protect us both, and there I was building her a drawbridge she could use to drop on over anytime. “Anyway.”
She smiled. “I like that word almost as much as using L-O-L at the end of texts. Great awkward-killer.”
This woman and her blunt honesty were going to send me.
You know, over the edge.
Falling hard.
I may have had a soft spot for women who told the truth. Wonder why?
“Anyway, I should probably skip the movie.”
“Why?”
I arched a brow, and I couldn’t help but say the only thing that came to mind: “Esto es peligroso. Tú y yo.”
“Translate, please.” She parted her lips, their color a perfect match to her nipples, which I definitely remembered.
“Not on your life.” I smirked, but then she pulled out her phone from her back pocket like her own personal deck of cards and gave it a voice command.
“Translate:Esto es peligroso.Tú y yo.”
