“On a scale of one to ten, how girly is this?” Matt asked during the opening scene.
“Maybe an eight… and a half, but it has sword fighting and giant rats so…” I shrugged.
“Maybe it won’t be so bad.”
“Jamie and Jack like it.” I figured that’d help convince him. “Now shush.”
He put his arm around me, pulled me close, and whispered, “As you wish.”
“Wait, have you seen it?”
“No, unlike you, I was paying attention. The hero just said it.”
Chapter 54
Matt
Madi’s soft snores added to the movie’s soundtrack before the pirate hero saved the princess. If I had two good arms, I would have carried her to the bedroom.
Instead, I gently extricated myself and supported her head as I shifted her to a vertical position on the couch. She sighed and curled up when I placed a thin blanket over her.
Matt: Madi’s asleep on the couch.
Shane: Copy that. Want me to bring dinner?
Matt: Mary left a huge lasagna.
I had the good fortune of trying Mary’s lasagna at Jamie’s, and couldn’t wait to dig into the casserole dish she’d made for us.
Us.
I liked the sound of that. Of us. Of her parents accepting us as a couple.
Us.
Not wanting to wake Madi, I turned the TV off and moved to the matching recliner to read.
Wanting to supplement my on-the-job training at SSI, I’d signed up for a PI course in Dallas. My SEAL training and experience didn’t eliminate the three years of OJT I needed, but combined with the course, it dropped it down to one year.
It was the same path Jay had taken after leaving the Marines.
The ethics reading was dry and boring, so I started another pot of coffee.
The sound of a key in the lock woke me up. When I glanced at the clock, I was shocked to realize I’d napped for almost two hours.
Shane was quieter than a door mouse, but the door closing still woke Madi.
Confusion replaced the sleepy look in her eyes as she removed the blanket and sat up.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Madi yawned as she nodded to acknowledge Shane’s apology. “How long have I been asleep?”
“About three hours,” I answered, getting up to help Shane. “You feel asleep about a third into the movie.”
He declined my offer.
“Did you finish it?”
