“I don’t remember telling you anything like that last night nor do I remember meeting you in my kitchen.”
“Oh, you didn’t. And we didn’t meet in your kitchen. I only told Valene that to make her jealous. It worked, too.”
“Who told you that story about aliens and the Big Bang Truck Stop?”
“Rowan told me.”
“Rowan? Who’s that?”
“He’s my new, very good friend.” Daphne Charlene suddenly sat bolt upright, grabbing Wyatt by both arms, her fingers digging into his flesh through his shirt. “But I don’t love him like I love you, Wyatt.”
Wyatt cupped her elbows in his palms and gently eased her back to the raised bed. “Of course not. I know that.” He patted her arm awkwardly, as she still had a grip on him. She seemed to settle down after a few seconds and leaned back on the bed.
Wyatt stayed where he was alongside her. “Where did you meet Rowan?”
“He came to my place.”
“Your home?”
“No, silly. My Critter’s Café place.”Right, your roadkill restaurant on the hill.
“He loved my award-winning chili recipe.”
“Who wouldn’t?”
“He ate three bowls.”
“He must have been hungry,” Wyatt said. “Why did Rowan say there were space aliens at the truck stop?”
“He was just making fun. He was convinced that if I told that to the owner, Diesel Grey, that it would be a great joke.” She laughed uproariously.
“Funny,” Wyatt agreed and laughed as best he could with her. “How does Rowan know Diesel?”
Her face screwed up into an unpleasant frown. “I’m not sure, but Diesel would have to know him to get the joke, wouldn’t he?” She paused as if thinking hard about that. “Well, they must be old friends or something.” She looked a bit unsure, then shook it off and gazed deeply into Wyatt’s eyes. “I want you to know that once I help Rowan get a new ID, because his was lost in an unfortunate house fire back home, that he’ll be on his way to a new town up north and you won’t have to worry about my affections for him. I know you must be a teeny bit jealous. Admit it.”
“Maybe just a little.” Wyatt asked, managing a half smile, “Rowan is going north, huh? Does he have a job up there, wherever he’s going?”
Daphne Charlene nodded. “Yep. He’s going to be a guard. That’s what he does right now. You know, he guards stuff. When he moves up north, he’ll be a guard doing more guarding of stuff.” She laughed again as the door opened behind him.
Gage and Nova entered. Daphne Charlene grinned at them. “Who are you?”
“I’m your nurse,” Nova said.
“But I thought you were Diesel’s secretary.”
“I prefer the term executive assistant, but I only do that in my spare time. Most of the time I’m a nurse.”
“Gotcha.” To Gage, she said, “Does that mean you’re my doctor?”
“Sort of. Actually, I’m more of a scientist, but one day I might be a doctor.”
“But the really important question is…do you play a doctor on TV?” Daphne Charlene asked and fell back against the pillow, laughing wildly at her own joke.
“The Defender works differently on some humans,” Gage told Wyatt, as if to explain Daphne Charlene’s odd behavior. “Cam sent a message to Axel to look into any guards with the name Rowan or similar on the gulag ship’s manifest, current and prior.”
Daphne Charlene laughed again. “Gulag? What a funny word! It’s so hilarious.” She giggled harder.
“This must be the laughing gas version of Daphne Charlene,” Nova mumbled. “I’m still not a fan.”
